Bean Pole Jeans, a local fashion brand, yesterday confirmed that it will hire Wentworth Miller, an American actor who is rapidly becoming a major heartthrob for young Koreans, as the brand`s next model. Miller recently earned international acclaim with his performance in "Prison Break," the smash-hit U.S. TV series.
"We concluded a one-year contract with Wentworth Miller who has become a fashion icon in America," said Cheil Industries Inc.
The company said it decided to pick Miller as its model because his intellectual appeal, presented in "Prison Break," matched well with its brand`s image. The company is to arrange a fan meeting when Miller visits Korea on Feb. 10-11.
Last month, the company refused to elaborate on details of the negotiations with Miller. But its signing of actress Gwyneth Paltrow to its list of models last year along with Daniel Henney, a Korean-American actor, led industry observers to guess Bean Pole would soon close a deal with the "Prison Break" star.
Miller, 34, has recently gained popularity among young Koreans who feel more open to foreign culture and who have free access to the internet to fulfill their soaring curiosity of the celebrity and his personal life.
Miller plays Michael Scofield in the Fox Network`s television series "Prison Break" which has become an international hit. The English-born American actor fascinated both domestic and international audiences with his role, a fine-spirited engineering genius who attempts to break out of prison with his brother, who has been sentenced to death. His brother, Lincoln Burrows, is played by Australian actor Dominic Purcell. Fox TV is currently airing "Prison Break 2."
Miller appeared in "The Human Stain (2003)" playing the younger version of Anthony Hopkins` character.
The actor received a 2005 Golden Globe nomination for best actor in a dramatic series.
(christory@heraldcorp.com)

By Cho Chung-un