HE was rejected at 200 auditions because producers thought he looked too androgynous.
But Lee Joon Ki has the last laugh now. The 24-year-old has risen overnight to become the 'most beautiful' actor in Korea.
His claim to fame? Playing a cross-dressing court jester in the record-breaking box office hit, King And The Clown. (See report on facing page.)
Fans and film critics alike were struck by his beauty - especially his mesmerising almond-shaped eyes and lovely jawline - and he has become the hottest Korean star of the moment.
Director Lee Joon Ik once said he worked the camera to capture Joon Ki's 'most beautiful angles', while co-star Kang Sung Yeon, who plays the king's concubine, lamented that she felt overshadowed by him.
Even pretty boy Kwon Sang Woo had to concede defeat, adding that 'Lee Joon Ki's beauty makes you feel envious'.
While flattered by the attention, Joon Ki, who also stars as a woeful playboy in the hit drama, My Girl, is quick to clarify that he is no less of a man in real life.
He spoke candidly about his love life, revealing that his first love was a university classmate whom he thought was his destiny. He had two more girlfriends, but is now single.
NOT EFFEMINATE
While in Taiwan to plug his film recently, the taekwondo expert also demonstrated two high kicks just to prove his masculinity.
In an e-mail interview with The New Paper, he wrote: 'Acting as a feminine character was totally new to me, and I enjoyed being called beautiful.
'Explaining (that I am not effeminate) is a part of what an actor has to do, so I don't really mind the constant talk about being womanly and all. I'll prove the manly part in my next film.'
He is referring to his new action flick, Fly Daddy Fly, which sees him playing a troubled teenager who teaches a middle-aged man martial arts.
He reportedly gets tough and dirty for his role, but whether it will change his androgynous image remains to be seen.
For the moment, advertisers still count on his effeminate charm to sell products ranging from apparel to cosmetics and beverages.
He is the face of both Giordano and Samsung Anycall, which are known to use only the nation's top stars, such as Lee Hyo Lee and Jang Dong Gun.
Some 50,000 copies of the original novel for Fly Daddy Fly also flew off the shelves after it was announced Joon Ki would star in the movie.
Although his image took a beating after he posted a pro-Japanese message on his blog that ruffled many feathers in view of the Korea-Japan tension, he managed to attract some 12,000 fans to a massive gathering held in Seoul last month.
The straight-talking star has kept clear of scandals since, and is loved by the media in both Japan and Taiwan for his cute smile and sense of humour.
He gave detailed replies and responded to every question asked in our e-mail interview.
He said his biggest challenge in King And The Clown was to walk on a tightrope and play multiple characters during the clowns' street performances.
He thought it was worse to fall off a horse than to be kissed by another guy - specifically, actor Jung Jin Young who plays the king - because 'you wouldn't know how badly you could get hurt'.
When asked to describe himself, Joon Ki said he is a relatively quiet person who thinks a lot and enjoys the company of old friends.
He admitted that life has changed a lot for him in the past six months, but he is 'too busy to be aware of the differences'.
Not surprising, given that success did not come easy for the Pusan native.
Moving to Seoul alone after high school despite parental objections, he took up various part-time jobs to pay for a film-making course at Seoul Institute Of Arts.
After failing in some 200 auditions, he finally won his first movie role in a Japan-Korean joint production, Hotel Venus, in 2004.
But he went unnoticed until King And The Clown and My Girl which were coincidentally screened around the same time early this year.
Some critics have said that his raging popularity may be short-lived, but he is still winning fans by the truckloads now.
Here in Singapore, some diehard supporters even rang up Festive Films to persuade the movie distributor to bring in King And The Clown - which it eventually did.
When told, Joon Ki expressed surprise. 'Is that so? I'm flattered. I thank you all for your support and I hope to visit Singapore soon.'
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Little promotion, lots of tickets sold
IT is not a big budget film. Nor does it boast A-list stars.
Instead, King And The Clown is a historical film with homosexual undertones taboo in conservative Korea.
Despite little promotion, it became an instant hit in January, selling more than one million tickets in a week through word of mouth.
In April, it ended its 16-week run with a phenomenal 12.3 million admissions, replacing war flick Brotherhood as the most watched film in Korea's cinematic history.
What is so spell-binding about this epic that has been compared to Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain and Chen Kaige's Farewell To My Concubine?
Some critics point to the poignant acting, and others, the vivid portrayal of love and hate between royalty and commoners. Even the gay theme that initially sparked debate was eventually lauded for opening up the minds of the Korean public.
The movie is about two clowns who are arrested for mocking a king and his concubine in a skit, but end up as the emperor's favourite jesters.
Director Lee Joon Ik (Hi Dharma) kept the production budget under 4.4 billion won ($7.04m), compared to Brotherhood's 12 billion won.
Asked about the film's appeal, Joon Ki said the emotional struggles faced by the characters are deeply moving.
Credits:
http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/show/story/0,...0927140,00.html?
Pictures of Lee Jun Ki in baidu website
Screen magazine
http://post.baidu.com/f?kz=108728843Esquire&COSMO magazine
http://post.baidu.com/f?kz=108470215http://post.baidu.com/f?kz=107847662http://post.baidu.com/f?kz=108206122http://post.baidu.com/f?kz=108231352It might take a while to load. Enjoy..
........have fun here also....... 
tnx
chek my previous posts 
) i don't have the time to upload this also in jk's foto album... so if u have a little extra time and kind enuf pls upload this to jk's album for the benefit of those waiting still to be junki-fied 
.........i can share it here with you guys if you want......... 
it's me... limecrafted from soompi... 
: omg vonin event and samsung pix kekekek i forgot mianhe will go online tonite so i can share it ehre eh? 
anyone kind enuf to do it? (limecrafted?? finay?? hehe)
why no news bout him coming here on tv...huhuhuhuh... 
i wanna see him...
he didnt even get tanned 
will hafta start from scratch will be sharing once i get to collect 
