Jang Hyuk 장혁

[azureblue7]

1 hour ago, Biology Lesson said:

I's like to think he's hinting at something, but we already know sometimes he's just being random  So who knows if this post is a hint or not... 

 

I checked the language in these posters and it looks like they are in Polish... Is he in Poland?

I think the posters are taken at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in LA, California. Most probably he went there during The Killer premiere back in 2022.  Or he went there recently?

 

 

https://note.com/luluscabinet/n/n63d3cba00643

 

 

 

1 hour ago, Biology Lesson said:

And what is this painting? Do any of you recognize it?!

The artworks are from this account that he follows.

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/C5ipZl5KcHj/?igsh=MWxybmVoanEydmV1bQ==

 

[Biology Lesson]

16 minutes ago, azureblue7 said:

I think the posters are taken at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in LA, California. Most probably he went there during The Killer premiere back in 2022.  Or he went there recently?

 

 

https://note.com/luluscabinet/n/n63d3cba00643

 

 

 

The artworks are from this account that he follows.

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/C5ipZl5KcHj/?igsh=MWxybmVoanEydmV1bQ==

 

Oh, thank! ... So this was indeed just a random post, no hint...  🫤

[azureblue7]

Just now, Biology Lesson said:

Oh, thank! ... So this was indeed just a random post, no hint...  🫤

I was trying to see if there's any hints too..haha

 

 

[Biology Lesson]

1 hour ago, azureblue7 said:

I was trying to see if there's any hints too..haha

 

 

Since he's now without an agent and it looks like there is no one really in charge of his promotion, maybe he should hire someone to have a working plan that is oriented towards promotion... These random posts seem to essentially just be  a reflection of his random thoughts when he's bored 

[YouwinJH]

On 4/10/2024 at 1:57 AM, azureblue7 said:

Kinda sad when I saw this news article..  why not Hyuk? 

 

Sadly this proves my point around networks and friendships. It is also why I think the action market in SK is saturated. Not saying these actors lack skills but in a world where stunt people and CGI exist, skills are less important. It's all about who you know and your brand. JCW and MDS have popularity in this genre...my fear is that JH is not top of mind in this genre in Korea. I can't say what his prospects are in HW (I understand what he's trying to do but I'm still not sold on the idea). However, if I come at it from the standpoint of an international investor, I'd more likely bet on actors who can draw in crowds in their local market. Those 'stars' are more likely to get the first pick at big ticket films / TV as leads. Then what's left? For an actor of his calibre, if JH can't go down the commercial route, why not try the art / independent route or even theatre?

 

He's free to do whatever he wants - my chief concern is the quality of action films and how that might devalue his brand. I'm being snobbish because I think he's too good for b grade stuff. And for now, at least until we get some announcement on a project, that's the worst case scenario that my mind has latched on to. Not that a villian role in RH 4 is a best case scenario either. I also recognise that he has little wriggle room in this and is doing the best he can. If I as a fan is frustrated, I can't imagine how he feels seeing all these casting news that never landed on his desk. I'm pretty sure he keeps abreast of these things

 

Just to illustrate how much work he has to do swimming against the current of his industry. I somehow ended up on the page of the director of Crash Course in Romance and Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha. I've watched neither so don't ask me how I got there. Someone did a nice table showing the director's tendency to reuse the same actors: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoo_Je-won

 

SK is not exceptional in being cliquey. I wouldn't mind JH and the Swordsman director working together often. I like how compact / visual his storytelling is. I may have disliked the story of the Killer but I think the director is competent and you can definitely tell he has a background in art. I like his aesthetics. His last project was King the Land - an underwhelming and pointless drama but it was still beautifully shot. I'd like to see him do something grander in scale maybe with the budget of someone like Sanjay Leela Bhansali

 

Kim HW would be great but she's riding a wave at the moment. Very in demand and most likely will be working with younger actors. That said her latest is Queen of Tears and most of the cast is recurring from the writer's and directors' past projects

 

OT: I came across this which reminded me of JH and how he treats action as a discipline. I think that's why the Swordsman director said he would have been an army general - it's all about the commitment. And KJK on that episode with Donnie Yen that JH is a true martial artist. I hope all his efforts can convert into a big break

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/C5l_iLNt9bi/?igsh=ejhtenU4aG5vaDFm

 

OT: I watched Exhuma this past weekend. Not sure why it was successful but, since I'm not a Korean nationalist, I'm probably not the target demographic. I also watched Monster and though I liked the circular narrative structure it wasn't good at explaining the child's actions. Again the point flew past me I suppose. The most enjoyable of the lot was Robot Dreams. Even though it was a silent movie (animation) about a dog who buys a robot, it was immersive and a good film

[Biology Lesson]

@YouwinJH I think you are missing a very central point- what JH wrote in his latest post. He wrote " I want to challenge one more time in my life..."

