Here’s Everything To Know About South Korean Star Ma Dong-Seok, Who’s Reportedly Prabhas’ Co-Star In Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Upcoming Film Spirit
After garnering immense praise for his role in Nag Ashwin’s sci-fi film Kalki 2989 AD, Prabhas is gearing up for his next project, Spirit, with Sandeep Reddy Vanga, the director of Animal.
All you need to know about South Korean Star Ma Dong-Seok(Photo Credit –Instagram/Facebook)
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Although Spirit was announced in 2021, it recently became the talk of the town when reports surfaced in the media stating that the South Korean actor, Ma Dong-Seok, has been roped in for an antagonistic role in the action thriller. Some reports even claimed that the South Korean actor might get Rs. 10 crore for his role in the film.
The film will reportedly be released in multiple languages. While the makers of Spirit have yet to confirm these reports, here’s everything to know about Ma Dong-Seok, the newest addition to Vanga’s upcoming project.
Who is Ma Dong-Seok?
Born on March 1, 1971, Lee Dong-Seok, better known by his stage names Ma Dong-Seok and Don Lee, is a prominent and beloved name in South Korean acting and film production. Before this K-actor debuted in 2004 with the film Dance With The Wind, he worked as a personal trainer for mixed martial arts fighters Mark Coleman and Kevin Randleman, and that is evident enough from his muscular physique. Dong-Seok has also been an amateur arm wrestler since 2008 and was made the president of the Korea Armwrestling Federation in 2018. Apart from this, Don Lee also owns a production company by the name Gorilla 8 Productions.
Previously, in an interview with Deadline, Dong-Seok spoke about his early life in the US. He revealed that after watching the sports drama Rocky at 15, he started boxing. However, due to his family’s poor circumstances, he had to work various jobs to make ends meet. The actor mentioned, “I had to live with my relatives in Montana and work various difficult jobs to make money until I became an adult. Even so, I never let go of boxing, and to this day, my previous training experiences serve as the core foundation for my action films. The many people I met and the diversity of experiences I went through when I worked almost nonstop in the U.S. to survive continue to help me immensely when I’m developing authentic and unique characters and stories.”
Ma Dong-Seok’s big break with Train To Busan
Even though he debuted in 2004, his career breakthrough happened in 2016 with the South Korean action-horror film Train To Busan, set during a zombie apocalypse, starring the famed K-actor Gong Yoo. In this movie, Ma Dong-Seok played the role of Sang-Hwa, a passenger stuck on the KTX 101 with his pregnant wife. He eventually sacrifices his life to protect his wife and the other passengers. Those who watched this film, which set a record as the first Korean film of 2016 to break the audience record of over 10 million, mentioned that they loved the role of Ma Dong-Seok the most, the sweetest but most badass character in the movie. The actor also won the Best Supporting Actor award at the KOFRA Film Awards.
After his role in the horror action film by Yeon Sang-ho, his leading roles in movies like Derailed, The Bros, The Outlaws, Unstoppable, Champion, The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil, The Bad Guys: Reign of Chaos, and The Roundup, made him the most bankable star in the South Korean entertainment industry.
Ma Dong-Seok’s Hollywood debut with MCU’s Eternals
The 53-year-old actor has starred in over fifty films in his career spanning over two decades. However, he attained global recognition with his role as Gilgamesh, the strongest eternal, in the 2021 Marvel Cinematic Universe movie Eternals, starring Angelina Jolie, Kit Harington, Salma Hayek, Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, and more. Eternals marked his big Hollywood break. Dong-Seok utilized his boxing training to bring his character to life in the film. The character of Gilgamesh was also used to give the audience a break from the standard romantic relationships portrayed in movies and showcase something deeper, something different, with his platonic bond with Thena (played by Angelina Jolie).
Ma Dong-Seok’s fondness for Hello Kitty despite being called the “Korean Dwayne Johnson”
Due to his rugged appearance, Ma Dong-Seok is more often than not cast to play serious and gritty roles, but his real-life personality is quite different from his reel-life one. He is frequently seen striking cute poses for his fans, using a huge and bright ‘Hello Kitty’ phone cover and wearing slippers of the fictional character’s merch. He also has two polar opposite nicknames, the ‘Gentle Giant’ and the ‘Korean Dwayne Johnson.’
When he was asked about his thoughts on being referred to as the “Korean Dwayne Johnson,” in the same interview with Deadline, he said, “Dwayne Johnson is not only much taller and more handsome than me, but he’s also an amazing wrestler and a great actor. I am a big fan of his and got to say hello to him at Comic-Con a few years back. So, to be called the “Korean Dwayne Johnson” is a very generous compliment, but at the end of the day, I’m simply Don Lee.”
Ma Dong-Seok’s upcoming projects
Dong-Seok was last seen in The Roundup: Punishment and Badland Hunters on Netflix. As of now, the 53-year-old is getting ready to take on the role of producer for The Villain L2 and Holy Night: Demon Hunters.
