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| Actor Ma Dong-seok, left, also known by his English name Don Lee, and Angelina Jolie participate in the Marvel Studios panel on day three of Comic-Con International on Saturday, July 20, 2019, in San Diego. / AP-Yonhap |
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Actor Ma Dong-seok, also known by his English name Don Lee, will appear in the Marvel Studios film "The Eternals" which will premiere in November 2020.
With this, he has become the first Korean actor to play a superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
His agency BIG PUNCH ent said the Korean American actor will make his U.S. debut with the film where he will play the role of hero Gilgamesh. The cast of the film, which will be directed by Chloe Zhao, also includes Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek and Richard Madden.
His name initially surfaced in May as one of the possible actors for the Marvel film. In a news conference to promote the film "The Gangster, The Cop and The Devil" which premiered on May 15 in local theaters, the actor mentioned that he was informed of the news that Marvel Studio was then considering him.
He said he was "surprised" to hear that, adding he would "be honored" if he was confirmed to star in the film. He said he would wait and see how the news would turn out.
His appearance in the Hollywood film "The Eternals" will be a game changer in his acting career. Although he has appeared in many films in Korea, he has usually been a supporting actor.
Debuting as an actor in 2004 with the film "Dance with the Wind," he rose to stardom for his supporting roles in the 2012 thriller "The Neighbors" and "Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time."
He won the Best Supporting Actor Award at Baeksang Arts Awards in 2013 for his role in "The Neighbors."
He has since appeared in dozens of films, including several box-office hits such as "Train to Busan" (2016) and "Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds" (2017), earning the nickname "Marbly," a portmanteau of his surname Ma and "bling bling," as he became popular among movie fans.
His movie roles vary ― from a brutal gangster to a homicide detective to an arm wrestler.
Born in Korea in 1971, he emigrated to the United States with his family when he was 19. After graduating Columbus State Community College, he debuted as a musical actor in the United States in 1994 and then worked as a personal trainer before he came to Korea to work as an actor.