I don't know if this is what he means, but the fact is- JH has already done it all. He has had a huge hit and several big ones. He did, not one,but several iconic roles. In cinema? he has not had such big success, but he did make some good movies. So what now? Do the same thing over and over again? Fight for another role and hope it will be a success? In most professions, veterans get more responsibility and more influence,while only in acting, veterans have less opportunities and less influence. And JH knows it. JH has always spoken about himself as an office worker, and as such he is giving himslf a promotion. Is he worthy? For sure. Is it a risk? For sure. Do I support him? For damn sure! 

 

[YouwinJH]

@Biology Lesson I'm not paying much heed to his recent post because frankly I don't know what he means. He has said however that he wants to act until his 60s so I'm writing based on this and about longevity in general. Neither am I trying to decry what he's achieved. The fact that he's trying something different suggests to me that he's also thinking about how to develop his career in a sustainable way. This is what I'm responding.

 

I don't think he has just one more challenge left in him. He's going to be 48 this year. That is far from old.  You're right, the acting profession is ageist. In other profession, age and experience are revered. Women in the business have it worse. Then again it's a very subjective space he's playing in - people have tastes and preferences and it's not possible to appeal to everyone. What I've seen succeed in both Hollywood and Bollywood is actor / director / writer partnerships. Scorsese is one example. The others I can think of include Bhansali, Yash Raj films and Karan Johar

 

He's said that there is something new he can bring in every decade as he changes and grow. Again something I agree. But it can only be proven with getting diverse roles. I'm not interested in volume per se, just quality

 

I don't have a crystal ball that looks into the future. He's clearly contemplated a lot and knows what he's attempting is risky and not fail proof. Equally, my opinion is that he is potentially boxing himself into the action genre. You think it's thriving, which I don't necessarily disagree with but I also think it is crowded and 90% of it is drivel anyway. And I actually like action

 

I have also acknowledged there is little room to manoeuvre. The thing I'm not going to do is pretend that I agree with all his choices when I think there are more sensible options. Does that mean I support him less? It's your perogative to think that! It's in my nature to ask questions, to grumble and if I can offer solutions I will. I don't have any power to influence him but what I'm not going to do is switch off my critical thinking skills just because I'm a fan of someone

[Biology Lesson]

I don't think he meant he has only one challenge in him, I think he means he wants to challenge himself one last time. Accepting main stream Kdrama roles is not a challenge for him. You can agree with his choice or not. It's his life, and I respect him wanting something else for himself.  What he's doing is super couragous and risky. He himself said he doesn't know if he'll succede, but he has to try. I guess in a way I can relate since in the last 10 years, the moment I got to a place where I was doing well in a job and felt like I got the hang of it, my instinct was to move on and look for a bigger challenge. 5 years in a job I was doing well in, and I left and looked for another challenge. And now I'm 3 years in my new job, doing well, and again- my instinct is to move on. but since essentially I moved from one organizaion to another, what JH is doing is so much more impressive to me, as he is building something completely new. And I respect that. This is something I aspire to...

 

Do I wish for another FTLY or another show as success as Chuno? sure, but it looks like shows like that are scarse. I also am not sure his path is the right one, as i think his emphasis should be on script, and not action. But- the bottom line is- we don't know what he's planning, so all we can do is wait and see.

[azureblue7]

Can't help but compare JWS's Man of reason with JH's The Killer because they seemed so similar. But the reviews for Hyuk's movie were much better.

 

https://m.imdb.com/title/tt21387514/

 

 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1971309

0/

 

 

[YouwinJH]

@Biology Lesson I need a leaf off your book. I stay too long with my employers. And yes I do get restless after three years but stay put because of routine and stability even though I'm bored stiff. Oh and the pesky thing called living expenses

 

Maybe I've missed it but did he actually say he didn't want any mainstream roles? I was under the impression the opportunities are few and far between for most actors in general - and it's not specific to the Korean industry. Therefore, he's focusing on creating opportunities for himself

 

Devil's in the detail and frankly it's all pretty vague to me. Apart from the fact that he doesn't have an agency and he wants to choreograph action not only for his own work. Nothing in this suggests to me he doesn't want mainstream roles. Has he said this?

