Rain is the "Ninja Assassin"

Super gorgeous Korean, R&B/Hip Hop mega-popstar Rain can't walk out his front door in Asia without hordes of screaming fans surrounding him. Labeled by some "the Justin Timberlake of Asia", this hottie is out to conquer America as well and launched his film career as a conflicted racer in the Matrix-creating Wachowski brothers' film Speed Racer.

High in the hills above Hollywood, the press met with the cast of the new Rain-helmed, actioner Ninja Assassin at the landmark Japanese restaurant Yamashiro. While Koi fish swam in a pond below us, we sat down with Rain for our chat. We learned that uber-producer Joel Silver found out that the star was an amazingly popular music artist when he heard the loud fan commotion around him in a Tokyo hotel elevator. In Speed Racer, the Wachowskis saw Rain's martial arts skills and were blown away. When Warner Bros. execs suggested that Joel build a film around a hot young martial arts expert, Rain fit the bill and the Ninja Assassin was born.

In the film, Rain's character Raizo is an orphan trained to be a shadow warrior, a ninja; an emotionless killing machine. When, as a teen, Raizo fell for a beautiful fellow-trainee, she tried to escape her evil master and the young man had to watch in horror as she was captured and executed. Later, in revenge, Raizo dedicates his life to wiping out the ninja clan who created him.  

Rain, who looks amazingly ripped and sculpted in the film as he swings a chain tipped with an ultra-sharp blade on the end, looked more like an adorable student at our interview as he entered wearing a cute gray newsboy cap, black tee, jeans and tennies. When he stood in front of the film's poster, we weren't sure it was the same guy!  He barely smiles in the movie but this dude is grinning, shaking our hand and bouncing around in pure joy and fun at being launched in a "big Hollywood film". Rain confirmed that he's on the prowl for California beach babes and Megan Fox! Check it out....

TeenHollywood: We heard your English was good.

Rain: Thank you.  I'll do my best.

TeenHollywood: So how was it playing one of the world's deadliest assassins?

Rain: You know when I was young, I wanted to be a big action hero. [The film] is gonna be huge I'm pretty sure.  Did you see the movie? (we say yeah) It was amazing.  I'm so excited.

TeenHollywood: Did you have a hero that you looked up to like Jackie Chan or Bruce Lee?

Rain: Yeah.  When I was young, I saw a lot of martial arts films with Jet Li, Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee. I loved them. They are my heroes but, I'm so powerful, I'm so [much] faster.  I'm so young and so handsome. [he starts preening and joking with us] like a model.  I really loved them so they are my role models.  I have another role model. Al Pacino.  He's my hero. My favorite film of his is Scarface.  I loved it.

TeenHollywood: Did your work on stage as a pop star and your dance movements help you when you went into learning martial arts, especially for this film?

Rain:  Yeah, it helped.  I think singing, dancing and acting are very similar. I don't know why but it helped.

TeenHollywood: Muscle memory, maybe?

Rain: Muscle is good. But, when I finished Ninja Assassin, I said 'no more work outs. No more vegetables, no more chicken breasts, no more salmon, no more egg whites'.

TeenHollywood: So, what are you eating now?

Rain: Chocolate! I can eat everything.

TeenHollywood: What if there's a sequel?

Rain: Uh oh.  Well, now I can eat everything; chocolate, hamburgers, pizza, go to McDonalds, Burger King, KFC. It's all in my body.

TeenHollywood: Okay then! What did you do to train for this film?

Rain: I had to make my body fit like Bruce Lee. I trained for eight months, five days a week, eight hours a day. I just ate chicken breasts and vegetables, sometimes just egg whites.  It was horrible and I learned a lot of martial arts; Taekwando, Tai Chi, Kung Fu, Karate, kick boxing with a sword and double swords, Shuriken (throwing stars) but the chain is my favorite. I had so many coaches.

TeenHollywood: How did you learn to work with the scary chain?  Was that hard and did you hurt yourself?

Rain: Yeah. It was very hard. When I was doing stunts, I had lots of cuts on my body because of the chain. Even though everybody took care of me, I still got hurt.

TeenHollywood: You mean your "chained" yourself by accident?

Rain: Yeah. [he demonstrates swinging the chain around his head and getting cut by the knife at the end complete with making "whooshing" sound effects]. I cut myself.

TeenHollywood: What was the biggest accident you had with the chain?

Rain: My nose cut, my face was cut and my body was cut.

TeenHollywood: Owwwww! Were they worried about covering it with make-up?

Rain: Yes. But I didn't need make-up [in the scenes were he is beat up and bleeding].  It was real. Cut, cut, cut!

TeenHollywood: What was the hardest stunt you had to do?

Rain: Actually, the hardest part is using your feet. I'm skidding all the time. The hardest was the bathroom sequence and rooftop sequence. Those were amazing and it was hard.

TeenHollywood: Can you talk about working with James McTeigue your director?

Rain: There's nothing to talk about.  He's just the best. He is always humble to everybody.  Always friendly and, yeah, I love his directing style.  I love him and the Wachowskis too. I learned a lot from him.

