The Electric New Paper (Article)
HE'S BACK & HOTTER THAN EVER
By Chang May Choon
July 10, 2007
WHAT'S a hunk like him doing in a slapstick comedy?
Oh Ji Ho found his co-star Shu Qi 'terribly beautiful'. Ji Ho prefers being recognised more as a good actor than a sexy star.
So said Taiwanese babe Shu Qi, referring to co-star Oh Ji Ho in the Korean film My Wife Is A Gangster 3, currently showing in theatres here.
She plays a Hong Kong triad chief's daughter who goes into hiding in Seoul with the help of a Korean gangster (Lee Bum Soo) and his two sidekicks, one of them played by JiHo.
Shu Qi told The New Paper recently: 'I feel he (Ji Ho) is quite good-looking. He is suave and (pointing to her arms) quite well-built.
'I was wondering why someone like him would play a comedic role. Then I realised he wasn't fully established (as an actor) yet.'
But things are set to change.
A year after filming My Wife Is A Gangster 3, Ji Ho is now establishing himself as a popular leading man for romantic comedies on TV.
He had shot to fame in Korea late last year in the highly-rated drama Fantasy Couple, even winning a Best Screen Couple award with his pretty co-star Han Ye Seul.
The media labelled him a 'kkot mi nam' (Korean for pretty boy) for his 'sculpted face' and Adonis-like body that he often flaunts on screen.
Fans adored his nice guy image and affable charm.
But the untimely suicide of his ex-girlfriend, who worked as a bar hostess, drove the heartbroken man out of the limelight for months since January.
Ji Ho, 31, has since returned, hotter than ever. Last week, he dominated headlines in Korea for donning a fat suit in his comeback TV project, a romantic comedy entitled Seducing Karl.
He plays a 150kg man who flunks the bar exam and gets dumped on his wedding day.
So, he decides to change himself and after eight years, he becomes a professional golfer and gets wooed by his ex-fiancee (Uhm Jung Hwa of Seducing Mr Perfect fame).
In his own words, Ji Ho goes from 'obese to hot and charismatic'.
He wrote in an e-mail interview with The New Paper: 'It will be a huge transformation and hopefully, it will also be the most important turning point in my acting career so far. You'll be very surprised at my new look!'
When he visited Taipei two months ago to promote his drama Fantasy Couple, he had already won over the local media and fans with his friendly, obliging ways.
He even lifted petite Taiwanese host Chamder Tsai Tsan Der effortlessly. She merely clasped her hands around his right arm and the muscle man reportedly hoisted her off the ground with ease.
Also, he seemed to live up to his reputation as a loving boyfriend - as evidenced by how he was crushed by his ex-girlfriend's death, lashing out at reports that spoke ill of her.
Despite the media controversy over their mismatched relationship, Ji Ho appeared to have won more support from fans who were touched by how he handled the scandal with honesty and heartfelt emotion.
PAINFUL PAST
Seven months later, he seems to have put his painful past behind him.
When he was in Taipei in May, he spoke about how he has gradually recovered over the past few months, reported United Daily News.
Although he claimed it is still too early to embark on another relationship, he said he prefers cute girls with beautiful eyes, and he likes his girlfriend to rely on him for everything.
He would even help her repair her toilet, he added.
When asked if he would continue to date a woman if he finds out she is a gangster, he wrote: 'Of course I would be a little bothered, but I think it's our love that matters the most.'
On his impression of Shu Qi, he wrote, 'She's terribly beautiful!'
He went on to add that he initially found her 'cold', but grew to admire her professionalism.
'I'm sure it wasn't easy filming in Korea since she's not used to the lifestyle here, but she always had a positive outlook, which brightened up the mood around the set.
'I wished I could speak Chinese and wondered how she would express her feelings (without) the language barrier.'
NOT THAT PERFECT
His sense of humour showed when it came to the popular description that he has 'sculpted' facial features.
'It's too much! I don't think my face is that perfect. There are so many better-looking people in the world.'
Then, he added with a hint of mischief: 'But that doesn't mean I don't feel good hearing that.'
So is it out of vanity that he keeps baring his beefy body - which he attributes to regular games of football, baseball and basketball? Or is he planning to be a sex symbol?
This time, he gave a more typical answer - he prefers being recognised as a good actor than a sexy star. 'Although it's nice to flaunt my body from time to time, the story should dictate the action on the screen,' he said.
But he did confess to being lousy at making people laugh, even though his more notable works are romantic comedies.
The former model was first noticed as the baddie in the office comedy Super Rookie in 2005, before landing his first leading role in the tearjerker Autumn Shower.
But the latter, which co-stars Kim So Yeon (Seven Swords) as his comatose wife, bombed.,
Ji Ho said he enjoys doing both melodrama and comedy. He credited the success of Fantasy Couple, in which he plays a handyman who tricks an amnesiac heiress (Ye Seul) into becoming his housekeeper, to its 'great script' and production crew.
The drama is available here on VCD and DVD.
Finally, for someone who has the looks, the body, the personality, good roles and loyal fans, what does he think he lack?
'I think there's much more for me to learn about acting. I want to be better at what I do. The more popular I become, the greedier I get in the search for diverse and quality roles.'
- Additional reporting by Ho Lian-Yi
http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/show/story/0,4136,135393,00.htmlNotes by Hyacinth:
This is rather a trashy article, but if you're hungry, it might suffice. It is reproduced as it is found online at the site.
I can't for the life of me imagine why anyone would describe Oh Ji Ho's body as "beefy", being rail thin as he is.
Be that as it may, here's what's passing for news on the web these days.
After Kim Ah Joong disguised herself in the movie, "200 lb Beauty," Oh Ji Ho is taking on the disguise as a fat man.