 

I'm not close enough to the situation nor do I have any power to influence it. All I have are opinions. I'm also not gunning for mainstream roles. It's not a binary choice between mainstream and action. There are other genres and action can be mainstream. My sceptism is because I want good content and those are few these days - I'm probably too picky as well. And from past experience, just because JH is in doesn't mean I'm going to like

 

You're right, it is a waiting game. But stuff is also happening all the time in terms of casting news / other shows, which is what I'm responding to. Until something concrete materialises, I can't help speculating or being impatient. That doesn't mean I don't find it admirable he's trying to make stuff happen for himself and taking on a challenge. I also wish him the best. Maybe because I'm competitive and I have a bone to pick (because of all the Chuno impersonations which I know some of you think is a sign of admiration. I beg to differ!). I want him to win because I feel he has been slighted and overlooked. I want him to win because he has so much more left in him and I want him to do what he loves for as long as he can. Since he's trying something new, it wouldn't hurt to consider new / alternative ideas. That's what I'm offering, ofc which he'll never know

 

What has struck me is when he says he's doing things by himself. He needs people to bounce ideas off and who can challenge him. All these DEI initiatives can't be wrong in thinking we need diverse teams for creative problem solving. As far as I can see, the action crew he has are yes men. I could be wrong. Building a partnership with a writer and director could also be good route

[azureblue7]

 

 

[Biology Lesson]

I didn't say he doesn't want to do mainstream roles. I said he wants something more. However- If you look at all the last shows he has done, none of them are what I'd call mainstream- starting from MC to TMWYS and BH. in all these shows JH's character wasn't the usual character you see in Kdramas and all of them were deceptive- all of them made you think one thing, while they were another. I don't think it's a coincidence. Even his character is the horrible Family was unusual. So, you know what? Even though JH has not said it, this is what I'm saying- yeah. JH has had enough with korean mainstream shows. 

 

7 hours ago, azureblue7 said:

Can't help but compare JWS's Man of reason with JH's The Killer because they seemed so similar. But the reviews for Hyuk's movie were much better.

 

https://m.imdb.com/title/tt21387514/

 

 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1971309

0/

 

 

Is the movie successful?

[Biology Lesson]

 

[YouwinJH]

I think it's a reach to say he's not interested in mainstream roles. I don't even think those exist anymore, at least it's not stuff that I watch. There is a lot of genre bending happening these days that conventional dramas are not the norm, unless it's your typical romantic comedies or weekend dramas with 40+ episodes that have a target demographic

 

He's not unique in doing gray characters. Devil Judge, Fiery Priest, Through the Darkness, Beyond Evil are some examples of kdramas with gray / unconventional lead characters played by actors over 40

 

It's a lot of assumptions to suppose he's purposefully targeting those roles versus what he's being offered. In the case of MC, he wanted a do-over because of EoL. He's older now, I don't think romantic lead roles are going to land as often. It's the same for other actors in this age range from what I've seen. Funnily enough the reverse is true for older actresses because there are fans of noona romance

Wanting something more (which hasn't been explicitly said but pretty obvious for anyone who's into acting and serious about their craft) can simply mean he wants to challenge himself by playing a range of characters including romantic leads. I wonder whether positioning himself as an action actor is a contradiction? Though from what I've seen and based on the roles you reference, there is action in them but that's not the main genre. Maybe that's the type of action acting he wants to do

[azureblue7]

4 hours ago, Biology Lesson said:

Is the movie successful?

Not very sure though.But it is JWS first directorial debut.

 

 

Thanks for the japan fanmeeting clip! I am so not used to him being so clean cut..haha.

[Prettysup]

Haha I will be travelling to Tokyo for a biz trip on 18 may, hopefully I can catch him at the airport?

[azureblue7]

Clean shaven Lee Gun look

 

 

 

[Biology Lesson]

so, we're halfway into April and no news about a new project...

 

In the mean time, I noticed this thread refering to a scene I haven't seen anyone mention, and it kinda amused me- a kiss scene from Thank You, that was the most aggressive that I've ever seen JH being- 

 

 

 

[azureblue7]

At the gym

 

[azureblue7]

 

 

I miss his stubble..