TeenHollywood: Your character has to hold his emotions inside or hide them and you are a very outgoing guy so was that hard for you?

Rain: It's good acting, right? [he laughs]. Before this film, I had a Ninja expression coach so I learned a lot of my 'inside' acting and expression acting from him.

TeenHollywood: You mean an acting coach?

Rain: I had an acting coach, an English coach and martial arts coach.  So many martial arts coaches; chain coach, sword coach, Kung Fu coach, a lot.

TeenHollywood: Your co-star Rick Yune was saying you didn't have much time to do anything off set when shooting in Berlin. Is that right?

Rain: I love Berlin but I'm not interested in partying. I wanted to focus on Ninja Assassin because this is a big opportunity for me so I did my best. I made it.

TeenHollywood: What did you think when they said you were going to be the star of this big action movie?

Rain: [I thought] Oh yeah! It's gonna be huge.  I'm gonna be a big star! So, I'm ready.  It's hard walking in the streets  in Asia and here I hope to do the same if people like this movie.

TeenHollywood: You really hope it's the same?  That you can't go out in the streets here?  That people will be chasing you like they are in Asia?

Rain:  [excited] In America? Yeah, why not? Yeah!

TeenHollywood: Okay! At the premiere, people were in the aisles screaming for you. Are you ready for that?

Rain: Yeah.  I'm ready for the paparazzi! I'm kidding.

TeenHollywood: Are you mobbed if you go out of your house when you are home?

Rain: I love my home, just playing games [indicates operating like a Playstation with his hands] and just sleeping.  No matter where you go, nothing is better than sleeping [we all laugh].  I love sleeping!

TeenHollywood: What do you have coming up film-wise?

Rain: I have three scripts; first one is a big action film, second one is a romance and third one is comedy/action and I haven't decided yet.

TeenHollywood: Are they all in America?

Rain: Yes. Hollywood films. I would definitely like to continue my career in Hollywood, work hard and do my best.

TeenHollywood: Are you planning to make a sequel to this?

Rain: Do a franchise?

TeenHollywood: Yeah, a Ninja Assassin 2?

Rain: Yeah.  Ninja Assassin in McDonalds![we laugh].  Ask James or ask Joel.  I don't know yet.

TeenHollywood: Would you like to have a more romantic love interest in a sequel?

Rain: In "Ninja 2"? Yeah.

TeenHollywood: Who is your dream actress that you would love to have as your leading lady?  

Rain: I love Megan. Megan Fox! She's lovely and Naomie [Harris, his co-star in this film] too.

TeenHollywood: What is the most crazy fan encounter you have had?

Rain:  I went to China a few years ago and this one fan claimed that she had my baby.  It was crazy and so scary. [He holds his hands over his head as if holding up a baby] 'I've got your baby! I've got your baby' at the airport.  It was horrible.

TeenHollywood: I'll bet! Could you take on Jackie Chan or Jet Li in one of these movies?  You are younger.

Rain: Yeah. I want to work with them.  They are my heroes.

TeenHollywood: Would you feel bad about beating them up though if they are your heroes?

Rain: [laughs] Keep watching me.

TeenHollywood: Are you on a music tour now?

Rain: Yeah.  I'm doing a tour.  I have a concert in Las Vegas Christmas Day, in Hong Kong this month the 27th and 28th, in Jakarta and Shanghai, Beijing.

TeenHollywood: To support your latest album?

Rain: A new album? I'm preparing my new album.  I want to focus on Ninja Assassin for now but after this film, I will release [the album] in the U.S. market.

TeenHollywood: Would you want to move to Los Angeles?

Rain: Not yet.  I'm so busy with a lot of interviews.  I want to go to the beach. There are so many girls!! Woo hoo! [he uses his hands to indicate curvy girls].

TeenHollywood: How demanding is it to go on tour for your music? Is it as demanding as filmmaking for you?

Rain: Between concert making and filming, filming is very similar so I just enjoyed it. It's my job.

TeenHollywood: Did it ever concern you that you might get type-cast as the new hot martial arts action guy from doing films like this?

Rain: The Asians have their own unique culture. More people have been interested in the martial arts side of it than others and that's why many Asian actors have been cast that way.  But movies are changing in the way people view Asians. We can show you other sides as well; romance, comedy because I'm so young and handsome [big grin] and my body is so sexy so look at me! So, Yeah!
[we're laughing again]

TeenHollywood: Don't eat too many McDonalds hamburgers though.

Rain: Okay. Thank you.

TeenHollywood: Do you have a girlfriend now?

Rain:  I don't have a girlfriend but very soon. I'll go to the California beach after this interview.

TeenHollywood: You have a great sense of humor. Where goes that come from?

Rain: I don't know. I love you guys [the reporters]. I'm just enjoying it.

TeenHollywood: Being interviewed by a guy just isn't as much fun, is it?

Rain: I hate male interviewers.  I like  girls! I like watching.

TeenHollywood: We'll go with you to the beach.

Rain: Yeah, please, go with me.  I'm so happy. Thanks for the interview.  I love you. Thank you. [he takes off his cute newsboy cap and does a little bow to us. Okay, we're smitten].