|
May 4, 2005
Question: How did you prepare for this role?
Tony: Actually I don't prepare. [Director] Wong Kar Wai works without a script,
so we don't have any idea at the very beginning what the story is about.
He just gave me little hints on the first day.
When I arrived on the set, he told me that he wants me to play the same character that I portrayed in In The Mood For Love, but he wants me to do it differently. He wants me to play it like a new man; I don't know why, I haven't asked because I don't know what the story is about. He said he wants me to play a very dark, mean man, a cynical playboy. It's very difficult for an actor to revisit the same character again and to bring something new. I was already used to the original Mr. Chow, to his body movements, his gestures, and even his voice.
Question: And you never saw a script?
Tony: We only had the script for that day's shooting. Kar Wai is like that and
I've been working with him for so many years and I trust him very much.
I quite enjoy his working style. I know he can bring the best out of me
and explore qualities inside me that I'm not even aware of.
Question: Kar Wai also changes the characters halfway through the script?
Tony: Sometimes. He's very good at misleading his actors. Back when I was working on In The Mood For Love, after half a year of shooting, suddenly he said, "Actually, you don't love this woman. Why you want to approach her is, you want revenge. You hate her." I didn't see any revenge in it after I saw the complete movie, but that's the way he makes movies.
Question: How long did the process take for this film?
Tony: We started in 1999, so it took almost 5 years, but it was on and off because
I was committed on some other projects in Tokyo.
Question: Was it hard to get yourself in the mindset playing a character who was
very cold and emotionless?
Tony: It's not very hard for me, especially with Kar Wai. The script helps a
lot for me to develop that kind of character and I had plenty of time.
Question: Did he ever tell you to hold back? In other words, were there moments
that you wanted to show more emotion than he wanted to see with your character?
Tony: He always tried to get rid of all my techniques on the set. He wants his
characters to be themselves, to be very natural - so he used to do many
takes on one scene until you're really exhausted and you don't have any
more energy to do any techniques - just be.
Question: You were playing multiple roles during these 5 years. Was it difficult
to switch between several different complex personas?
Tony: Yes. If you want to get into a character, you spend quite a lot of time,
2 or 3 months to get into a character and somehow, in between, you have
to work on some other projects, you have to get that character - it's really
difficult.
Question: Is it common to be working on more than one film at a time?
Tony: Not in general, but this project lasted too long and I was committed to
other projects. I didn't expect it to last 5 years.
Question: Was that the same with the female co-stars?
Tony: Yes. We encountered a lot of problems. The reason why we take so long
is because there are too many stars in this movie and scheduling conflicts
were a big problem.
Plus, we encountered SARS epidemic in between and at that period of time,
no one was willing to work. Also some problems that typical moviemaking
does, like locations - we were not shooting only in Hong Kong, we shot
it in different countries and they needed to build up the sets in different
places so it takes quite a long time.
Question: Was there a strong sense of relief when this was finished because it was
5 years in the making?
Tony: It was for me a relief, finally finished, but I enjoyed the process very
much. Every time I work with Kar Wai I enjoy it very much, no matter if
it's fun or exhausting going through all this frustration working with
him. I used to be the first one to give up, in the middle of the shoot,
running out of batteries.
Question: What was your experience like trying to break into acting when you first
started out in Hong Kong?
Tony: When I was a kid, I came from a broken family. I don't know how to express
my feelings. I don't want to express my feelings in front of others so
I became very isolated. I don't talk too much and I'm very good at hiding
my emotions. Somehow I get into the training class, and learn how to act,
then I find a way to express my feelings in front of others without being
shy, because you can hide behind someone and you can cry, you can do whatever
you want. That's the reason I enjoy acting very much. I don't do it for
fame or money, that's not important for me. But for myself, it's kind of
a relief - that you have been suppressed for 13 years in your childhood.
When I was a kid, after school I'd go back home, I'd lock myself first thing in the toilet and I'd take down the mirror and talk to myself. Because you have no one to talk to - you dare not talk to anyone because at that time, it was not that common for broken families. This kind of thing didn't happen in traditional Chinese families so that's the reason why I had very low self-esteem as a kid and I was very shy.
Question: Do you prefer dramatic films or action movies?
Tony: I prefer drama. Action is too much for me at this age - you need to be
very well prepared. But even for a drama like this, I feel very exhausted.
I dare not think about action films with Wong Kar Wai, but we are supposed
to do one next year.
Question: What did you think about 2046 when you first saw it all the way through?
Tony: I used to be very confused. In Cannes, I focused on my part to see if
it was good or not and somehow I missed a lot of things - like the story
line and the performances of other actors so I was quite lost every time
in the press conferences. I'm always surprised by Kar Wai.
Question: Are there any specific roles that you wish you could play?
Tony: I always wanted to play a detective. Not really a nice guy, but somewhere
in between good and evil. I never had a chance to play this kind of character
before and no one is willing to ask me to do that because I look nice.
Question: Do you have any American projects on the horizon?
Tony: No, I do receive offers but I haven't found the right script yet. I always
wanted to do one because I grew up with Hollywood movies when I was a kid.
As an actor I think it will be a very memorable experience for me - at
least once in your lifetime doing an English language movie. I have to
make sure that I'm working with the right material, so that's why I'm quite
picky and there aren't many roles for Asian actors.
Question: During this film, you exude some qualities of actors like Humphrey Bogart
and Clark Gable from old Hollywood movies. Did you have any personal influences
that you tried to emulate?
Tony: I think I was influenced by a lot of American actors. I'm a great fan
of Martin Scorsese and I saw a lot of Gene Hackman, Robert De Nero, Al
Pacino, and Jack Nicholson. I watch a lot of them; I might be influenced
by them in some ways, but when I was acting I did not intend to imitate
them.
Question: Do you have any desire to be behind the camera as a director?
Tony: No, I haven't got the right skills.
Question: How about being a producer?
Tony: Yes, very much because I've been an actor for 23 years and I really want
to do something else. I think acting is very passive. When you become a
producer, you can have more control and when you come up with an idea,
you can work it out with a scriptwriter, decide a style, and pick your
own director. It's more of a challenge and I don't know what to do besides
movies.
Question: If you produce, will you give up acting?
Tony: No, I will still act, but maybe only once in a while, not as much as now.
This is not the right timing - I still need some more practice.
Home
|