JANG Dong-gun has been catapulted to fame mostly thanks to his handsome looks. But his journey to become genuine actor was not without its troubles. Moviegoers did not expect much from a good-looking actor such as him, while movie producers just wanted to use his star power. To fulfill his earnest desire for acting, JANG filled his acting resume with challenges. He chose minor movies and roles which were beneath his market value. He achieved his first recognition as an actor,...More

JANG Dong-gun has been catapulted to fame mostly thanks to his handsome looks. But his journey to become genuine actor was not without its troubles. Moviegoers did not expect much from a good-looking actor such as him, while movie producers just wanted to use his star power. To fulfill his earnest desire for acting, JANG filled his acting resume with challenges. He chose minor movies and roles which were beneath his market value. He achieved his first recognition as an actor, not a star, with <Nowhere to Hide> and emerged as a character actor starring in <Friend>. His thirst for acting manifested itself in <The Coast Guard> directed by [KIM Ki-duk]. He delivered an impressive performance in <Taegukgi> directed by [KANG Je-kyu], which testified to his marketability and star power and established him as one of Korea’s best actors. After a long hiatus following <Typhoon>, he took part in the global film project <The Warrior's Way>, and played one of the presidents in <Good Morning President> directed by [JANG Jin], who is known for his unique sense of comedy. <My Way> was a 30 billion KRW-scale war film released in the 2011 winter holiday in Korea, another collaboration between JANG and the director KANG 7 years after <Taegukgi>. JANG's next feature was the international co-production <Dangerous Liaisons>, a film adaptation of French novel of the same title released in 2012, in which he co-starred with [ZHANG Ziyi] and [Cecilia CHEUNG]. After a short spell away from screens, JANG next returned to theaters with the hitman drama <No Tears for the Dead>. From LEE Jeong-beom, the filmmaker behind <The Man from Nowhere> (2010), the film saw JANG incarnate an amoral contract killer who suffers a pang of conscience when he accidentally kills a bystander.Less