Gianna Jun declares interest in Takuya Kimura at promotion for 'Last Blood'

TOKYO (Thursday 28th May, 02:00 PM JST)—

Korean actress Gianna Jun, 27, attended a special preview this week with co-star Koyuki, 32, in Shibuya for the Japan premiere of “Blood: The Last Vampire.” Jun, better known as Ji-hyun Jun, changed her name for the release of the movie which was filmed in English.
Based on the Japanese animated film released in 2000, Jun plays a katana-wielding half-human/half-vampire who hunts full-blooded vampires, both to rid the world of them and due to the fact they are her only source of food.
At the premiere, Jun chose SMAP’s Takuya Kimura as a man she would like to star with, saying he is a great actor. Kimura happened to be promoting the release of his own upcoming movie “I Come With The Rain” in Roppongi on Wednesday night, and Koyuki made a sly remark thanking everyone for coming to see their movie and not his.
“Blood: The Last Vampire” (billed as “Last Blood” in Japan) opens in cinemas on Friday.
source: japantoday

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No blood, No glory

FROM the romantic Il Mare to the cute My Sassy Girl to the sexy A Man Who Was Superman, leggy Korean actress Gianna Jun has been giving it her all on the big screen.

This year, she brings us the Hollywood blockbuster Blood: The Last Vampire in a bid to change her 'sassy' image and take the world's box offices by storm.

In April, a US magazine judged a total of six Korean celebrities, and 28-year-old Gianna scored four out of five points, coming out tops.

The magazine said you had a model-esque figure and looks, and also felt you did exceptionally well in Blood: The Last Vampire. How do you feel about its flattering critique of you?

I would like to thank the media for their kind judgment but whether I will become the celebrity that they already deem me to be remains to be seen.

How do you cope with speaking a foreign language?

Using English to act out an emotional scene is tough. The pronunciation of the English language is a real challenge for me. The production company engaged an English teacher for me and I practised diligently, there really is no other way.

When did you find out that you were going to the US to further your career? Did you have any concerns then?

I had no worries in particular. As an actress, the chance to act in foreign films was an opportunity too good to pass up. Furthermore, this was an action film and the thought that there would be less dialogue made me decide to accept the offer.

In this movie you execute lethal moves. What were the worst injuries you sustained? We also heard that you had to train with Japanese swords, so were you injured as a result? What preparation did you do for those scenes?

Getting injured in an action film is really unavoidable. There was one scene when I was hit in the face by a crane and I started bleeding . I also had to undergo three months of rigorous training with a Hong Kong wushu trainer. I couldn't have completed this movie without the training.

Tell us about acting in the US as opposed to acting in Korea. Any differences?

In Korea, the director will discuss the scene in detail with me before we actually shoot the scene but there's very little of that in America. This is the main difference. But in America, they are very disciplined when it comes to working hours. We will never fail to have one off day a week, unlike in Korea where we can work for days on end.

Introduce your movie to Singaporean viewers.

Please don't be put off by the ominous title of the movie. I believe the audience will thoroughly enjoy the film.

This article was first published in The New Paper

source: Diva Asia
credit: ellewoods

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Live-Action Blood the Last Vampire’s 1st 5 Minutes Posted

The Yahoo! Japan website’s Movies section is streaming the first five minutes and 27 seconds from Chris Nahon’s live-action film adaptation of the Blood: The Last Vampire anime film. Director Hiroyuki Kitakubo (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Roujin Z) and Production I.G animated the original film. In the new film, South Korea’s Jeon Ji-hyun (under her English name, Gianna Jun) plays Saya, a sword-wielding girl hunting down supernatural creatures. Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell films, Mobile Police Patlabor) conceived the original anime’s story with screenwriter Kenji Kamiyama (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Eden of The East). Chris Chow adapted the story for East Wing Holdings Corp. and SAJ’s live-action version.

Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group acquired all North American rights to the new film, and Samuel Goldwyn Films will release the film in American theaters this summer. The live-action film will open in Japan on Friday (under the title Last Blood), in the United Kingdom on June 12, and then in France on June 17. It will also open in Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea and other countries in June.

