More than a million people have viewed a comedy video starring 2NE1’s Sandara Park and Korean-American actor Steven Yeun, who plays Glenn Rhee in “The Walking Dead.”
The celebrities appear in “What’s Eating Steven Yeun?” which was created by the BeFunny Studios. In the three-episode video, Yuen considers giving up his American acting career to return to Korea, the land of his parents. Sandara Park, his girlfriend, tries to talk him out of it but he does not listen. Yuen promises to come back to her once he succeeds. She is hoping for a proposal.
Park Hyuk Kwon, last seen in "Nine Plus Boys," “Secret Love Affair," and the film "Obsessed," takes Yuen in hand and tries to turn him into a mokbang star, meaning he has to attract followers with real-time videos of eating online.
The k-celeb-American celeb mash-up is not unlike the “Funny or Die” video in which actress Anna Kendrick joins the girl group f(x) and at first does not seem to have what it takes to succeed in Korea. She can’t manage the language or the dance moves. But eventually, like a k-drama heroine, she gets it right. And so, hopefully will Steven Yuen. With a little help he may be able to eat his way to success.
Whether you think the pairing of Sandara Park and Steven Yuen is just odd or inspired, you may want to prepare yourself for more interesting combinations of k-celebs and American stars. That is one of the reasons that the BeFunny Studios exists.
BeFunny Studios is Asia’s first celebrity digital studio. BeFunny Studios was created by South Korea’s Prain public relations agency in cooperation with the American management agency CAA. One of the top American management agencies, CAA represents such stars as Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise and the “Funny or Die” comedy site. Be Funny Studios has plans to pair up more Asian stars with the likes of Brad Pitt and George Clooney.
Speaking different languages is apparently no problem as Yeun is not fluent in Korean and no one else speaks to him in English.
The cross-cultural comedy videos will be distributed online, via mobile phones and on television.
Which American celebrities would you like to see paired up with K-drama stars? Josh Hutcherson and Park Shin Hye? Emma Stone and Kim Soo Hyun? Let us know.