HomeActor/ActressCha Tae-hyun
Cha Tae-hyun
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Then in 2001 he burst onto the film scene with a bang, in the hugely successful comedy My Sassy Girl. Cha's expressive acting established him as a recognized star in Korea as well as the Asian region at large. His next film Lovers Concerto (2002), a tragic melodrama with actresses Son Ye-jin and Lee Eun-ju, also proved to be a popular success.
From 2003, however, Cha's casting choices proved to be less inspired. He appeared in three comedies -- Crazy First Love, Happy Naked Christmas and Two Guys -- that were widely criticized by audiences for their weak scripts and lack of creativity. In 2005, Cha tries to make a comeback as part of a large ensemble cast in the relationships film Sad Movie and in My Girl and I, the remake of Japanese hit film Crying Out Love in the Center of the World.
<sheng>428 days ago (Jan 09, 2009 4:05:41)
ur smile somebody happy.........
<sheng>428 days ago (Jan 09, 2009 4:04:14)
i love cha's way of acting... he expresses whats within his role well,. .. keep it up! im ur fan frm d phils. more luck this year! love your voice too....
<imen>705 days ago (Apr 07, 2008 4:04:01)
HY I REALLY LIKE YOUR JOBE SO GOOD LUCK AND I WISH YOU MORE FAMOUS...
with love
[MOVIE REVIEW] New comedy tests Cha's star power
No Korean actor automatically conjures up a comic image on the silver screen as much as Cha Tae-hyun This is largely due to the huge success of his role in "My Sassy Girl," which opened the floodgates for the Korean Wave of cinema across Asia. This cuts both ways, however. Cha comes back to the big screen with another comic role in "Speed Scandal (Gwasok Scandal)," to be released on Dec. 4. It is hardly surprising that he plays a character who is supposed to create, well, comic relief. What's surprising, though, is that he has accepted a role whose identity is somewhat similar to his own experiences as a leading star in Korea. In the film, directed by Kang Hyung-chul, Cha plays Nam Hyun-su, a former idol who captured the hearts of teenage fans. Yes, he "was" a big star in the good ole days, but he is now in his mid-30s, and his star power has significantly diminished. But Nam retains some of his recognition. That is why he keeps a DJ post at a local radio show, a situation which may remind local audiences of numerous other Korean entertainers who have followed a similar path. Things begin to turn drastically comic, or absurd, when a young woman named Jeong-nam (played by Park Bo-young) shows up and claims to be Nam's daughter. The movie's title, "Speed Scandal," becomes clearer at this point because the central plot turn involves the male character's "speeding" during his past relationship. The problem is, Nam has no memory of Jeong-nam, who begins to pop up everywhere and proclaim her wretched situation, to the embarrassment of the former idol. It remains to be seen whether Cha pulls off a box-office success with his latest comic role, but what's certain is that it's time for Cha to reinvent his image and break the mold. Early last year, he tried to tweak the formula a bit by playing a singer in "Highway Star (Bokmyeon dalho)." In the movie, co-directed by Kim Sang-chan and Kim Hyeon-soo, Cha jumped into the terrain of melodramatic Korean pop songs - a genre known here as "trot" that is quite similar in melody and lyrics to Japanese melodramatic enka songs - but the results at the box office were hardly inspiring. "Speed Scandal," which is partly about life's timing, will demonstrate whether Cha still maintains public appeal because his box-office power has steadily declined since "My Sassy Girl." The outlook remains largely negative, however. For all the peculiar plot and details, "Speed Scandal" does not attempt to redefine Cha's image. Rather, it sticks to his decade-long silver-screen persona. In recent years, "My Girl and I," "Two Guys," "Happy Erotic Christmas" relied on Cha's trademark comic talent but failed to win laughs in the end.
