Thanks to 'Gangnam Style' Influence, are Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning and Other Hollywood Stars Showing Greater Interest in Korea?

In December 2012, Andy and Lana Wachowski, siblings and co-directors of the film Cloud Atlas, visited Korea with actor Jim Sturgess. On January 5, Dakota Fanning and her sister Elle, who were enthusiastically greeted by Korean fans at Incheon International Airport, arrived in Seoul for a promotional project with luxury jewelers J. Estina. And tomorrow, top Hollywood star Tom Cruise will visit Korea for the sixth time to promote his new film, Jack Reacher

For Korean fans, these are good opportunities to see famous Hollywood celebrities. But perhaps more importantly, we are also slowly seeing a shift in how Hollywood stars are spending their time in Korea. In the past, the country was just another stop in their global promotional tours. But lately, thanks to Psy and the emergence of K-Pop and the Korean culture, more and more celebrities are starting to show a deeper interest in Korea.

During their visit, the Wachowskis appeared on MBC's Knee-Drop Guru. Despite the language barrier, the fact that Hollywood celebrities could appear on the program and converse with the Korean comedians, all of whom do not speak English, was an extraordinary accomplishment. Host Kang Ho-dong treated the Wachowskis like Korean celebrities by lifting them up and placing them in their seat. Kang asked the usual first question, "Why are you appearing on Knee-Drop Guru?" Andy answered, "What kind of souvenir should I buy my wife from Korea?" The segment continued in this question/answer dialogue format, the typical style of Knee-Drop Guru. The Wachowskis did not receive any special treatment. There were neither any translators nor a prepared script. During the show, the Wachowskis danced to Psy's "Gangnam Style" and naturally talked about kimchi and soju. It seemed like the Wachowskis were very familiar and comfortable talking about Korea, perhaps because they have prior experience working with Korean stars Rain and Bae Doo-na.

Sturgess also visited a polling center with his Cloud Atlas co-star Bae on December 19, which was when Korea was holding its presidential elections. This seems to show that Sturgess too is interested in learning about the Korean culture.

Dakota Fanning, one of Hollywood's most famous child stars, surprised many in Korea when she admitted that she was a big fan of Big Bang's G-Dragon and asked, "Can I have dinner [with him]?" Unfortunately, it was reported that G-Dragon was too busy preparing for a concert in Korea and Japan and asked if he could join her next time. This exchange, a top Korean star rejecting a top Hollywood star's proposal, seems to mark the emergence of K-Pop on a global stage. Big Bang, a popular K-Pop band, is still holdings its world concert tour for their hit 2012 album Alive.

Cruise's upcoming visit to Busan is also special. He will attend the red carpet premiere of his new film, Jack Reacher, which is currently playing in theaters in the U.S. but won't be released in Korea until January 17. This will mark the first time a major Hollywood movie is getting a red carpet rollout in Busan. Previously, all international movie premieres were held in Seoul. Cruise is also set to receive honorary citizenship. The local government is bestowing this honor to Cruise for his contribution of elevating Busan's status as a major filmmaking center in Asia. 

In the past, the reason why Korea was the first stop for many Hollywood premieres was due to the country's notorious piracy. However, it seems like more foreign stars are genuinely interested in visiting Korea. On January 18, Taiwanese actress Gui Lun-Mei will visit Korea to promote her film Girlfriend Boyfriend (GF*BF)

Tags
Psy
Gangnam Style
Big Bang
G-Dragon
Tom Cruise
Dakota Fanning
Join the Discussion

Latest Photo Gallery

Real Time Analytics