Manga Entertainment released the original Blood: The Last Vampire anime film in North America, while Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is releasing the Blood+ television anime series. Viz Media published the graphic novel sequel to the first movie, and Dark Horse Comics is publishing the different Blood+ manga and text novel.

watch here…

Anime News Network

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Jun Ji Hyun @ Bugis Singapore

credit:berylin@youtube

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Jun Ji Hyun: More pictures @ Bugis Singapore

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Jun Ji Hyun May 2009 17tea Commercial Film

credit: sushiboiii of youtube

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Jun Ji Hyun spotted filming 17 tea cf

It’s Jun Ji-hyun! The CF queen/actress was recently spotted filming the next installment of the“17 Tea” on the streets of Seoul.

Jun Ji-hyun’s Hollywood vehicle, “Blood, the Last Vampire” will open in theaters in Korea on June 11th.

credited: popseoul

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Blood: The Last Vampire Press Conference

21 May 2009 | 1300 HRS Capella Singapore Sentosa

Don’t be fooled by her stunning looks- Gianna Jun (better known as Jun Ji-hyun) is one tough cookie, as she aptly demonstrates in her first action movie, Blood: The Last Vampire playing a demon hunter. So formidable was she that we suspect the press had to be protected from coming too close to her- something her minders diligently enforced at the press conference.

Better known as Jeon Ji-hyun from the hit Korean movies “My Sassy Girl” and “Windstruck”, Gianna stars as Saya, a 400 year old half-human, half-vampire that goes around slaying vampires, her ultimate goal the evil patriarch of them all, Onigen. This film also marks Gianna’s first Hollywood movie.

Thanks to the intense preparation that she went through to ready herself for the stunts in the movie, she can now spend more than an hour on the treadmill every day- that’s up from just ten minutes before she began training. In fact, she’s so happy with her new found fitness that she has made it her regular daily physical routine.

Swinging into town as part of her promotional tour, Gianna described how she spent 2 months of physical training in Los Angeles and then another one and a half months in China preparing for the film’s many action sequences.

“I started from basic physical training, like repetitive kicks, and after a while it got a bit boring because I was doing the same thing over and over again. But when filming started, everything was choreographed by the martial arts people so that was much more interesting for me,” she said. “Still, I was never really ready when filming started so I actually spent pretty much the entire time when we were shooting the movie practicing and learning the stunts too.

She is full of praise for renowned action director Cory Yuen who choreographed the action in the movie. Indeed, she said that it was because of his professionalism on the set that she was able to execute the many dangerous stunts without sustaining any major injuries. Nevertheless, that didn’t mean that filming what is easily her most physically demanding role to date was a breeze.

“Every day was a challenge for me because it was not easy performing the stunts while strapped up on a wire,” she said. One particularly challenging sequence was a 15-minute fight in the movie between Saya and a horde of vampires in the rain. Filming that alone took one month of being drenched from head to toe continuously- a month that she described as something that no one should have to go through.

But the stunts were not the only challenge she faced filming this live-action adaptation of a popular anime. Since most of the dialogue in the movie was in English, she also picked up the language from scratch. In fact, she changed her name to Gianna (Gianna is short form in Italian for “Giovanni”, which means “God’s grace”) because the producers were afraid that international audiences might not be able to pronounce her Korean name.

“It was particularly difficult was trying to express my character’s emotions while speaking in English,” she said. “The only way to accomplish that is to study the character more intently so that the emotions can just flow naturally.” What she liked most about her character Saya was her humanity expressed through her sympathy for even the vampires she kills- something that she tried her best to portray.

Gianna also joins a recent list of Korean stars who have made their forays into Hollywood, including Daniel Henney in this summer’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Rain, soon to be seen in the Wachoswki Brothers’-produced Ninja Assassin. But for the moment, she has no plans to commit to a Hollywood career.

“I think what’s most important for me is the script and the character- as long as I can feel for the story and the character, it doesn’t matter whether it’s a Korean movie or Hollywood movie,” she said. And for her Korean fans out there, you’ll be glad to know that her next movie that she is in talks to star will be in Korean. ”

credit: http://moviexclusive.com/article/bloodthelastvampire/bloodthelastvampire.html

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Korean "Sassy girl" in Singapore to promote first Hollywood film

Jun Ji Hyun in Singapore

In the movie adapted from a popular Japanese anime, the Korean actress took on the role as Saya Otonashi, a human-vampire hybrid immortalized at 16 years old. As a demon-slayer herself, the ironic part about Saya is that she also depends on human blood for survival.

