At the first press conference held in Seoul for Rain's second Hollywood film, Ninja Assassin, the Korean superstar revealed how he suffered and went through several hardships during the past eight months.
During the eight months, he underwent six hours of wushu training daily to maintain his body fat level at zero. Nine out of 10 stunts shown in the movie were done by the actor himself.
"I was once injured, but those are glorious scars and injuries," said Rain who also shared that he watched a couple of Bruce Lee movies as a reference for his role in Ninja Assassin.
Although he once had thoughts of giving up when filming got tougher, he said, "I once promised my fans that I will shoot a movie that will be acclaimed all over by critics. Secondly, it is due to pride. When I tirelessly lifted up a 100 kg dumbbell, workers who once taught Brad Pitt and Matt Damon agitated me by saying this 'They are more persistent than you'. That sentence really ignited my fighting spirit. Thirdly, I want to show my results towards the media who defamed and looked down on me."
He also found inner strength in his late mother's memory. Speaking of his deceased mother, the 27-year-old poignantly said, "When my mother was alive, she would wake up at 5am and head to work, working till nightfall. When she reached home at 12am, she still has to do the household chores. When I think about all these, I know that I have to bear with it no matter how tough it gets."
Ninja Assassin will make its premiere in Singapore on Nov 26.
Wed Nov 11, 2009 8:19 pm
