One of South Korea’s biggest movie stars says he’s ready to go gay-for-pay… again
Escape, slated to hit select U.S. theaters on July 5. In it, Je-hoon plays a decorated North Korean army sergeant who makes a shocking decision to defect to the South, running for the border while a ruthless major (Koo Kyo-Hwan) is hot on his trail.Sounds intense.
And it also… looks a little homoerotic? Is that just us?Obviously we’re not expecting Escape to blossom into a secret gay romance, but all the promotional materials for the film seem to lean hard on the cat-and-mouse dynamic between Je-hoon and Kyo-hwan’s characters.Like, look at the way they’re staring into each other’s eyes in this promo poster!
Out of context, you’d be forgiven if you thought there might be some sort of romantic tension between these two.Okay, that may seem silly, but we’re not the only ones to pick up on it.
South Korean audiences see it, too! That’s probably why, during a recent press conference for the film, the stars were asked about their chemistry on and off camera.For example, someone at Star News asked: if these two friends and co-workers were to collaborate again on another movie, would they want to play friends or enemies?“Lovers,” Je-hoon responded with a grin, sending hearts and minds racing.A post shared by 이제훈 (@leejehoon_official)Sure, he could just be making a throwaway joke for the camera, but it is pretty cool that one of the most famous Korean actors on the planet is down to play an LGBTQ+ role.