2046 Slow Burn from Boston Globe

[news]

The interview Tony had with the Globe in May when he was in the U.S. for 2046 promotion marathon from coast to coast.
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Slow burn
Reluctant heartthrob Tony Leung heats up Wong Kar Wai's long-awaited follow-up to 'In the Mood for Love'

By Janice Page, Globe Correspondent | August 14, 2005

http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2005/08/14/slow_burn/

''Being an actor is a kind of torture," Tony Leung Chiu Wai insists.

As he says this, he's sitting politely on a sofa in an upscale Boston hotel suite, sipping hot water from a delicate white teacup that never has a chance to dip below two thirds full. Every few minutes, Leung's adorable 25-year-old assistant creeps into the room to monitor the cup, crawling over on her knees to surreptitiously refill it from a large silver teapot. The rest of the time, she simply hovers close by, ready to spring into action if her Hong Kong superstar boss appears to need any additional pampering.

Torture? It's an interesting word in the 21st century, particularly when applied to a man whose popular image is something like Clark Gable crossed with Jackie Chan, and whose onscreen ''work" involves romancing Maggie Cheung, Gong Li, Faye Wong, Ziyi Zhang, and longtime real-life companion Carina Lau, among other goddesses. Leung's enviable creative range runs from nuanced drama and edgy art to the nonsense films known as mo lei tau. Most people would label him one very lucky guy. So why, then, is he talking more like a prisoner?

Well, in the context of this conversation, Leung mostly means for his remark to describe the five laborious years spent making writer-director Wong Kar Wai's latest cinematic tango, ''2046" (finally set to be released locally on Friday), and the emotional roller coaster he signs up for every time he accepts a role with sharp corners. His comment isn't overtly referring to the press tour that's brought him to Boston for these interviews, but as he lowers his dark eyes and speaks wistfully about trying to have a ''normal" life at age 43, it's not hard to extrapolate that this soft-spoken, reluctant heartthrob is also saying he'd prefer to be almost anywhere else today, including one of those showbiz after-parties he famously avoids.

He's a shy guy, he explains; has been ever since his dad disappeared without a word one day, leaving 7-year-old Tony to shrink from attention and keep his feelings to himself. Acting is something he fell into accidentally as a teenager, when he accompanied pal Stephen Chow (yes, the future ''Kung Fu Hustle" mastermind) to apply for a training class at a Hong Kong TV station. As luck would have it, they both got in and Leung, an appliance salesman at the time, was on his way to discovering the economical twofer that is therapy through performing.

''I find a way to hide behind a character that's actually me," explains the slightly built, still boyishly handsome entertainer. ''It's a kind of relief, and I enjoy it very much. . . . It's tough, but I don't mind. I really get used to this kind of torture." Ah yes, there's that word again, just in case you'd forgotten he regards his job as a double-edged sword.

Although Leung has worked with many famous directors including John Woo (''Bullet in the Head," ''Hard Boiled"), Andrew Lau (''Infernal Affairs"), Hou Hsiao Hsien (''Flowers of Shanghai"), and Zhang Yimou (''Hero"), he's pretty much joined at the hip to the career of narratively challenged Hong Kong auteur Wong Kar Wai. ''2046" marks their sixth feature collaboration, and none has been an easy project -- to film or to watch.

Their marriage began with 1991's ''Days of Being Wild" (also Wong's first project with signature cinematographer Christopher Doyle), a Godard-esque work that Leung graces only in the closing scene. Next came his starring role as a broken-hearted cop in the stylish ''Chungking Express," followed by a turn as an ancient swordsman in the mystical and mystifying ''Ashes of Time," and his gutsy performance as a gay man in exile in the provocative ''Happy Together." In Wong's sultry, exquisite ''In the Mood for Love," Leung played a jilted husband who befriends the other man's wife (Maggie Cheung), which not only ignites one of the most tastefully erotic relationships ever filmed but sets the stage for what's to come in ''2046." And that's where this filmmaking marriage becomes most complicated.

In ''2046," Leung plays Mr. Chow, the same character from ''In the Mood for Love," only now the sensitive aspiring writer has become a jaded, ungentlemanly hack whose sci-fi novella is set in 2046, the final year of Hong Kong autonomy. This far darker Mr. Chow is haunted by a mental scrapbook of relationships both real and imagined, and the soundtrack and swirl of faces in his life suggests not always linear links to characters in both ''In the Mood for Love" and ''Days of Being Wild." Some people even think that Leung's brief appearance as a gambler in ''Days" represents the seeds of Mr. Chow; not so says the actor: ''I don't think there's any relationship between Mr. Chow and that character."

OK. So the three films share a period (the 1960s), as well as some characters, concepts, and key elements (2046 is a pivotal room number in more than one picture), but they aren't necessarily sequential or always connected.

Sure, that's easy.

''I think '2046' is a summary of Kar Wai work," explains Leung. ''I dare not say a sequel, because it would degrade the originality of every movie, but it seems like a summary."

Or it could be a continuation, says longtime Wong crew member William Chang, who's credited for editing, production design, and costume design on ''2046." He sees merit in looking at these three productions as ''different variations of the same music" -- an idea the director himself has supported in describing ''2046" as a symphony, with ''Days" and ''In the Mood" as two of its movements. In which case, it's beneficial to examine the way a typical Wong Kar Wai film is composed.

