By Honorary Reporter Alaa Atef Ebada from Egypt
Photo = Andreas Fronk

Andreas Fronk, a Korea-based German martial artist, actor and stuntman, recently appeared in two recent Korean action movies: "Hunt" and "Carter."

A 2018 graduate of the stunt and action training program at Seoul Action School (SAS), Fronk wants to be Korea's first leading foreign actor in action movies and has appeared in many action thrillers like "V.I.P." (2017) and "Seo Bok" (2021). In addition to having parts in director Bong Joon-ho's works "Okja" and "Parasite," he has also acted in commercials for leading Korean companies like Samsung, Kia Motor, LG, KT and SK.

Andreas Fronk appears in two recent action movies made in Korea: "Hunt" and "Carter."

This email interview with Fronk was conducted on Aug. 7 right after the release of "Carter." A resident of Seoul since 2008, he began getting acting gigs on TV shows from 2016.  

"Movies have always been my passion and Asian action movies and stars like Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan made me even more passionate about Asia and martial arts," he said. "While training in taekwondo under a Korean master, I grew increasingly curious about Korea and its culture. So after graduating university, I decided to leave Germany and live here."

"In Germany, I started studying Korean and Korean culture. I initially came to Korea as an expat worker for a German fashion maker. Ten years later, I decided to become an action actor. During the filming of 'Take Point,' I met a stunt director from Korea's oldest and biggest stunt team, SAS. He invited me to train together."

Fronk added, "Then I signed up for the six-month stunt training program. After graduating in 2018, I decided to become Korea's first foreign actor in action films and have since been training and improving my skills."

Andreas Fronk has appeared in several Korean action thrillers, including the 2018 film "Take Point" (pictured).

Turning to his latest appearances in "Carter" and "Hunt," he said, "Because my scenes get bigger and better with every film, my favorite is always the last movie I shot. Last year, we shot 'Carter' and 'Hunt' around the same time, and they're both my favorites now." 

Andreas Fronk appears in a fight scene with actor Joo Won in the action-adventure movie "Carter," which Netflix released on Aug. 5.

On his appearance in the movie "Hunt" directed by "Squid Game" star Lee Jung-jae, Fronk said, "The opening action scene is a thrilling chase sequence with gun action featuring a full automatic machine gun as well as lines for my character. I think this was a great opening scene for a movie to set the overall tone and get the audience excited."

Turning to his experience working with director Bong, Fronk said, "The first movie I appeared in was Bong Joon-ho's 'Okja.' He is great to work with, he knows exactly what he wants and communicates with calmness, respect and politeness. It was an amazing first experience that led to a second time working with him and his team on 'Parasite.' I really hope to work with him again and get a bigger role as well."

Expressing his opinion on why Korean cinema has exploded on the global scene, he said, "Korean cinema is at its best when the director has the freedom to create a work with an original script and without restrictions from the producer side. That's why my all-time favorite (Korean) movie is 'Old Boy,' in which you can see the creativity unfold as the story progresses. This can also be seen in last year's 'Squid Game.' With an original story, compelling characters and a naturally developing plot, success is sure to follow."

To aspiring foreign talent who want to enter Korean entertainment, Fronk said, "Aside from the skills and passion you need to bring to any industry to be successful, you also need to learn enough Korean to at least be able to communicate with the production team. But even more important is your attitude toward others and your ability to act within Korean culture. For this, you need to be extraordinarily open minded and willing to dive deep into Korean society to experience the culture."

enny0611@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.