Foreign actors take bigger roles in Korean cinema
Vincent Cassel seen in the film “Default.” Courtesy of CJ EntertainmentBy Park Jin-haiIn the past, it was uncommon to see foreign actors starring in Korean films. Even if they made it, their roles were relatively small and more to create a buzz than to carry the plot.But things have changed a lot in recent years. Starting with Hollywood star Liam Neeson cast in the 2016 “Operation Chromite” as General Douglas MacArthur, German actor Thomas Kretschmann co-starred in "A Taxi Driver" last year as a German journalist reporting on the 1980 Gwangju Democratization Movement. This month, the big three Korean blockbusters released or waiting for premiere feature foreign actors in major roles. In the film “Default,” which is currently ranked second at the weekend box office, French actor Vincent Cassel, known for “Black Swan” (2010) and “Jason Bourne” (2016), plays a cold managing director of the International Monetary Fund who pressures the Korean government to give in and submit to an IMF-led bailout program in 1997. In “Swing
