Sword-fighting skills can come in handy for an actor, especially if he wants to try a role in a historical drama. But that does not mean they are easy to learn.
When TVXQ's Jung Yunho first tried using a sword in rehearsals for his upcoming drama "The Night Watchman," the experience frightened him.
"When I was filming a sword scene with an actual sword, it was scarier than I thought. Looking at the hay getting cut down all at once made me surprised," Jung said.
He arrived on set early to practice his sword skills and got a few pointers from his co-star Jung Il Woo, who previously brandished a sword in the drama "The Moon Embracing The Sun." In that drama he played a prince and practiced his swordsmanship with his royal half brother, played by Kim Soo Hyun.
Lee Min Ho learned sword fighting, as well as horseback riding and archery, for his role as a General Choi Young in the drama "Faith: The Great Doctor."
According to Starhaus Entertainment, the actor practiced his sword fighting skills for two months before the drama aired. He trained with a martial arts expert.
"He learned martial arts before and it wasn't that hard but learning the sword was."
It takes a lot of strength to wield a sword and they are not muscles most people use in their daily activities
The extra calories it took to learn and enact these skills resulted in Lee Min Ho losing weight. He lost almost 15 pounds in one month while he was filming the drama.
Kim Nam Gil already knew how to use a sword before he began filming his latest blockbuster "The Pirates." He took up the sword for his role as Bidam in the drama "Queen Seonduk."
And it's not just the actors that know their swordplay. Ha Ji Won was ahead of the game before taking on the role of Seungnyang in "Empress Ki" because she is an expert at Kendo, a modern Japanese martial art that is descended from sword fighting.
Son Ye Jin will also wield a sword when she plays the female captain of a pirate ship in the film "The Pirates."
Lee Jun Ki has practiced carrying a sword since the 2008 drama "Iljimae," and he also shows off his skills at the beginning of his current drama "The Joseon Gunman." However, his character forsakes the sword for the gun, which has certain advantages. But while his character no longer has any use for the sword, someone is sure to ask Lee Jun Ki to use it in a drama again.