The most challenging parts for her in the movie, Jun said during a press conference in Singapore, are the action scenes. For them, she went through three months of physical training. On top of that, this is also the first time she is acting in English.

Blood: The Last Vampire will be in local theatres in June.

Source: Yahoo! News

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Jun Ji-hyun bets on her new identity

"My Sassy Girl" star Jun Ji-hyun is coming back to the silver screen again, this time not only for local moviegoers but for international audiences.
"Blood: The Last Vampire," starring Jun as the title character, will hit theaters in Japan on May 29, followed by releases in Hong Kong, Singapore and other Asian markets in June. The Korean release is slated for June 11 and it will open in the United States in July.
"I felt a lot of pressure about whatever I did in Korea because the media here tended to overrate my performance, but when I was on the shooting set for 'Blood,' nobody paid particular attention to me," Jun said in an interview with The Herald Business.
"It would be very difficult for me to take up a vampire role in the Korean film market, and even if I got the role, I might be unable to shake off my old image, but I discovered my new identity thanks to the project abroad.”

Jun is an A-list actress in Korea and her profile stands out throughout Asia thanks to the enormous success of “My Sassy Girl,” a romantic comedy that helped fuel the Korean Wave.

However, in the handful of films she has starred in since “My Sassy Girl” were less successful, despite her continued popularity as a model for TV commercials.

Now, 12 years since her modeling debut, she aims to reconfigure her image through “Blood,” a remake of a Japanese animation of the same title that marks her arrival in Hollywood.

In Hollywood she is using “Gianna Jun” as her official English name, following advice that her Korean name is hard to pronounce.

Jun's decision to join the shooting of the Hollywood action film is not only for broadening her career outside Korea but also going beyond the limits of a language barrier. “Blood” centers around action sequences, helping Jun reach a broader range of viewers in English-speaking countries. But this came with a downside: The action scenes turned out to be fairly demanding.

"It was so hard that I thought I would never take a role in an action film again, but in retrospect I believe it was a good decision because the film helped reveal something new in me,” Jun said.

Inthe movie, she plays Saya, a human-vampire hybrid who hunts vampires for food. Jun went through new experiences such as wire action and martial arts sequences – a departure from her “Sassy Girl” image as an attractive woman who never hesitates to smash her boyfriend to hide her tender side.

Jun also brushed aside the mobile phone duplication incident involving her management agency, adding that she felt sorry for her agency’s staff members who had to endure negative media coverage.

But the real challenge is whether Jun can pull off a commercial success this time around with “Blood.” In recent years she has struggled on the big screen, despite her status as the most sought-after fashion icon who has won a slew of lucrative TV advertisement deals.

Last year, she played opposite award-winning actor Hwang Jung-min in “A Man Once a Superman” amid renewed attention for her film career, but the movie was not well-received.

Similarly, Jun’s other films such as “Daisy” (2006), “Windstruck” (2004) and “The Uninvited” (2003) received tepid reactions from moviegoers.

By:Yang Sung-jin
(insight@heraldm.com)

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Jeon Ji-hyun Attempts Major Transformation in Action Movie

Actress Jeon Ji-hyun has made a foray into action movies by playing a leading role in the movie “Blood,” which opens June 11 worldwide. In “Blood,” which marks Jeon’s Hollywood debut, she appears wearing a school uniform and flying in the sky on wires. Her new role stands apart from her previous roles of sexy and sassy gals.

In an interview on May 12, Jeon said her role in “Blood” proved to be more challenging than she thought, but that she was lucky to try it with the help of foreign filmmakers who didn’t know her well and thus gain new experience.

“Blood” is based on the same-titled Japanese animation by famous cartoonist Mamoru Oshii. It is a multinational project overseen by producer Bill Kong, who produced “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and “Hero”; director Chris Nahon, who produced “Kiss Of The Dragon”; and director Corey Yuen Kwai of “Transporter.”

Jeon plays a 16-year-old half-human-half-vampire girl who is ordered by a government agency to destroy vampires. The actress said that, although it was difficult to act in an action movie, it was a very fascinating experience in hindsight. “Now I understand why so many actors keep returning to action movies though they promise to never do it again while filming,” added Jeon.

Jeon said, "Many people know me as sexy and innocent-looking, but that’s frustrating to me. That is of course my fault as well, because I’ve failed to show off a more versatile side of me as an actress. Though I don’t attach prior importance to creating a certain image of myself when choosing a role, I would like to appear in an action movie again if I have a chance.”

