Geek Syndicate Issue 6 | Page 18

Geek Syndicate Image ©Lionsgate, 2013 a governor of the state much larger than Korea. The only thought on my mind was “I don’t want to mess up his biography. Why me?” Even when I was flying from Korea to the US to meet Arnold, I just thought it would be nice to meet him as a fan, even if I were to quit. I was invited to Arnold’s home and met him for the first time, and we talked about his character Sheriff Ray Owens (the protagonist in the Last Stand). During this conversation, I came to the realization that the Owens I pictured and the Owens Arnold was thinking of were similar in many ways, and after further explanation it was evident that Arnold and I were imagining a completely identical character. I found courage and hope at that moment, and realized that this film is going to be my Hollywood debut. He was very smart just as people have described him to be, and also he played a huge role in bringing positive energy to the set by always being playful and bright. All of my directions had to go through a translation but he was always able to understand exactly what I wanted, and expressed that through his performance. He never even frowned once even after numerous takes. Towards the beginning of production when I was not too familiar with the Hollywood system, things were progressing a bit slowly. The first AD and the producer would yell out something to someone, or tap their watches while I was watching playback in an attempt to rush me. At these times, Arnold would tell them to wait and give the director time to think and make decisions. The fact that Arnold took my side and encouraged me is what gave me the strength to adapt to the Hollywood system in the beginning. He always respected my ideas, and from time to time when he would express his ideas, he was very firm. He is a very smart man. There is definitely a reason why he has earned so many crowns in so many fields. GS: Was it daunting to be handling the film that marks Arnold Schwarzenegger’s solo return to the big screen? KJW: Arnold is an action star icon of this generation. As an icon, there is a certain image associated with him, and the audience expects to see that iconic image in the film. I felt that I wouldn’t be able to create a realistic film with just that image, so the difficult task for me was to strike the perfect balance between that iconic image and a side of Arnold that was never seen before. For instance, if Arnold were to be only introduced as 18