Hero Worship - Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung Jan 2003

[Sandy]

Hue and Cry

A lot is riding on the back Hero, the much anticipated epic that boasts a star-studded line-up and breathtaking cinematography. Chinese national pride for one. and oh, that US$30 million investment (for US distribution rights) by Miramax Studios.

8 Days, Jan 2003, No. 640
Diana Ong, direct from Beijing


Tony Leung Chiu Wai recounts the threadbare life in wooden huts before the Asian film industry discovered star trailers.


8 Days: What is your opinion of Hero?
Tony Leung: I think Zhang Yimou is trying to walk a fine line between an artistic endeavour and commercial viability. As for whether it would win an Oscar or not, I don't know. We don't talk about such things.

You were on the road so much you probably know every nook and cranny of China by now.
It was tiring. Getting to Jiuzhaigou alone took a four-hour bus ride, so you can imagine the travelling we had to do. Luckily, I had Maggie Cheung as a companion. We rode bicycles together in Hengdian and played badminton and ping pong in Dunhuang. We didn't know anyone else so we depended solely on each other.

Thirty million bucks went into this movie.
The amenities were much better because it was a big budget movie. Every major star had two trailers. I've never had such luxurious treatment! When I was filming Wong Kar Wai's Ashes of Time, we stayed in wooden huts. I even had to go down on my knees to scrub the floors with detergent. I had to buy the detergent myself. Who cared about you then? Nobody!

In the movie, you choose principles over love.
I'm not that noble. I would choose love anytime in real life.

Do you consider Hero a milestone in your career?
I'm not career-minded. I don't have a sense of mission to achieve anything or make certain movies. I just want to make movies with people who love movies. But I'm tired. In fact, I'm thinking about quitting movies for a while.


Who's the slave driver? Who's the sly master? Maggie Cheung pits famed directors Zhang Yimou and Wong Kar-Wai against each other.


8 Days: How long did you train for this movie?
Maggie Cheung: I was supposed to train for several months but I was so busy that I ended up training for only three days before filming started. The action sequences were very physically demanding, and we had to film at an altitude of 3000 ft in the desert. The sandstorms were so big I couldn't keep my eyes open. They were so big they blew away the lines in my mind!

Once again, you've paired with Tony Leung.
We've acted as lovers only once before (In the Mood for Love). But we're very comfortable with each other. In the beginning, I didn't really know anybody else on this set. I told Tony," If you're not doing it, I'm not doing it."

Has Tony changed over the years?
When I first met him, we were very young. But he already knew then what movies are about. I didn't. I wasn't interested. So at that time I wasn't his match at all. He totally disregarded me. After In the Mood for Love, he could tell I improved. Now we're finally on par.

You say that working with Zhang Yimou has always been your dream.
I've made a few suggestions to him during filming. And only after I've watched the final cut that I realised that he took my suggestions to heart (wry smile). He's very smart. He has a fixed vision in his mind, but he won't argue with me outright. He knows better than to upset the lead actress.

Who's your favourite director?
Still Wong Kar Wai. Am I boring?

We wouldn't put it this way.
He can bring out the emotions in me. He understands me best. Zhang Yimou doesn't dare to tax me too much but Wong Kar Wai always pushes me to the limit. Zhang Yimou requires about three takes for one scene. With Wong Kar Wai, you've only just started filming after the 40th take. He wants you to fully get into the character so that at the 41st take, you're not 'acting' anymore.

What kind of roles are you looking for next?
Something lighthearted. I'm tired of crying. People think that since Maggie Cheunng can cry so well, let her cry more!

Tabloid rags accuse you of worrying about being overshadowed by Zhang Ziyi in the movie.
Zhang Ziyi is still a little girl. She looks like one, she acts like one. We talked, we had a good time. I think she's a sweet girl. But at the same time, it would be unfair to say we're good friends. I've only spent 10 days with her. And I'm not the kind of person who says "Oh I love everybody!" or "I'm your best friend because we've made a movie together!" That's just fake.

[Sandy]

A lot is riding on the back Hero, the much anticipated epic that boasts a star-studded line-up and breathtaking cinematography. Chinese national pride for one. and oh, that US$30 million investment (for US distribution rights) by Miramax Studios.

