Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie has expressed her desire to star in a Korean movie. Addressing a press conference, the Maleficent star said that Korea has a special place in her heart. The Academy Awardee was speaking to reporters in Seoul about her upcoming action thriller Those Who Wish Me Dead.
So far two things connect Jolie to South Korea. The first one is her co-actor Ma Dong Seok. Jolie starred with Ma Dong Seok in Marvel movie Eternals. Speaking highly about the Korean actor, Jolie had said that he is a dear friend to her. "He is brilliant and he is kind. Such a good man. I look forward to everyone seeing that film as well," Jolie said promoting the movie.
Further she gave a hint that she might also be interested in directing a Korean project. "It would be nice to appear in Korean movies or participate in directing. In the future, I would like to be more involved with the Korean film industry," Jolie said.
Maddox Studying at Yongsei University
The second connection Angelina Jolie has with South Korea is a stronger one. Her son Maddox Jolie-Pitt is in fact studying in Yongsei University in Seoul. He enrolled into one of the top universities of South Korea in 2019. Maddox is studying Biochemistry at Yongsei University's Underwood International College. He was supposed to study and reside at the school's Songdo International Campus.
However, currently, the university is closed due to COVID pandemic and courses are being conducted online. Thus, Maddox is back in the U.S. but is continues to study Korean language along with his course studies online.
Informing about the same, Jolie said, "I love being there [in Korea] and I hope to spend more time in the future. Even though because of COVID, he [Maddox] isn't able to be there, he continues his Korean language studies and teaches me sometimes."
Jolie had adopted seven-month-old Maddox in his native Cambodia in 2002. Maddox joining the Yongsei University was a matter of pride for Jolie as it is quite difficult to get into the prestigious university. Koreans need to be in at least top two percent of students to get a seat in the university. International students with good grades have a 40 percent chance of being accepted, stated the Global Scholarships blog.
Yongsei University's alumni includes winner of the Man Booker International Prize 2016, author Han Kang who studied Korean Literature; retired gymnast Son Yeon Jae; and Han Seung Soo, former prime minister and former president of the 56th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations.
With Jolie getting introduced to Korean language and culture through Maddox, and Korean film industry getting international recognition, thanks to Academy Award winning movies Parasite and Minari, it is not a complete surprise if Jolie is cast in a Korean movie.
