Interview conducted with a translator on 21 May 2009 at Capella Hotel, Sentosa Singapore.

Everyone's curious about your name change. Why Gianna?
Oh you see, my Korean name is Ji-hyun, and my friends and family back home calls me 'Ji-hyun-a'. So I decided to have my English name as Gianna because it sounds similar to the way my Korean name is pronounced. I didn't want to go for something very different. I'm planning to stick to it throughout the rest of my career, by the way.

Why action film as your Hollywood debut?
I believe the audience can associate me better in an action film as I'm not very fluent in my English. For this film, I had to learn English from scratch. So through this, I had to focus more on my action choreography to deliver the character Saya better.

Tell us about your character, Saya.
On the surface, Saya is a stunning 16-year-old. She has stop physical aging since she was 16. So, she roughly is about 400 years old. She has been a loner and an outsider ever since then. When I got the script, I fell in love with the character Saya and went to watch the original anime. Saya might look fragile on the outside, but she is strong inside together with the loneliness and darkness of her life buried within her. That is the reason why I came to choose this film.

Gianna with action director, Corey Yuen.

When and where was the movie filmed?
This movie started filming three years ago and was shot in Argentina and then China for three months.
Was this movie difficult to act in and what kind of training did you have to go through?
Of course, I had to go through very tough physical training to develop the physique that Saya has. They (the producers) made me train in Los Angeles for two months, and then in Hong Kong and China for another two months. I also had to go for martial arts classes and learn how to execute kung fu kicks properly. It started off with the basic physical training of doing repetitive kicks, and after a while, it got a bit boring. But when the filming started, things got interesting. There was never a point where I was ready for everything before filming as I had to practice the stunts and train throughout the whole production phase of the movie. It was really tough. Previously before filming, I could only run for about 10 minutes on the treadmill, but now I can run continuously for more than an hour! It has kept me very fit and I am keeping that routine now.

What was the challenge you face whilst acting out the stunts?
Since this is my first action movie, just being harness to a wire in the air is already difficult for me. I still have to do my sidekicks and all that action whilst being wired up. Even though Cory Yuen ("Transporter 3") did a good job choreographing the moves, everyday was still a challenge.

Was it harder to perform the action stunts or to speak in English?
In the beginning, both were very difficult. It was especially awkward for me to express myself in English, but either way I've learned a lot from start to finish as I had to repetitively practice my English and my action stunts. I can say that I've grown tremendously throughout this film.

n the anime, Saya is a very strong but silent character. But, in this movie you see her with a lot more emotions. How did u learn to portray that including the challenge of delivering it in another language?
It is just a natural flow. I believe in the character and put myself into the character. For having to do it in English, I just have to study more on the character and practice on my own. So there is no difficulty in expressing those emotions, it is just a natural process.

Did look up to any actor/actresses as reference before acting the role of Saya?
Cory Yuen did introduce Nikita to me, but Nikita is a different type of female action. Regardless of that, I've learnt a lot from watching her and the moves that she does, so Nikita is the only person I observed beforehand.


What is the main difference between Hollywood and Korean filmmaking that you have experienced so far?
The film sets of this movie is quite similar to the ones in Korea, but in Hollywood they have a system where it's like an allowance for myself, where I get to have days off so it is less strict. Now that's the part that I like. In Korean films, usually I would have to carry on and on with the filming.
Do you think there is a trend for Korean actors and actresses to venture to Hollywood?
I don't think it is a trend because if you look at it differently, it is because Hollywood needed Korean talents or Asian talents. This is a good chance to let them know that Korea has talent!

Gianna's favourite scene

What was your favourite action scene throughout the whole movie?
The scene where I was under the rain for 20 minutes fighting off all the demons is my favourite scene! And for those 20 minutes alone, it took us a month of filming where I had to be under the rain while doing my stunts. I prayed so hard for time to pass. Nobody should ever go through this! (laughs) Anyway, I didn't go through all that hardship for nothing, so that's my favourite scene and I'm quite happy with the outcome.

Do you see yourself doing another action movie in the future?
If given the opportunity, I would do it because I've experienced it and I am quite comfortable now if I wanted to do another action film. I would like to act in about six other genres if I could, that is if I find the script and character to be good. I won't stick to a certain kind of genre. As for me now, I'm in talks to prepare for a Korean movie.

credit: Cinema Online By Lei Swee Wei