Jirisan star Joo Ji-hoon has said that “all white people look the same” in response to controversial question during an interview with a German magazine.
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The South Korean actor had recently made the cover of German publication Mr. ICON, becoming the first Korean personality to do so. In an interview for its cover story, the magainze had asked Joo, “Does it hurt your feelings when you hear that all Asians look the same?”, as translated by Koreaboo.
In response, Joo curtly replied by saying: “As we see it, all white people look the same. Only Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise look different to us”. His candid response to the question had reportedly caused the Mr. ICON studio to erupt in laughter, per Chosun.
Joo continued tackling questions that were largely sensitive in nature, sharing his thoughts on the ongoing globalisation of Korean entertainment. “Although platforms such as Netflix and Disney+ exist, their structures need to change,” he saud.
He continued to explain that these platforms should be more accommodating to global media moving forward. “Even though Korean films have proven themselves successful, their [streaming platforms] production fees and proposals have remained the same as before.”
He also challenged the treatment of Asian stars as more Asia-originated media begin to break out in the Western industry, citing Squid Game as an example: “Squid Game saw massive success, but did you guys treat the director or the lead actor Lee Jung-jae appropriately?”