First, Wong almost never uses a script or reveals a story line, even if he has one in mind. There may be hints, but they're not to be trusted. ''He will not tell you what the story is about, and even if he tells you, I will not believe that," Leung says from experience. The filmmaker often shoots a scene multiple times in different ways, sometimes changing locations and costumes, so his continually improvising actors never have a clue what movie will end up on-screen. Neither, apparently, does the director: He caused a commotion at this year's Cannes film festival when he delivered ''2046" late and unfinished.

''I edit every scene first, no matter what he shot . . . then finally we talk about the film, how he's going to tell the story," reveals Chang speaking by telephone from Hong Kong. ''You have to put in a lot of energy, a lot of effort to work with him. . . . In Chinese way, when we say 'torture' it doesn't mean it's a negative. It's more like a feeling of never-ending."

If all that sounds exhausting, Leung readily acknowledges it can be. But it can also ''get the best out of you and explore qualities that you aren't even aware you have," the actor reckons. ''I think the relationship between me and Kar Wai is something like the men and women in his movies, always testing and tempting." It's a dance that can be about anything.

On ''2046" -- which began shooting its futuristic scenes simultaneously with ''In the Mood for Love" -- one of the most heated debates occurred over facial hair. Leung insisted he needed a mustache to help him ease into the cadence of this more sinister Mr. Chow; Wong at first refused, but in the end Leung got his thin line of lip fur, and he maintains he couldn't have carried off the performance without it.

Why go through all this -- oh all right -- torture when there are easier ways to make a living? Is Leung, who's already signed on to play Bruce Lee's martial arts master in an upcoming Wong Kar Wai film, some kind of masochist?

The Asian Clark Gable smiles uneasily at the question, takes another modest sip from his full cup, and explains: ''Once in a while, I don't mind this way of working. But if my whole life was this, that's too much."

Even Rhett Butler had his limits.

Janice Page can be reached at jpage22@hotmail.com.

© Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company

[Pungyo]

I wonder if it was Ivy who is described as the assistant who kept Tony's tea cup full.

-K
_________________
Post nubila, Phoebus.

[news]

It was Ivy. I wonder does Tony has a feeling that he's playing a rich man in a movie with people swirl around him except this is real life. It’s an interesting scene to witness because I rarely see people have this kind of service in my daily life –well, this pampering should be the norm for clienteles at high-class hotels.

[Pungyo]

Gee, I'd love to talk to that young lady.. I bet she has some wonderful stories!

-K
_________________
Post nubila, Phoebus.

[news]

Yes, if you could land an interview with her it'd make an interesting article to read. . hehehe ... hmm..do you need to check with her boss first?

[Pungyo]

I wouldn't mind a bit!!

-K
_________________
Post nubila, Phoebus.

[news]

You won't mind checking with her boss or interview Ivy?

[Guest]

Ooops! Well either... ESPECIALLY checking with Ivy's boss.

But, I wouldn't mind asking her a few questions... even about the logistics of what has to be done to schedule and travel, etc., etc. with someone of his prominence. I'm sure there's a LOT involved. Then to make sure Tony is protected and doesn't become ill. It's really overwhelming to even think about it!

Soooo.... Tony, if you're reading this... if you don't mind, of course... may I interview Ivy and write an article for this forum?

Kim

[Pungyo]

Oh, sorry, that was me as "Guest" above. I thought I was still logged in!

Kim
_________________
Post nubila, Phoebus.

[news]

Hehehe... Tony would you consider Pungyou requests? Where's Bibi? She's always has wild, brilliant, and hilarious ideas? This is not wild enough. LOL

Pungyou, do you think it would be cool if Tony's stuffs, which he owns, display at celebrities' museum? Is there one in HK? There're wax museums in some countries, which I recall, but it's different. I consider it a neat idea, and no, not wild at all.

[Pungyo]

Are there film museums in Hong Kong? Sure, News! That's a great idea to have Tony's costumes or props from his films in one. I don't know about his personal belongings... but things from his films like his broken sword from "Hero"... or his guitar from Dr. Mack. heh heh

Are there places like Planet Hollywood in Hong Kong? Because they have lots of film memorabilia scattered throughout the restaurant. It's a lot of fun to see!

-K
_________________
Post nubila, Phoebus.

[news]

Hey there,

HK does have Planet Hollywood. I can't find the link to Planet Hollywood in HK but, sites have quoted that there's one. See links.

http://travel2.nytimes.com/top/features/travel/destinations/asia/china/hongkong/restaurant_details.html?vid=1083919792302

http://www.bootsnall.com/asiatravelguides/hk/aug99hongkong.shtml

I was just rambling on and got carried away with my thought. 'Course Tony won't display his personal belongings. If there are costumes that I'd like to see in museums, then costumes he wore in TVB series are cool to look at.

[Pungyo]

Well, if I ever make it to Hong Kong, I'll have to stop in!! Thanks!!

-K
_________________
Post nubila, Phoebus.

[waterlilly]

[Pungyo]

Well, if it's Takeshi Kitano, I'd shine his shoes, too!!

-K
_________________
Post nubila, Phoebus.