Furthermore, he was expected to internalize a number of mind-control mantras, such as “Pain breeds weakness.” and “To survive, you must learn to feel nothing at all.” However, because of his blossoming romantic relationship with Kiriko (Kylie Goldstein), another captive at the orphanage, he never quite lost his sense of humanity entirely.

Tragedy ensues after the beautiful girl allows herself to be slashed across the face by the cruel Ozunu rather than attack the boy she has a big crush on. For, she is subsequently slain for her stubborn refusal to capitulate to the demanding sensei’s will. Only then does Raizo belatedly wise up in reaction, and run away to Europe where he manages to keep a low profile

Fast-forward a few years and we find him still in hiding in Berlin, a city suddenly plagued by a series of mysterious political assassinations. The hits are being pulled off surreptitiously, leaving the clueless authorities totally confounded. Truth be told, the murders are being performed by a crack team of ninjas dispatched to Germany from the Far East by none other than Lord Ozunu and led by his evil henchman, Takeshi (Rick Yune). And despite the CIA and Interpol agents’ superior firepower, they nonetheless prove no match for these very elusive, shadowy targets.

Luckily, renegade Raizo recognizes the trademarks of his ex-comrades’ work, and he’s still smarting over squandering his last opportunity to save a damsel in distress. Therefore, he’s pumped to spring into action when he realizes forensic researcher Mika (Naomie Harris) has been marked for death for attempting to crack the case.

This is the premise of Ninja Assassin, an old-fashioned, martial arts saga directed by James McTeigue (V for Vendetta). The high body-count adventure might be best thought of as an East meets West splatterfest unfolding like a lethal cross of Crouching Tiger and Sam Peckinpah. The film features both ballet-like fight sequences found in the former and the sort of gratuitous gore one would associate with the latter.

One day, the movie might be best remembered as marking the arrival of Rain as a bona fide Hollywood matinee idol. The handsome, Korean singing sensation cuts a very charismatic screen presence here in the title role, making females swoon when not taking on wave after wave of malevolent bad guys. Yes, he is frequently the beneficiary of state-of-the-art, special f/x and carefully-choreographed stunts, still, don’t be surprised if he soon emerges as the heir apparent to Bruce Lee as a karate star with immense crossover appeal.

Excellent (4 stars)
Rated R for profanity and graphic violence.
Running time: 99 minutes
Studio: Warner Brothers

~Kam Williams
~Photocredit: Warner Bros.

He began neglecting his studies to go out on auditions during his junior year when his mom could no longer support the family as a street vendor due to a debilitating diabetes condition. Unfortunately, he found himself being repeatedly rejected for supposedly being unattractive, because he didn’t have double eyelids.

When his mother died while he was still a teenager, failure was no longer an option. Dedicating his career to her, Rain persevered, and eventually blossomed into a handsome hunk popular enough to go by just one name. In fact, the striking, 6’ tall actor/dancer/model/singing sensation subsequently landed on both Time Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People Who Shape Our World” list and on People Magazine’s “100 Most Beautiful People” list.

He made his musical debut with the 2002 album “Rain,” and subsequently starred on the TV series “Sang Doo! Let’s Go To School.” His second CD, “How to Avoid the Sun,” was followed by “It’s Raining,” which sold over one million copies in Asia. And his “Rainy Day” concert tour featured sold-out dates in Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan and the United States, including a couple of shows at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. His fourth album, “Rain’s World,” was released in 2006 and kick-started another highly-acclaimed world tour.

So, it’s no surprise that Rain became the first Asian artist invited to perform at the MTV Video Music Awards. His other music industry honors include the MTV Asia Grand Slam, being named Favorite Korean Artist by MTV, and winning the Most Popular Asian Artist Award in Thailand, as well as the Best Buzz Asia Award at MTV Japan’s Video Music Awards and the Best Korean Singer Award at the Mandarin Music Honors in Beijing.

Here, Rain talks about playing the title role in Ninja Assassin, a martial arts action flick likely to turn the versatile pop icon into a bona fide Hollywood box office attraction.

LADYBRILLEStars.com: Hi Rain, thanks so much for the time.
Rain: Hi, how are ya?

