"Ninja Assassin" wouldn't have been made if it wasn't for Rain (a.k.a Jung Ji-hoon). According to the production notes, producer Joel Silver recalls, "The day that Rain did his first scene in 'Speed Racer', the Wachowski brothers called me and said, 'This guy is unbelievable. He's a natural. He is our dream come true.' And we began to plan 'Ninja Assassin' immediately." Director James McTeigue says, "Even though it was a relatively small role, Rain's physical ability was so good that we thought if we could do an all-out ninja movie, he would be the one to do it with."
In order for the South Korean pop star to transform into a dart-hurtling, chain blade-swinging, ass-kicking ninja, he had to undergo a strenuous eight-months training in Berlin, Germany to get his body ripped to play the world's most deadly assassin. Knowing that rice is a staple diet in Asian culture, it was tough on Rain to give up on carbs and live on a strict diet of chicken breast and vegetables each day with zero amounts of salt and sugar.
Meanwhile to beef up his body, he trained for six hours a day, five days a week, dedicating five hours on martial arts (namely Karate, Taekwondo, Wushu) and one hour on total body fitness. Rain recalls, "It's not just about lifting weights and cutting out chocolate. It combines a re-growth diet and a lot of core strength building. It's about the entire body, inside and out, not just single muscle building. It was hard, but it was incredibly rewarding." He did 90 percent of stunts in
"Ninja Assassin" will slash into cinemas beginning 26 November 2009!