'Mr. Sunshine' Update: TVN Comment On Lee Byung Hun's Alleged 3.6 Billion Won Paycheck
There is little doubt that Mr. Sunshine is a massive project. The trailer for the upcoming tvN drama has already revealed the amazing scenery and huge battle sequences that will be featured in the series. But is it true that lead star Lee Byung Hun is earning up to 150 million won per episode for the project? The network reacted to the reports concerning the I Saw The Devil actor's hefty paycheck.
Lee Byung Hun is already a major star who has successfully crossed over to Hollywood. The 47-year-old actor has achieved international box office success with two G.I. Joe films, Terminator Genisys, and The Magnificent Seven. The string of successful movies has led to speculations that Byung Hun is one of the most expensive actors in Korean film history. So does this mean he will be earning a whopping 3.6 billion won for his work in Mr. Sunshine?
tvN has addressed reports about Lee Byung Hun's huge salary for playing a Korean man who becomes an American soldier in the highly anticipated drama. Interestingly, the network simply stated that they could not confirm the actor's paycheck for Mr. Sunshine.
“The payment of the actors is something that we can’t confirm,” a tvN representative told the Seoul Economic Daily Star (via Soompi). Nevertheless, fans can't stop wondering how much Lee Byung Hun will be earning for Mr. Sunshine.
Some reports have revealed that Lee Byung Hun will be getting 3.6 billion won (around $3.2 million) for Mr. Sunshine. Since the drama has 24 episodes, people have calculated that the RED 2 star is earning 150 million won (around $134,700) per episode. Some fans are not completely surprised by the news especially since the series will be aired internationally by Netflix.
Although it is still unclear if he truly is getting a fat paycheck for Mr. Sunshine, Lee Byung Hun has recently expressed his admiration for his leading lady in the tvN drama. The Memories of the Sword star revealed that he enjoyed working with Kim Tae Ri saying he "couldn't believe she's a rookie."
"Biologically, we have a big age gap but I couldn't feel it at all when acting," Lee Byung Hun said of Kim Tae Ri. The trailer for Mr. Sunshine certainly confirms that the Little Forest actress is giving an amazing performance in the tvN series. Mr. Sunshine will air on July 7 on tvN.