Daejong Film Fest Showcases Trends
South Korea's esteemed 45th Daejong (Grand Bell) Film Festival held in southern Seoul, showcased the latest local box office trends, with its stronghold of original thrillers, stylistic period pieces and experimental projects. While superstars grabbed the limelight as expected, hitherto overlooked veteran actors and young debutant directors shined the most, suggesting that blatant star power, be it a reputed director or ravishing screen beauty, don't always guarantee ticket sales or awards. The red carpet event took place outside the COEX Convention Hall in a sea of blinding camera flashes as glamorous cineastes filed in. Screen beauties like Han Chae-young, Park Jin-hee and Shin Ae were elegant in cleavage-bearing, long evening gowns while others such as Kim Yun-jin and Ko Ara chose mini-dresses to show off their figures. Actress Kim A-jung, who won last year's award for Best Actress (``200 Pounds Beauty''), and popular announcer Choe Gi-hwan hosted the show. To add more sparkle to the star-studded event, pop group the Wonder Girls took to the stage to deliver bubbly dance music. ``The Chaser,'' the feature film debut of young director Na Hong-jin and the highest grossing film this season, took the festival by storm by winning five of 11 nominations, including those for Best Picture and Director. For Actor Kim Yun-seok, who has endlessly displayed solid acting through supporting roles, his first leading role won him both the Best Actor prize and the BMW Popularity Award. The 40-year-old dazzled the screen as a sullen, disheartened former cop opposite hot young actor Ha Jung-woo. Another murder thriller ``Seven Days,'' the latest homegrown film starring ``Lost'' star Kim Yun-jin, won three of 10 nominations including Best Actress, Sound Effects and Editing. Like ``The Chaser,'' it enjoyed critical acclaim and high sales at the box office earlier this year. Awards for Best Supporting Actor and Actress went to Yoo Jun-sang (``Return'') and Kim Hae-sook (``Open City''), respectively. The latter star showed off a wild, charismatic streak as an ex-convict in ``Open City,'' breaking away from her usual TV roles as a housewife. The 52-year-old, sexy in a sleek black dress on the night, also received attention for her role as a mother who falls in love with her daughter's former fiance. The romance film ``Viva Love'' won director Oh Jeom-gyun the title of Best New Director and Best Screenplay. Korean cinema and broadcasting have seen a high tide of stylistic period pieces depicting lives and loves from the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910). The befittingly named court intrigue ``Shadows in the Palace'' by debutant director Kim Mee-jung won the award for Best Lighting while ``Hwang Jin Yi,'' starring actress Song Hye-kyo as the famed poet and dancer, received prizes for Best Music and Costume. ``M,'' celebrated director Lee Myung-se's striking, surreal story starring Gang Dong-won, received the Best Visuals Award. ``Miracle of a Giving Fool'' starring Ha Ji-won and Cha Tae-hyun, a hit among popular cartoon-turned-movies, won the public vote for Best Hallyu (Korean Wave) Movie. Actor Daniel Henney, who recently finished shooting his Hollywood debut in the ``X-Men'' franchise, was named Best New Actor (``My Father'') and model-turned-actress Han Ye-seul won Best New Actress. A special honor went to Yoo Dong-hoon, president of the Korea Scenario Writers Association, for his lifetime contribution to Korean cinema. Stellar Event Casts Dark Shadows But brightness is always accompanied by dark shadows. Inefficient organization prolonged the running time of the event, and the awardees did not receive sufficient time to express their happiness. The preceding film festival inviting moviegoers to watch movies and meet cineastes at the Seoul World Cup Stadium, May 24-28, was popular and was extended until the 30th. However, the award ceremony itself drew a rather disappointing level of public participation. The annual event recorded a relatively low viewer rating of 11.9 percent through its live broadcasting on SBS. The ceremony caused disorder in the Samseong-dong area where roads were blocked off, and there was sharp criticism of its overly commercial tactic of charging people to vote for the Hallyu Movie Award.
Cha, Ha To Bring Tears, Laughter
Actors Cha Tae-hyun, left, and Ha Ji-won appear in a press event to promote their upcoming film ``Miracle of a Giving Fool,'' Monday, at a Seoul hotel. This heartwarming drama will open in theaters Feb. 28. / Courtesy of Doughnuts Media As Spring draws near, star actors Cha Tae-hyun and Ha Ji-won will warm up the season with director's Kim Jung-kwon's (``Ditto,'' ``A Letter From Mars'') latest movie ``Miracle of a Giving Fool,'' a heart drenching drama slated for release Feb. 28. ``Fool'' is a film adaptation of the explosively popular online cartoon ``Babo'' (which means ``fool'' or ``oaf'' in Korean) by Kang Full. It had millions of Netizens in tears, and the director, also a big fan, describes the movie version as being faithful to the original. ``I cried my eyes out when I read the cartoon,'' Cha told reporters during a promotional event at a Seoul hotel Monday. ``After I was cast for the movie, I thought long and hard about how I would act out the role,'' said the face of romantic comedies like ``My Sassy Girl'' and ``My Crazy First