“Blood” drew particular attention because it is Jeon’s first role in a Hollywood production. The actress says it was enormous pressure for her because she wanted to meet her fans’ expectations but that she was proud to be part of a multinational project as a Korean and Asian. She appears strongly determined to expand her presence overseas by appealing to foreign audiences through acting.

Jeon said, "I have been dreaming of debuting overseas and I hope everything turns out well. I want to show that Korean actors and Korean culture in no way lag behind. To actresses like me, who face a language barrier, an action movie is an ideal genre for debuting abroad. It was risky, because I had never tried it before, but I believe I can handle it well and it’s worth the try."

The filming of “Blood” had already been finished in Argentina and China even before the filming of the movie “A Man Who Was Superman,” which opened last year, began in those countries. But it will open no earlier than next month because of all the finishing touches that need to be made.

Jeon says she was embarrassed to play a 16-year-old wearing a school uniform but adds jokingly that she looked good. She said, “I don’t mind wearing a school uniform. It looks fresh and viewers will like it.”

Jeon said, "As I become more mature, I can easily become engrossed in my roles even without any special training. Aging is a beautiful process for an actress. I don’t need to rush things in terms of my career.”.

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Jeon Ji-hyun Looks to Confound Critics in Vampire Film

Actress Jeon Ji-hyun is on a tour of several countries to promote her latest film "Blood: The Last Vampire" scheduled for release on June 11.

The film is the story of a vampire who is battling to end 400 years of warfare between humans and vampires. Based on Japanese animation "Ghost in the Shell" by Mamoru Oshii, it cost US$35 million as a co-production by Japan, France and Hong Kong.

"I'm more excited and nervous because it's not a Korean project, but a multinational one," Jeon said. "I'm very nervous because I'm presenting myself as an actress in a new genre."

"I get a lot of feedback saying that I’m a commercial model rather than an actress, and that I'm trapped in the images in advertisements. I also hear comments questioning my ability to act. Because I'm a human being, I was anxious and impatient about having to show another side of me to the public," she said. "But I also thought that because I'm an actress, I don't have to get carried away. I know that I will do well and I will look good, so there was no need to hurry."

"I'm sorry that I wasn't able to show various aspects of myself in dramas or films throughout my 11-year career," she said. There are many misperceptions and prejudices about the image I've portrayed so far, but I think the best answer to such criticisms would be to do well in new films. I have ambition and desire to act until the day I die."

Jeon said the film tried to be as true to the original animation as possible. "The director and all other crew said I fit the character very well."

credits @ Chosun Ilbo

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Can Gianna Jun succeed overseas?

"My Sassy Girl" heroine Gianna Jun (her Korean name is Jun Ji-hyun) comes back on screen with her first international action movie "Blood," which will be released on June 11 in Korea. In the movie, Jun plays the role of "Saya," a human-vampire hybrid who hunts vampires for food. Playing "Saya" is ground breaking for Jun as an actress for the fact that she has never performed in an action movie. Wielding katana and hanging from a wire were new experiences for her.

Speaking at a news conference on May 12 in Seoul, she explained that she chose a hardcore action movie as her international movie debut in an apparent desire to analyze herself as an actress.
She said, "I valued the new venture to debut as an action star in overseas markets and I thought that I must challenge myself."
Working with foreign staff was not an easy task because the language barrier was a new challenge. "I remember the first shooting very vividly. I could only perform two lines of the script, and I couldn't understand what the producers wanted from me," Jun said.
While Jun took the first step into the overseas movie market, there were mixed reactions to her chances of becoming a Hollywood movie star through "Blood."
Caroline, 23, who works in the fashion industry in New York City, doubts Jun's chances of success in the tough U.S. film industry. "My first question is can she speak English properly?”
"The reason that the Korean actress in 'Lost' (Kim Yoon-jin) was successful is because she can speak English very fluently. Unless Gianna could speak English like that, I don't think she will be successful," she told The Korea Herald.
Experts in Seoul say language is one of the main factors that decide the success for Korean entertainers who go overseas, especially to the United States.

