When Lee Byung Hun returned to Korea from the 9th Huading Awards in Hong Kong he flashed a big smile at the photographers who met him at the airport. His good mood came as no surprise as he returned from China with the ceremony's Best Foreign Actor Award for playing Storm Shadow in the film, G.I. Joe 2.
The awards are based on an audience vote in Singapore, Macau, Hong Kong, Taiwan and other parts of China.
When he received the award, he thanked his fans for helping him to get where he was. He also thanked one of the other actors present.
"I especially want to thank my childhood hero and the best action star, Jackie Chan," said Lee.
For saying that, Jackie Chan hugged him and posed for pictures alongside him.
During the ceremony Lee also presented the Best Lead Actress Award to Chinese actress Fan Bing Bing and taught her how to say, "be happy" in Korean.
Because of his role in G.I. Joe 2, Lee has been doing a lot of traveling lately. Critics have commented on his character's amazing character transformation from one film to the next. It helped that he got to show his face in the sequel. In the first G.I. Joe film, the character wore a mask, but in the second film, he removed the mask, which allowed him to exhibit more emotion.
The "Iris" star said that the script for the second G.I. Joe movie also gave him more insight into the character and helped him portray him in more complex way.
"I felt a release when I read the new scenario," said Lee. "I was touched by the way he took care of his misunderstandings and exploded with emotion. The staff were all surprised when I took the emotions in a Korean way, but later on they applauded me, saying it was a unique interpretation."
The director, Jon Chu and the producer were impressed at the new interpretation of Storm Shadow.
"In the first film he was always cynical and evil," said Lee, speaking about Storm Shadow. "But in the second he became a burning figure. I thought I would stand out when every other actor is taking things lightly for the popcorn movie."
His performance bumped his name up in the credits, moving him from fifth to third place.
While Lee's bigger role in the film has certainly boosted box office sales in Korea, he is not yet a household world in America. As to a career in Hollywood, Lee is not sure what the future holds.
"Nothing is for certain," he said. "And I'm still curious as to how this will turn out."
So far, so good.