LADYBRILLEStars.com: Great, and you?
R: I’m fine. Have you seen my movie?

LADYBRILLEStars.com: Yes, I loved it, and I thought your performance was great.
R: Oh, thank you.

LADYBRILLEStars.com: What interested you in Ninja Assassin?
R: Actually, Andy and Larry Wachowski offered me the role when we were working on Speed Racer, and I said, “Yes!” I just couldn’t say, “No.”

LADYBRILLEStars.com: I heard you had a very serious training regimen for this part.
R: Yes, I trained 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, for 8 months to try to make body look like Bruce Lee’s. It was hard, and studied a lot of martial arts: I learned tae-kwon-do, aikido, kung-fu, kickboxing, sword, double-sword, chain and shuriken.

LADYBRILLEStars.com: Did you have a special diet?
R: No sugar, no salt, and I ate only chicken breast and vegetables.

LADYBRILLEStars.com: The character you play in Ninja Assassin had a difficult childhood. Did you identify at all with Raizo because you had a rough childhood, too?
R: No, it was very different from mine, but I loved playing him.

LADYBRILLEStars.com: I saw an interview with the actress Megan Fox where she said she saw you without your shirt on, and that she’d like you to sing to her. She also said that she wants to have a date and that she could see herself falling in love with you? Did you hear about her having a crush on you?
R: Yes, I heard about it from my agent.

LADYBRILLEStars.com: So, are you willing to go on a date with her?
R: Of course! [LOL]

LADYBRILLEStars.com: Have you ever seen the Japanese, reality-TV series Ninja Warrior? I was wondering whether you’d ever like to compete on the show and see if you could master the obstacle course.
R: Ninja Warrior? I’m not familiar with it.

LADYBRILLEStars.com: Maybe the show has a different name in Korea. How did it feel to make People Magazine’s 100 Most Beautiful People in the World List?
R: It was amazing! I couldn’t believe it. That was good news.

LADYBRILLEStars.com: Maybe more importantly, you were also named one of the 100 Most Influential People Who Shape Our World by Time Magazine. What did you think about that?
R: I was really surprised because I didn’t think I was that influential.

LADYBRILLEStars.com: The Rudy Lewis question: Who’s at the top of your hero list?
R: My mother passed away when I was young, because we were so poor. It is because of her that I’m here. She’s my hero. I love her. I miss her.

LADYBRILLEStars.com: Is it true, that you visit her gravesite every time before you leave the country?
R: Yes, always.

LADYBRILLEStars.com: You sing, dance, act, model and design clothes. Which is your favorite thing to do?
R: You know what? That’s like asking someone if they prefer their mother or their father. I love all of them, singing, dancing, acting…

LADYBRILLEStars.com: Ling-Ju Yen says that you are famous for your dance moves. She was wondering whether you were inspired by Michael Jackson and how you felt about his death.
R: Yes, when I was young, I loved Michael Jackson. He was my idol. I loved him, and I’m still so sad about his passing.

LADYBRILLEStars.com: Ling-Ju also asks, do you think that Ninja Assassin will create more opportunities in Hollywood for actors from Asia?
R: Hopefully.

LADYBRILLEStars.com: Yale Grad Tommy Russell would like to know: What do you think the likelihood is of a reunification of South and North Korea?
R: I’d very much like to see a reunification.

LADYBRILLEStars.com: Tommy has another question: who is your favorite Asian actress?
R: I think Gong Li is the most incredible actress.

LADYBRILLEStars.com: Larry Greenberg says that his Korean friends show him great warmth and hospitality. But he has never met any who are like the ninjas he sees in the movies. He asks if ninja assassins are common in Korea?
R: [Laughs] No, that’s just in the movies.

LADYBRILLEStars.com: Marcia Evans asks if you are familiar with a Korean jazz singer named Insooni?
R: Insooni? Yes, I know her. She’s a very beautiful and talented diva.

LADYBRILLEStars.com: Why did you launch your own clothing line last year?
R: It was always my dream to design a clothing line. So, I did it.

LADYBRILLEStars.com: How would you describe it?
R: My clothing line, Six to Five, is very casual.

