The shooting of Dragon Blade, the 3-D period action epic directed by Daniel Lee and starring Jackie Chan (who is also serving as executive producer), Choi, John Cusack and Adrien Brody, was completed last week.
Choi Si-won plays Yin Po, an officer of the Protectorate of the Western Regions. He is the right-hand man of his commander, Jackie Chan’s Huo An. Yin Po is not only a brilliant strategist but also a great fighter. The interactions between the three key characters played by Choi Si-won, Jackie Chan and Adrien Brody is one of the film’s most appealing elements.
The appearance that Choi Si-won adopts is strikingly different from his previous roles. In the stills published by the production company, Choi Si-won sheds his pretty boy image to grow a beard, tying back his long hair as part of his transformation into a hardened desert hero. Choi says that he himself loved his new image, “[Super Junior pop group member] Eun-hyuk made a bet that I’ll definitely shave off the beard later, but I myself really love this image”.
For the film, Choi Si-won travelled from Hengdian World Studios to Aksai and Dunhuang. The severe weather in the desert made it difficult shoot, especially the scorching sun; Choi Si-won became distinctly tanned. The armor he wore was so heavy that he was regularly drenched with sweat. Nonetheless, Choi Si-won appreciates the opportunity. He says, ‘Jackie Chan was so nice to me and looked after me in every aspect. Now I understand why everyone calls him, “big brother” as he protected us and provided us with good food and drink.’ The shooting of Dragon Blade was completed one week ago. Choi says that if there is any chance in the future, he would definitely want to work again with Jackie Chan.
Dragon Blade will be released across the globe on 2015 Chinese New Year’s Day (19th February 2015), at the start of the Chinese New Year festive season.