8 Days, Jan 2003, No. 640
Diana Ong, direct from Beijing

In the higher civilizations of other planets, people are more intelligent and spiritually developed. They don't ever have war with each other because they know God is with them all the time; God is the only thing they live with and for. On this planet, not many of us can see God directly; we don't talk to God directly about all of our anguish, our frustrations, our fears and our worries. But despite our tough appearance, we all have our problems, weaknesses, fears, wants and desperation. And when we have nowhere to turn to, we tend to turn violent. That's how war happens. ~ Supreme Master Ching Hai

Hero's script is The One wushu wonder Jet Li has been searching all this time.


8 Days: They say real men don't cry but you shed tears when reading this script for the first time.
Jet Li: This is the story I've always looked for. Finally, there's a script that goes beyond the "it's either you die or I die" story. Hero is about peace; it's about using violence to present a non-violent philosophy. When Americans see me on the streets, they always shout, "Jet Li, kick butt.!" That worries me. Have the Chinese become mere fighting machines in the eyes of Westerners? Are we only about gongfu?

But you've had your share of violent action flicks.
You need to have industry power to say, "If you don't have this, I won't act." And you need to build up that power by accepting these scripts first.

In the movie, some fighting scenes started and concluded in the minds of the opponents instead of really being fought out.
That's really my idea. We've invented something new in the film industry. I told Zhang Yimou that if you're really a kungfu expert, you don't need to smash all the tables and chairs up and create a ruckus. It's like in chess or painting, you already know whether you're going to play a good game or draw a masterpiece before you begin. It's all in your mind.

You turned down the role of Li Mubai that went to Chow Yun Fat in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. Do you hope Hero will make up for that career oversight?
You lose some, you win some. If you always mourn your losses, you will never be happy.

We heard Zhang Yimou personally wrote letters to the stars to entreat them to act in Hero.
When he gave me the script, Zhang Yimou also gave me two personally penned letters - one for me and one for my present wife Nina Li Chi - to let us know why he wants me to be in this movie. He knows I always put my family first. Nina knew I wanted to do this movie and she gave me the go ahead.

What's your definition of Hero?
It's funny different people denied it so differently. In China, a hero puts his country before his family. In America, if you can't even protect your own family, you're nothing. To me, a perfect hero is no hero. Because heroes are only borne of tumultuous times. If there is peace, we won't need heroes.


Back to repay a debt of gratitude to director Zhang Yimou, Zhang Ziyi, like the characters she play, is not afraid to mouth off.


8 Days: Which is your favourite story?
Zhang Ziyi: Red. I like the way the thee characters, Flying Snow, Broken Sword and Moon go to extremes for love.

Would you go to extremes for love like Moon?
I'm not crazy!

You're relegated to a supporting role in this movie.
Zhang Yimou was worried that I would turn down this script because of that. But firstly, he's the reason why I am who I am today (he cast the then unknown in The Road Home). Secondly, as long as the script is good, I don't mind how big my role is. You can have as many lines as you want with a bad script and you still won't learn anything at the end of it.

Are those rumours about you having diva spats with Maggie Cheung true?
They were all cooked up by the Hong Kong press. But I'm used to all this. In fact, it would be abnormal if they didn't spread rumours.

Did you girls get along then?
She's like a little girl. On the set, she would usually be helping us pick leaves for the action scenes or telling us stories about her life.

Strange that both of you think of each other as a little girl.
I accidentally cut her once during filming and I was so upset I ran to a corner to cry. It was like I hurt my idol!

What's the most heroic acts you've ever done?
When I was still in secondary school, I once saw a group of hooligans pushing a teenager on a bicycle and then acting hurt to extort money from him. So I threatened to report them to the police. The hooligans were very angry at first, but they eventually backed off.

You could have been beaten up.
I wasn't scared at all. In school I always talked back to teachers too, so they never liked me too much. But that's me, I always speak my mind. I'm like my mum.

Has being in showbiz changed you?
Well, it has certainly made me afraid of speaking the truth sometimes!

Hero opens in Singapore theatres on 16 Jan 2003.

http://www.wu-jing.org/News/M03/2003-01-Hero_Feature-02.php