(20th Century FOX)

British Hollywood actor Thomas Brodie-Sangster was momentarily at a loss for words when a reporter asked him who his favorite actor is, at the “Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials” news conference in Seoul on Thursday.

He carefully chose his reply, “I really don’t know. There are loads who I enjoy watching. (My favorite is) Leonardo DiCaprio, maybe. He’s like me in that he started out young. And he’s just been consistently a great performer.”

Costar of Brodie-Sangster in the “Maze Runner” trilogy, Lee Ki-hong, seconded his choice, “I was about to say DiCaprio too,” and expanded, “Also, I like everyone in the (“Maze Runner”) cast. We genuinely respect each other. We’re not just friends but a big family. I speak for all of us.”

Lee’s favorite actor could well have been his friend Brodie-Sangster, as he later added, “Thomas has been in the acting game since he was a little boy. We all remember the cute little actor from ‘Love Actually.’ He’s matured in a great way. There are so many temptations and pitfalls in this business but Thomas didn’t fall for any of those. He’s down-to-earth, nice and genuinely kind. Huge props to you man, because there are not many like you,” Lee said.

“You can ask everybody in the cast who the coolest person is in the real life and they’ll all say Thomas. He’s a cool, collective guy. He rides a motorcycle. He has the best sense of fashion. It’s really great to be working with him. Thanks, man,” said Lee as he affectionately nudged Brodie-Sangster in the arm.

The film “Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials,” starring Brodie-Sangster, Lee, and a bunch of up-and-coming actors, will open in South Korea on Sept. 17 and in the U.S. on Sept. 18.

By Lim Jeong-yeo (kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)

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