Find Out What Lee Byung Hun Thinks of His Co-Actors in 'The Magnificent Seven'

Actor Lee Byung Hun shared his thoughts on his character in the Hollywood movie "The Magnificent Seven." The actor said that his character is both "stylish and weighty."

In a report, the Korea Herald mentioned that Lee said that he was not too preoccupied with the nature of the role, even though it is a very rare that an Asian actor acts as one of the main protagonists in a Western film.

At the press screening for "The Magnificent Seven" on Monday in Seoul, Lee said, "I don't necessary prefer playing a villain or a protagonist. For an actor, it is more appealing to play a well-written villain than a poorly-written protagonist."

Lee plays the role of Billy Rocks, the mysterious and dangerous knife-wielding assassin who fights for justice in the movie. His co-stars include Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D'Onofrio, and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo.

The actor said that it was difficult to shoot in the swamps in Louisiana. He added, "There were crew members who were in charge of just catching snakes that came to the set." He also recalled that his co-actor Chris Pratt would spend his free time fishing in the swamps and ask the chef on set to cook it for lunch.

Regarding the director of the movie, Antoine Fuqua, Lee said, "He's a very open director. He was even open to (actors) creating new scenes that were not in the script."

Director Fuqua also praised the South Korean actor via a video message. He stated, "He's so cool, his look is very unique. Very funny, charming guy, very physical. He came up and we talked and right away, I thought, 'He's a cool guy.'"

In the movie, Lee's character is in a sort of bromance with Ethan Hawke's character, Goodnight Robicheaux. When asked about Hawke, he said, "We became good friends in real life. When we were not filming, we would have a drink together. I used to be a fan of his, so becoming his friend was a great experience."

"The Magnificent Seven" premiered on September 8 and was the opening film of the Toronto International Film Festival. It will be shown in local theaters on September 14.