Lee Joon Gi is one of the most versatile actors in South Korea. However, the 34-year-old Hallyu star, who will be making his Hollywood debut in "Resident Evil: The Final Chapter," revealed he had initially said no to the movie helmed by director Paul W. S. Anderson.
On Jan. 13, Friday, "Resident Evil: The Final Chapter" held a promotional press conference in South Korea with Lee, Milla Jovovich, and director Anderson in attendance, Drama Fever reported. There, the Korean actor admitted he was perplexed when the supporting role was first offered to him.
Since it is the sixth and final installment in the "Resident Evil" series, he worried a lot about whether he could be a help or not. He added, "I remember politely rejecting the offer at first to the director."
The Hallyu star decided to give the project a chance after director Anderson re-checked the action scenes and then mailed them back to him. He then made the final decision with a grateful mind in hopes to become a help to the popular series even with a small role.
Director Anderson also talked about his decision to cast Lee as Umbrella Corporation's Commander Lee. The latter's diverse array of emotions and martial arts skills helped convince the director to cast him in the film.
"It's not easy to meet a great male actor, and when I met Lee Jun Ki, I thought, 'Finally, I've found a male actor who can be Milla's opponent'," All Kpop quoted director Anderson as saying. "The two had great chemistry on set, so I only had to set up the cameras and the filming was completed fabulously."
Though Lee and Jovovich have only met in the last part of the series, director Anderson assured everyone that the two will be cast together in his future projects.
"Resident Evil: The Final Chapter" is scheduled to be released on Jan. 27. Check out the trailer here: