TONYLEUNG.INFO
Discuss Tony Leung with fellow fans!
 
Welcome to the Discussion Board

 FAQFAQ   SearchSearch   MemberlistMemberlist    ProfileProfile    Log inLog in   RegisterRegister 
  Log in to check your private messages Log in to check your private messages   
Click here to go to Archival Tony Board (2003-2012)

2013 - The Grandmaster - Tony's Interview Collections
Goto page 1, 2  Next
 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    www.tonyleung.info Forum Index -> Tony Leung Movies
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
yitian



Joined: 06 Jul 2011
Posts: 2172
Location: United States

PostPosted: Thu Apr 11, 2013 6:42 pm    Post subject: 2013 - The Grandmaster - Tony's Interview Collections Reply with quote

Weblink http://madame.lefigaro.fr/celebrites/zhang-ziyi-tony-leung-kung-fu-damour-110413-377720




Zhang Ziyi et Tony Leung, kung-fu d’amour

Les deux acteurs sont à nouveau réunis à l'écran pour “The Grandmaster”, de Wong Kar-wai. Rencontre
11 avril 2013 Madame Figaro

Neuf ans après 2046, Tony Leung et Zhang Ziyi se retrouvent réunis devant la caméra du cinéaste hongkongais Wong Kar-wai. Ils sont les héros de The Grandmaster, une histoire d’amour impossible doublée d’un film d’arts martiaux magistral sur la vie d’Ip Man, pionnier du kung-fu et maître de Bruce Lee.

Personne n’a oublié le Hongkongais Tony Leung dans In The Mood for Love, de Wong Kar-wai, pour lequel il a obtenu un prix d’Interprétation à Cannes. Zhang Ziyi, elle, native de Pékin, s’est imposée comme la challengeuse de Gong Li : le succès international de Tigre et Dragon l’a même menée à Hollywood (Mémoires d’une geisha, produit par Spielberg). Ces deux-là s’étaient déjà croisés dans 2046, film maudit présenté à Cannes en 2004. Wong Kar-wai les réunit aujourd’hui dans The Grandmaster (1), le film qu’on attendait depuis dix ans.

Une œuvre fantôme sur laquelle ont couru les rumeurs les plus folles : acteurs mis sous contrat ad vitam æternam, entraînements commando, absence – comme toujours – du moindre scénario, et bruits de rupture avec un metteur en scène rongé par un perfectionnisme dévorant. À l’arrivée, le film s’appréhende comme une histoire d’amour impossible, une œuvre presque malade de sa flamboyante beauté. Sur fond de conflit sino-japonais dans les années 1930-1940, c’est l’histoire d’Ip Man, maître légendaire du wing chun (une école de kung-fu) et futur mentor de Bruce Lee et de Gong Er (Zhang Ziyi), adepte du style bagua (une autre école d’arts martiaux). Elle est sa rivale, son alliée, son double, celle qui, lors d’un combat magistral et passionné, lui déclarera sa flamme sans qu’un seul mot soit échangé. De passage à Paris, les deux acteurs jouent le jeu de la promotion à deux voix. Zhang Ziyi, flanquée d’un cerbère qui enregistre la conversation en anglais, semble avoir gagné en mordant. C’est son grand retour sur la scène internationale, après que de folles rumeurs privées ont couru à son sujet l’an dernier. Tony Leung se fond sans effort dans la classe des plus grands : il est à son aise, puisqu’il s’agit de son septième film avec le maître Wong Kar-wai.

(1) En salles le 17 avril.

L’impossible WKW

Zhang Ziyi : « Je l’ai rencontré juste avant 2046, dans son bureau hongkongais. Wong Kar-wai (WKW) se dissimulait derrière ses incontournables lunettes noires. Impressionnée comme jamais, je n’étais pas moi-même. Je savais que le cinéaste était célèbre, mais je ne l’imaginais pas si spécial. Sur 2046, je ne me souviens donc que de mon extrême nervosité. Je ne parlais pas la langue, le cantonais, et je ne parvenais pas à me détendre. Depuis, j’ai mûri, mais il a fallu qu’on attende le Festival de Cannes 2006, où j’étais membre du jury, et lui président du jury, pour faire vraiment connaissance. »

Tony Leung : « WKW songeait à moi pour Nos années sauvages (1991). À cette période, le doute me taraudait : étais-je un bon acteur ? La répétition de nombreux rôles de flic m’enlisait dans une espèce de bégaiement forcé. Nous avons évoqué nos vies, échangé d’emblée quelques secrets. J’avais le sentiment étrange d’avoir affaire à un ami. Comme on ne se refait pas (un demi-sourire éclaire son visage), il a attaqué par sa phrase clé : “Sache seulement que le scénario te demeurera inconnu.”»

Destins contraries

Zhang Ziyi : « Gong Er, la seule à maîtriser la botte secrète et mortelle de son père, le fameux “64 Mains”, m’est vite apparue comme une héroïne féministe, obstinée mais aussi très solitaire. Elle évolue selon ses désirs et doit en payer le prix : se noyer dans une tristesse insondable. Les films de WKW, qu’ils aient pour toile de fond la science-fiction (2046) ou les arts martiaux (The Grandmaster), ne traitent au fond que de l’amour et du malheur qu’il suscite. »

Tony Leung : « J’ai vu une photo d’Ip Man prise à Hongkong dans les années 1950. Il n’avait rien d’un tas de muscles. Son allure élégante, cultivée, inflexible, sa sagesse probablement dictée par la pratique du kung-fu m’ont marqué. Ip Man affronte les pires choses au monde et sourit. Il aime son épouse – derrière chaque homme digne de ce nom se cache une femme – et noue avec Gong Er, son âme sœur, une vraie complicité. Mais le destin contrôle les héros de WKW. »

Kung-fu masters

Zhang Ziyi : « Le script étant classé “secret défense”, vogue la galère. Au maquillage, WKW donne deux pages : la scène du jour. Aucun background, aucun développement non plus : “Pourquoi Gong Er dit-elle cela ? Pourquoi se comporte-t-elle de cette façon-là ?” À vous de vous débattre avec vous-même. De deviner. D’extrapoler. WKW attise votre curiosité, votre sentiment d’insécurité. Le seul moyen d’y arriver, c’est de remettre votre sort entre ses mains. Et l’entraînement, quelle tannée ! Entre “éreintant” et “laminant”, je cherche le mot juste. J’ai découvert des muscles dont je ne soupçonnais pas l’existence. Les spectateurs ne voient à l’écran que le tiers des images tournées. Beaucoup me demandent : “T’immerger dans The Grandmaster ces trois dernières années, cela valait-il le coup ?” Oui, car sans la durée je n’aurais jamais eu assez d’armes en main pour comprendre le personnage. »

Tony Leung : « Mon avantage majeur sur Zhang Ziyi, c’est que je savais qui je jouais. Au début, je pensais : ai-je vraiment besoin de travailler comme une brute pour cette multitude de combats ? Ce n’est qu’un film, après tout. WKW tenait à ce que je travaille en extérieur, or les hivers froids n’en finissaient plus. La pluie tombait, mes chaussons glissaient, j’ai contracté une bronchite aiguë, je me suis cassé le bras. Le kung-fu, discipline dingue, demande de la continuité, et, avec ma fracture, il m’a fallu tout recommencer de zéro. Mais si WKW m’appelle demain, je replonge aussitôt. Vingt années d’amitié ne se gomment pas. Et s’il a besoin de moi, je serai là. »

Double je

Zhang Ziyi : « J’apprends rien qu’en observant Tony Leung. Il parle peu, reste concentré, atteint toujours le but fixé. En plus, et ça ne gâte rien (elle éclate de rire), il est incroyablement sexy. »

Tony Leung : « Zhang Ziyi n’avait que 19 ans lorsque la célébrité l’a rattrapée. Elle n’était pas prête – qui le serait ? Depuis 2046, elle a grandi. Autant que je puisse me permettre d’en juger, et sans langue de bois aucune, ce n’est pas le genre de la maison, Gong Er est l’un de ses meilleurs rôles. »

Être ou ne pas être acteur …

Zhang Ziyi : « On n’a longtemps vu en moi qu’une prétendue beauté ; merci à tous ces chefs opérateurs qui sublimeraient… une bûche ! Mais j’ai dû lutter pour que les spectateurs m’apprécient, non pas pour ma plastique, mais pour ce que je faisais. Aujourd’hui, mon principal ennemi s’appelle l’anglais. Je mesure, hélas, à quel point ce n’est pas ma langue maternelle. »

Tony Leung : « Devenir acteur m’a sauvé la mise. Quand, à l’orée de mes 10 ans, mon père s’est évanoui dans la nature, je me suis renfermé. Je ne parlais plus à personne, de peur que mes petits camarades ne m’assaillent de questions. Une chaîne de télévision a ouvert une classe de comédie, et je m’y suis précipité. Planqué derrière le masque de mes rôles, j’ai trouvé un moyen de m’exprimer. De soulager mes douleurs et mes frustrations réprimées. »

Lignes de vie

Zhang Ziyi : « Je m’autorise à croire en moi, et j’attends de vrais personnages qui échapperaient au formatage. »

Tony Leung : « La personnalité se bâtit au fil des années. Je continue le kung-fu, qui influence mon attitude et mon regard sur l’existence, quitte à me lever à 5 heures du matin. Je fais de la musique, je m’investis dans des projets caritatifs, je ne laisse plus mes rôles prendre toute la place. À 50 ans, je m’appartiens enfin. Il était temps. »[/b]
Back to top
View user's profile
In The Mood For Leung



Joined: 13 Jan 2010
Posts: 361
Location: State of Nirvana, USA

PostPosted: Thu Apr 11, 2013 8:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My two favorite actors...