Love.'' Cha takes his goofy guy-next-door image to play the town's jester, Seung-ryong. Once a bright young boy, he suffers a fatal accident, and at age 27 he has the intelligence of a six-year-old. ``I've filmed about three or four films that were based on other work, but I felt that for `Fool' I had to give life to the book as it is,'' he said. The actor did not look to other ``babo'' or mentally challenged movie characters. For example, unlike most ``babo'' personas, he would speak intelligibly but stutter slightly. His character is pitifully forgetful and has zero sense of hygiene, but is much loved, particularly by his childhood sweetheart Ji-ho (Ha Ji-won). Ha comes back to the big screen after the hit TV series ``Hwang Jin Yi.'' The actress had pulled off a wide spectrum of roles ranging from a sexy college girl (``Sex Is Zero'') to a tough boxer (``Miracle on 1st Street''), and returns as a talented but stage fright-struck pianist. In the film, she plays the piano herself. ``I stopped playing the piano at Czerny's etude no. 30 back in grade school, and I had forgotten everything, and just started from the songs Ji-ho plays,'' she said. ``Although I'm not a great performer, I wanted to transfer my character's emotions through the piano.'' Ha received piano lessons from veteran singer/songwriter No Young-shim, who also taught her subtle gestures and postures. She tuned into learning the right amount of pressure in pressing the piano keys and the slight facial grimaces. ``I also learned how difficult it is to be in a slump as a musician,'' she said. Ha's character Ji-ho returns home after a long hiatus and finds comfort in looking after Seung-ryong. Regarding the emotional tension between the two childhood friends, Ha said it was more a familial type of love. ``The Seung-ryong character Cha played was more like an adorable younger brother than a fool,'' said Ha. ``Ji-ho cares for Seung-ryong wholeheartedly rather than with romantic feelings _ I tried hard to be faithful to the cartoon character.'' Despite his disabilities, Seung-ryong manages to make a living for himself and his younger sister by selling ``the world's tastiest toast'' on the roadside. Now having practically mastered the art of making toast, Cha provided the breakfast for the cast and crew. But gastronomic concerns were not limited to the set. The actor put on eight kilograms for his pudgy character. ``It was great. I went to shoot without showering in the morning, and washed at night so I could wake up with a messy hair-do,'' he said, drawing laughter from the crowd. ``Our director was happy every time I binged. I ate ramyeon (instant noodles) with cheese in the middle of the night. He loved it when I showed up puffy-faced from drinking heavily the night before. ``I couldn't take off all of the weight for the wedding, so I look a lot like Seung-ryong in my wedding picture,'' said the actor, who tied the knot last year and recently became a father. ``My wife cries every time she sees Seung-ryong, not so much because it's moving but because of how much we suffered,'' he said, referring to the film's much prolonged delay. Meanwhile, Park Heui-soon, a late bloomer who made a name for himself through ``Seven Days'' opposite Kim Yun-jin, also stars in the movie as Seung-ryong's one and only friend. Currently appearing in a string of films including ``Hansel and Gretel,'' Park said the frequent appearance was a treat. But because his films were released out of chronological order, he expressed a bit of regret in not being able to show his progress, though it's nice for him to see himself two to three years younger. By Lee Hyo-won Staff Reporter
Cha Tae Hyun, "I'm a typical type A"
Actor Cha Tae Hyun while introducing the voice over process at the production press conference of the Hollywood animation "Horton Hears a Who!" called himself a typical type A. He plays the role of the main elephant who can hear things others cannot. He says, "I am always interested in things around me to the point I get curious about things I do not need to hear. I think that is a typical trait of a person whose blood type is A." Yoo Se Yoon who rose to popularity through a variety show and is co-starring Cha Tae Hyun in this movie jokingly commented, "At first I thought I was the main character, but Cha Tae Hyun was the real one," and also added, "But I am still thankful for having been given a role that plays a major part in the movie." In a question asking which was more difficult, making viewers laugh or dubbing, Yoo Se Yoon answered, "Both are difficult." Cha Tae Hyun added in, "Comically dubbing is probably the most difficult." Cha Tae Hyun plays the elephant Horton who lives in the jungle while Yoo Se Yoon plays the mayor of Who-ville in "Horton Hears a Who!" which is scheduled to open in theatres in May in Korea.
Film "Highway Star" Sold to Asian Countries
The movie "Highway Star" starring actor Cha Tae-hyun has recently been sold to Japan following its sale to Thailand, Malaysia and Brunei. The movie, which captivated Korean viewers earlier this year with its comic plot and cheerful soundtrack,....
Highway Star Sold to Japan
The release rights for Korean musical comedy Highway Star has been sold to Japanese firm Avex Entertainment. For Avex, known primarily as one of the largest independent record labels in the world, the pick-up marks its first purchase of a Korean fil....
