Choi Si-won, South Korean K-Pop star and actor. (Photo : Reuters)
While Singapore's excitable Super Junior fans were ecstatic about the appearance of the K-Pop boy-band's member, Choi Siwon, on their shores for "Dragon Blade's" promotional run, the popular young star was busy sharing his desert memories with the media.
Choi revealed that "I really like the desert," which is a claim that he can readily make after spending 10 days on a desert filming location for Jackie Chan's 2015 blockbuster movie.
"Really like" might not properly encapsulate the feeling of wonder that the K-Pop star experienced on one occasion during his week-and-a-half-long stint. The singer-actor explained that he found solace in the fact that there is no light when driving along the desert highways. During one trip, he asked his driver to turn off the vehicle's lights and recounted the memory in spiritual terms:
"And suddenly, you cannot see anything at all. And I was like, 'Oh man. Wow, so we are nothing' . . . So I thought I am nothing. If I have no light, there's no purpose to live. It's very meaningful for me."
The profound desert encounter was not merely part a sole experience for Choi, as his father joined him during the 10 days. The appearance of "Papa Choi," as he was labeled by the Singaporean media, had not happened before in Choi's career, and the Korean celebrity described a "weird father and son" pairing.
As an example, Choi said that the walkie-talkie devices that were used on set found a purpose in the hotel they were staying in, as they would also use them to communicate to each other from their rooms.
However, in addition to his acting son, Papa Choi found himself prominent on the set. Even though his endearingly ignorant questions about the identity of major co-stars, such as Oscar winner Adrien Brody, were embarrassing for his son, Choi said that "my father and Mr. [Jackie] Chan really love each other and they had good time together."
The experience was so enjoyable for the two Chois that they have committed to a joint annual trip, to either Israel or Jerusalem, in the future.
