Korean actor to star in Hollywood film

Park Joong-Hoon, the first Korean actor to star in a Hollywood movie, left for Paris Monday to shoot a new film directed by Jonathan Demme, Academy Award-winning director of ``The Silence of the Lambs.``

On the eve of his departure, Park said, ``On one hand, my heart is going pit-a-pat and I`m a little unsure about whether I can do a good job. I`m just nervous.``

Park will get $325,000 (about 400 million won) for playing a retired U.S. special agent in ``The Truth about Charlie,`` which also stars Tim Robbins, Mark Wahlberg and Thandie Newton.

The Korean superstar said he did not care about the salary, but was only hoping to use the film as a stepping-stone toward establishing a career in Hollywood.

He is considering living in the United States for about a year to learn English after shooting wraps up in June. A household name in Korea, Park achieved stardom by playing an uptight detective in the Korean blockbuster ``Two Cops`` and its sequel.

Kim Hee-Kyeong susanna@donga.com