Han Su-jung from entertainment management company JYP's PR department emphasized the importance of English-speaking ability. She exemplified pop singer Park Jun-hyung's case and said "He filmed two Hollywood movies already: "Speed Racer" and "Dragon Ball Z." Han also said in an interview with the paper that "Park's fluent English helped him a lot, since he speaks the language he is playing the main character in 'Dragon Ball Z."' “The language came handy when the actor communicates with producers and other cast members and I think it applies to any Korean actor or actress filming in a foreign language."
Along with language, "looks" are not a negligible factor for evaluating Jun as a world star. Caroline said "American audience love to see the 'exotic' looks of Asians, but I don't think she has that … (she) has a forgettable face."
But other Americans raised the possibility that Jun could appeal to the U.S. entertainment industry. Jim Mahan, a banker in North Carolina, who said he is a movie fan, told The Korea Herald in an e-mail interview that Jun reminded him of the young actress in "Hero" and "Kill Bill."
"She has an attractive look, but also, and I know this may sound strange, she looks believable," Mahan said.
Whether playing a saint or an evil character, Mahan said, she has a face that looks genuine. "That's extremely important in film," he said.
For the movie "Blood," Jun worked with well-known producer Bill Kong, who produced "Crouching Tiger," "Hero," and "House of Flying Dragon."
The movie will be on show from July in the United States.
By Hwang Aesol (csa919@gmail.com)

souce: Korea Herald

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Jeon Ji-hyun criticized for “Hollywood debut” exaggerations

Jeon Ji-hyun’s Hollywood debut has been buzzed about for practically two years, and although previews have finally come out for Blood: The Last Vampire, there has still been no official U.S. release announced (July has been mentioned as a tentative possibility). It seems that Korean fans and netizens are growing weary of the hype without an actual product, and have started to voice their suspicions, dissatisfied with the exaggeration of her role and accusing her of false advertising.

The movie has been touted all along as a “Hollywood film,” by Jeon herself as well as the promotional machine. Sidus HQ, Jeon’s management, explained: “When Jeon Ji-hyun spoke of it as her Hollywood debut film, she didn’t mean that it was made in Hollywood but that it would be released in America. The point is that it is the first step in the Hollywood system.”

The source article points out that even though the film wasn’t made by Hollywood, this wouldn’t be an issue if it had received investments from American film companies. However, the production budget was not furnished by Hollywood, financed instead by companies in four other countries, making it a co-production between Japan, Hong Kong, France, and Argentina. The film has a French director, Chris Nahon, and is based on a Japanese manga.

I think this is rather harsh on Jeon (and really, Blood kinda looks awesome, much better than the other so-called Hallyu-to-Hollywood debuts), but it has a very valid point, which is to take the press and management companies to task for being too eager to label any and everything a “Hollywood debut.” For instance, the media was quick to blare the trumpets for Han Chae-young’s “Hollywood debut” in the horror film Soul Mate, which was a Korea-New Zealand production that had no traction in Hollywood. Han Go-eun’s supposed Hollywood project was a Korea-Canada co-production.

On the other hand, there are projects that can be legitimately called Hollywood debuts, such as Daniel Henney’s recently released X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Lee Byung-heon’s upcoming G.I. Joe (which releases in August), Rain’s upcoming Ninja Assassin (November), and Jang Dong-gun’s The Warrior’s Way (which was previously called Laundry Warrior).

Via My Daily

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Gianna Jun is a “girl less ordinary” in Elle

Not only artists who can be magazine’s cover! In this modern era, even a vampire can be one.
A vampire named ‘Saya‘ is greeting the fashion magazine’s reader of ELLE Hongkong.
‘Saya’ the vampire alias is Gianna Jun aka Jeon Jihyun. She is more than ready to suck ur so called blood starting this June 2009. But, that’s only in the giant screen ^^
Korean top actress Jeon Jihyun shares her latest image as being the cover model for May edition of ELLE Hongkong.
She was also doin’ photoshoots for the magazine and gave her shouts via the magazine interview.
Her latest movie “Blood : The Last Vampire (Director : Chris Nahon)” was telling about a vampire named ‘Saya’,who is part of covert government agency that hunts and destroys demons in a post-WWII Japan, is inserted in a military school to discover which one of her classmates is a demon is disguise (via imdb)
Blood : The Last Vampire sets to greet its giant screen viewers in Asia & Europe starting June 11,2009.
Photo spreads are credit to ELLE HONGKONG via NATE

credits : hallyuism if taken out

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