Gilgamesh Actor Don Lee on His Bond with Angelina Jolie – The Hollywood Reporter

Making his American debut, Don Lee packs fairly a punch in Chloé Zhao’s Eternals. The South Korean-American actor, who’s also called Ma Dong-seok, performs Gilgamesh, the strongest of the Eternals and arguably probably the most selfless. He’s additionally fairly gifted in hand-to-hand fight, which allowed Lee to place his boxing background to good use. The actor first rose to worldwide prominence in 2016’s zombie horror-thriller Practice to Busan, and Hollywood has been knocking on Lee’s door ever because the movie’s Cannes premiere. In 2019, the celebrities lastly aligned with an Eternals function that will require Lee’s character to guard Angelina Jolie’s unstable warrior Everlasting, Thena.

“I used to be a fan of Angelina earlier than this movie, and as soon as we each met, it felt like we have been previous pals that had lastly met after being separated in numerous elements of the world,” Lee tells The Hollywood Reporter. “All through the film, our characters protected and regarded out for one another, however we additionally protected and regarded out for one another in actual life, too.”

In a latest dialog with THR, Lee and his Korean translator, Jenny Park, focus on his most memorable second on set, in addition to his character’s CG child costume.

Don, are you able to inform me a bit about your casting course of?

For the previous 5 years, I’ve been getting plenty of casting calls from Hollywood, however on the time, I needed to produce and act for a lot of completely different [South Korean] films. And as a result of that, the timing wasn’t proper for me. However a pair years in the past, Sarah Finn, the casting director for Marvel, reached out to me for the character of Gilgamesh, and listening to her — and in addition speaking to Chloé [Zhao] and [producer] Nate Moore on a video name — I grew to become interested in the character of Gilgamesh. Personally, I used to be additionally a Marvel fan, in order that’s how I bought to be part of Eternals.

How did you put together for the function?

I didn’t put together significantly for this film. I’ve all the time been getting ready every day as I’ve been boxing since I used to be 14 years previous. And since I’ve been doing plenty of stunts in my previous motion films, I’ve all the time been ready for something that may come my manner. And for the character that Chloé gave me, Gilgamesh, I used to be capable of simply adapt to that character as a result of Chloé relating it to my very own character and my previous characters. The one factor that I did put together for throughout filming was the language as a result of appearing in Korean and appearing in English are just a little completely different. So I needed to research repeatedly all through the movie to have the ability to get the laborious vocab phrases for the historic settings. Speaking in English and truly appearing in English are completely different, and that was the half that I wanted to deal with.

How did you react if you first realized that your character would spend most of his time defending Angelina Jolie’s Thena?

I used to be a fan of Angelina earlier than this movie, and as soon as we each met, it felt like we have been previous pals that had lastly met after being separated in numerous elements of the world. We have been very comfy with one another as if we have been reuniting as previous pals. All through the film, our characters protected and regarded out for one another, however we additionally protected and regarded out for one another in actual life, too.

Gilgamesh cooks for the Eternals at a sure level within the movie. For those who additionally needed to prepare dinner for the Eternals, what dish would you make them?

I’ll say Korean barbecue. I cooked a pie within the film, however I’d prepare dinner Korean barbecue for them in actual life. I truly took the solid to a Korean restaurant as soon as in London, and so they cherished it.

Marvel Studios launched a hero poster of you as Gilgamesh. What does it imply to you to see your self in that context?

As an actor, being a superhero in a film is a dream come true. I’m honored to be part of one of many largest film franchises in Marvel, and I’m honored to be a robust character in Eternals. So seeing that poster simply makes me really feel that I absolutely achieved turning into a superhero as an actor.

In 30 years, if you inform your loved ones tales about your time making Eternals, what day will you inform them about first?

General, each single second and each single day have been very significant and memorable, particularly due to the very massive, numerous solid and an Oscar winning-director like Chloé. However the one factor that simply leapt into my reminiscence was the motion scene that I shot for six weeks on my own. The method was very laborious and really tough, however after I lastly completed the scene, the entire crew on set gave me a spherical of applause. That heat and help and love that I felt from the crew was so memorable that I’ll be telling folks about it afterward in life.

Out of curiosity, did your castmates insist on taking selfies with you within the child costume?

(Laughs.) That was truly CG!

You’re kidding!

(Laughs.) Yeah, it was CG. So, sadly, no selfies.

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Eternals is now taking part in solely in film theaters. This interview was edited for size and readability.