It is not every day that a Hollywood heavyweight stars in a Korean film, particularly one retracing real-life events in Korean history. But Liam Neeson, who portrays the legendary Gen. Douglas MacArthur of the US Army in the upcoming war drama flick “Operation Chromite,” says he was made an offer he “couldn’t refuse.”

The film’s director Lee Jae-han and producer Jung Tae-won, who helms the production company Taewon Entertainment, were “very, very persuasive, let’s just put it that way,” said the renowned Irish actor at a press conference in Seoul on Wednesday.

“But I was very aware that very few western actors had come over here … so I felt very honoured, actually. And very privileged,” Neeson said, adding he has always been interested in the Korean War.

Liam Neeson speaks to reporters at a press conference for “Operation Chromite” in eastern Seoul on Wednesday.  Photo: AFP

The 64-year-old actor, who has appeared in more than 70 films since he rose to prominence in the 1993 Oscar winner “Schindler’s List,” said he was drawn to the simplicity of the script of “Operation Chromite”

“I thought it told a very complex story in a very palatable and easy way to follow for audiences. And it’s very emotional,” he said.

There were times, however, when Neeson felt intimidated by the role of the charismatic general who has long been heralded as a national hero here. The film traces the general’s much-contested, high-risk operation to land the United Nations allied forces in Korea’s western port city of Incheon in September 1950 — an operation that eventually led the Korean army to a decisive victory in battle against the invading North Korean troops.

Neeson said he read numerous biographies and visited Incheon’s Jayu (Freedom) Park, which is dedicated to the general, in order to prepare for his role.

“I remember this was just before I started shooting and I suddenly got very nervous, thinking, can I do this? Am I up for this? (MacArthur) is revered. He’s almost got saint-like status in the country.”

The actor overcame his concerns in part by meticulously researching the general’s mannerisms.

“There were certain characteristics that MacArthur had … for example … he always wore his hat at (an) … angle, which pissed off other commanders. He would smoke his corn cob pipe everywhere because he felt it gave him a certain authority” he said.

Liam Neeson (left) and Lee Jung-jae pose for photos at a press conference for the film “Operation Chromite” in eastern Seoul on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

Neeson also added that his first-time experience on set with an all-Korean film crew was “mind-blowing,”

“I’ve never worked with a crew that was so (perfectionist), so fast. … Their dedication and commitment to all their individual jobs was quite awe-inspiring to me.”

The actor also heaped praise on his co-star Lee Jung-jae, who plays Korean intelligence captain Jang Hak-soo who infiltrates the North Korean army in an undercover mission.

“When I’m in the presence of a real actor, I can tell,” he said. “I felt Jung-jae was a very, very pure cinema actor. He has this beautiful quality of stillness, deceptive simplicity. … As a performer it made me feel … at ease, because I was working with a wonderful professional.”

Lee, also present at the press conference alongside the film’s director and producer, said he interviewed surviving members of the Incheon operation to prepare for his role.

“Operation Chromite” will open in local theatres on July 27.

NEW YORK – When Taylor Swift and Calvin Harris – two of the biggest names in music – split up, they tried to keep their breakup amicable. No longer.

Harris on Wednesday denounced his ex-girlfriend as a bully after it was revealed that she co-wrote his recent hit “This Is What You Came For,” which features Rihanna on vocals.

“I figure if you’re happy in your new relationship you should focus on that instead of trying to tear your ex bf down for something to do,” the Scottish DJ wrote on Twitter, alluding to Swift’s blossoming romance with English actor Tom Hiddleston.

Harris also hit a potential sore spot by referring to Swift’s famed bad blood with fellow US pop superstar Katy Perry.

“I know you’re off tour and you need someone new to try and bury like Katy ETC but I’m not that guy, sorry. I won’t allow it,” he tweeted.

“This Is What You Came For,” featuring Harris’ signature house music sound with a tropical touch, was credited as written by him with “Nils Sjoberg.”

Several celebrity news outlets quoted Swift’s representatives as saying she actually co-wrote the song but did not want to be identified so their relationship would not overshadow the song.

The song may have triggered the break-up, gossip site TMZ said, as Swift became angry when Harris told an interviewer he had never discussed collaborating with his then-girlfriend.

They announced their break-up several days later. Harris appeared polite at the time, saying “a huge amount of love and respect” remained between them.

Swift has been spotted around the world with Hiddleston in the past month.

Taylor Swift spotted kissing Tom Hiddleston at beach

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The theatre actor went on to appear in Marvel Comics films such as “Thor” and “The Avengers” as well as Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris.”

As for the real Nils Sjoberg, a man by the name who works at a hotel in Gothenburg, Sweden told the New York Post that he had no problem with being credited on the song.

If you are familiar with Korean variety shows, you may have heard of Battle Trip by KBS.

In it, celebrities are divided into pairs. Then, each team will travel to a destination for a fixed period before coming back into the studio to share their experiences.

The winner is then determined by which of the teams have had the best experience from their trip.

Battle Trip in Singapore

Well during the recent broadcast of Battle Trip, one of the teams have had the opportunity to come to our sunny little island.

The team, comprising of singer Lee Sangmin and rising variety show star Kim Iljung, first made their way to Incheon International Airport for a midnight flight, after which, they have two days to spend in Singapore.

During their overnight flight, they researched on the food that they must eat while they were in Singapore, and they decided that the first thing to do when they landed was to have Kaya Toast for breakfast.

So like any other traveller, they headed down to the MRT station at Changi Airport to make their way to Raffles Place branch of Ya Kun to get their Kaya Toast fix.

South Koreans on variety show get lost on Singapore MRT

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So they sat down on the MRT, thinking that it will be a straight journey all the way down the ten stops to Raffles Place.

They then proceeded to catch up on some sleep along the way.

And to comedic effect, they kept going back and forth between the Changi Airport and Tanah Merah stations, and this only remembering hearing Expo being mentioned over and over again.

After a few roundabouts, they started to realise their mistake.

And the gravity of their foolishness.

Yup, our Expo is huge, but not THAT huge Mr Kim.

After changing trains at Tanah Merah, they were on their way again, and by then, have already spent an hour in our trains.

That’s enough to get someone from Changi Airport to Boon Lay.

There’s a happy ending of course, they still managed to find their way to the Ya Kun at Raffles Place, and have Kaya Toast in their bellies.

And highly recommended to their viewers. +1 to an all-time Singaporean favourite.

We’ve All Been There

Travelers, both seasoned and first-timers to a country would have definitely fallen into a similar trap, especially when you are not familiar with that country’s public transportation system.

I myself spent close to an hour in a Tokyo train station, trying to figure out which lines goes where. Well the important thing is always research first, which I didn’t, and went all YOLO in Japan.

If you’d like to check out the video of their misadventures, it’s down below. Also see what the both of them were up to during their 48 hours in Singapore at the KBS World’s Youtube channel.

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