LADYBRILLEStars.com: I know you are pals with a lot of hip-hop icons who also go by one name. Guys like Diddy, Omarion and Tyrese have appeared onstage with you in the U.S. Do you have plans for another concert in America soon?
R: Yes, I have a concert in Las Vegas on Christmas Day. It’ll be huge.

LADYBRILLEStars.com: I have to admit that I had been unfamiliar with your music, but preparing for this interview I checked out a lot of your videos, like “The Way to Avoid the Sun,” “I’m Coming,” “I Do” and “Any Dream,” and I was quite impressed. They’re tremendous! Now, I’m a big fan, too!
R: Thank you so much. That is my honor.

LADYBRILLEStars.com: No, it is my honor. Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone would?
R: Yes, do you have a girlfriend?

LADYBRILLEStars.com: Okay, do you have a girlfriend?
R: I don’t have a girlfriend, but I need a girlfriend. So, I hope to find one very soon. I’m very lonely.

LADYBRILLEStars.com: Well, (we) might be able to help by spreading the word. (We) have a lot of female readers. What type of woman are you looking for?
R: I love all kinds of sexy girls.

LADYBRILLEStars.com: The Tasha Smith question: Are you ever afraid?
R: Un-huh.

LADYBRILLEStars.com: The Columbus Short question: Are you happy?
R: Yes, I’m so happy to be here, traveling all around the U.S.

LADYBRILLEStars.com: The Teri Emerson question: When was the last time you had a good laugh?
R: 5 minutes ago.

LADYBRILLEStars.com: The bookworm Troy Johnson question: What was the last book you read?
R: A Korean book about sports.

LADYBRILLEStars.com: The music maven Heather Covington question: What are you listening to on your iPod?
R: I love rap music. Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac and Eminem.

LADYBRILLEStars.com: When you look in the mirror, what do you see?
R: The future… Just the future… a better future ahead.

LADYBRILLEStars.com: What is your favorite dish to cook?
R: I never cook. I’m always too busy too cook.

LADYBRILLEStars.com: Thanks again, Rain, and best of luck with Ninja Assassin and all your many other endeavors.
R: Thank you, sir.

~Kam Williams
~Photocredit: Warner Bro. Pictures

Rain is a South Korean singer, dancer, actor and CEO of his company J-Tune Entertainment. He began dancing as early as Junior High but his passion for the arts seemed to interfere with his academics so in 2000, his parents (mom now deceased) enrolled him in a school for the Arts to finetune his passion.

This was the begining of a promising career in music. That same 2000, Rain was recruited as a trainee for JYP Entertainment, a company managed by popular recording artist and producer Park Jin-Young. In 2002, the very driven artist debuted his first album “Bad Guy.” “Bad Guy” as a single was an instant success but Rain had other non-music related palns. He put a hold on music to try acting and like his singing career, acting also took off. With success in acting, Rain returned to music with his comeback album, “How to Avoid The Sun.” His title song “Ways to avoid the sun or escaping the sun,” was again an instant hit.

Rain after “How to Avoid the Sun” became even busier juggling his music, acting and modeling careers, which he also picked up along the way. Rain has won numerous awards across Asia but his life hasn’t been picture perfect. Besides losing his mom in 2000, as Diddy, Faith Hill, Mase and Notorious BIG sang, “its like the mo’ money we come across, the mo’ problems we see, “ at least that held true for Rain. Rain was hit with a fiery Intellectual property infringement lawsuit by U.S. Rain Coporation for his use of the name “Rain.”

Rain Corporation claimed they managed a band with the same name. While Rain Corporation did not prevail on the suit, Rain the artist was again sued for breach of contract for his 2007 USA concerts that never materialized. Rain ultimately resolved that issue, called it quits with his label and formed his own record label, J.Tune Entertainment. He continues to play music, dance, model and of course make his fans very happy.  In 2008, Rain made it on Forbe’s Magazine July 1ssue  feature called  ”10 Celebs and their Cells.”

According to Forbes, “Rain is the star who’s responsible for the sales records of Samsung cellular phones in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.” Forbes called him the “Justin Timberlake of Asia” and also wrote “Rain is also the spokesmodel for Samsung Electronics at the Beijing Olympics, and the face for laptop computers by LG Electronics.”

Visit Rain’s official English website for more on him.

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