No rest for “workaholic” Ma Dong Seok

South Korean actor Ma Dong Seok visited Taipei on June 18 to promote his new film The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil with director Lee Won Tae.

The press conference organisers prepared lots of Taiwanese snacks, including bubble tea, tanghulu (candied fruit), and even steamed custard buns with a drawing of his face on them. Dong Seok named the sweet tanghulu as his favourite delicacy of the lot as he has “a child’s taste”.

The actor, who learned boxing from an early age, has enjoyed a surge of popularity in recent years and has become particularly renowned as an action star. “I love action films and hope to be able to do them as long as I am able to,” he said.

He added that he is a “workaholic” even when he’s not filming, as there is nothing else that interests him more than his job. Even his rest days are spent exercising or reading scripts at home. “Anything that has to do with making movies is very therapeutic to me,” he explained.

Last month, it was confirmed that Sylvester Stallone’s production company will be doing a Hollywood remake of The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil, with Dong Seok reprising his original role of a gang boss who is targeted by a serial killer. When asked for more details about this, he said, “The director and screenwriter have not been selected yet, and I am currently in negotiations for other projects in the United States.”

Photos: TPG