Thanks yitian Smile
Back to top
View user's profile
Info



Joined: 27 Jan 2003
Posts: 2112
Location: Hong Kong

PostPosted: Sun Aug 25, 2013 7:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote



专访梁朝伟:在生活中能站到最后才是第一

最近,关于梁朝伟当年被王家卫以马修-斯卡德之名骗去阿根廷拍《春光乍泄》的“老历史”又在网上流传开来。而说来也巧,王家卫拍摄《一代宗师》的最初灵感也源自于那时在阿根廷街头报刊亭上看到的李小龙肖像。问起梁朝伟这件事情,他回忆说实在是太久远了,所以他不大记得王家卫是什么时候说要让他来演叶问,也不大记得自己当时的感觉,最后的印象是自己和王家卫一同参加了香港一个咏春拳馆的开幕,“叶问的儿子叶准老先生还帮我开拳,给这部戏做了一些宣传”,“也是很久很久以前的事了,然后就好像后来又无声无息了,又不知道什么时候开拍我就预计做其他事情去了,然后到最近才说要拍了,才知道,哦终于要拍了这样。”早已习惯了王家卫拍戏方式的梁朝伟,说起《一代宗师》开拍前漫长的等待,显得一派稀疏平常。
1月8日将近,《一代宗师》上映在即。这部“号称”上映以来,经历过补拍、跳票、赶制后期等诸多状况的影片终于迎来了影片上映前的第一波宣传高峰——三大主演梁朝伟、章子怡和张震集中接受媒体专访。然而,专访当日仍有插曲:由于影片某处音轨出现问题,原定于专访前的看片取消,媒体和主演们在均未看片的情况下完成了对话。虽还未看片,但主演梁朝伟还是信心十足地告诉观众:“好看,来看”。
梁朝伟此次在影片中饰演男主角叶问宗师,在接受凤凰娱乐的独家专访时他谈到自己对于叶问的理解,“斯文、儒雅、乐观、从容”;他表示自己这次的表演有一种“叶问宗师和李小龙混合体的感觉”,而说起他所经历的长时间功夫体能训练,梁朝伟毫无怨言,视之理所应当,“人物要有形象很容易,要有神却很难,所以这是我理解人物的必要过程”;他还告诉凤凰娱乐,这次与王家卫的合作有一个最大的不同,“我在王家卫电影里面通常演的角色都是很阴暗、很忧郁、很沉郁,这次是很乐观的、很正面,我感觉这部是王家卫最正面的电影”。

【关键词:叶问】

谈角色:我的角色是叶问宗师和李小龙的混合体

叶问是李小龙之师,而王家卫想拍《一代宗师》的最初灵感是起源于“李小龙”这个人。所以当梁朝伟说这次导演希望他是叶问宗师和李小龙的混合体时,也可算得上是情理之中,意料之外。资料狂人王家卫搜集了很多叶问的资料,而梁朝伟表示他自己则在李小龙方面做了更多功课,“我觉得有机会也能把李小龙的特质放进去也是我很大的心愿。因为我觉得叶问可能在跟人家打架时候的样子,可能完全与他平时的儒雅斯文完全不同。”梁朝伟觉得,叶问在打架的时候可能会是很“李小龙”的,“他是完全很享受,完全是很有魅力,很有自信的一个人”。
谈起叶问和李小龙这两师徒,梁朝伟很有自己的一套理解:“我看李小龙在很多书里面也多次提起叶问,他说他是一个伟大的武术家,也讲过他在他练习咏春拳的时候他怎么去启发他。我觉得李小龙从叶问身上得到很多的启发的,他很尊敬这位师傅,所以我觉得那两个人是有一些,可能他的东西是他的东西来的,可以有关联的两个人,只不过你看上去是两个外形完全很不一样的,一个很里面的,一个很外面的,但是对我来说都是很伟大的武术家,所以我觉得这样把两个人物这样混在一起是很有意思”。

谈叶问:他不像一个功夫人 一生坎坷却还能保持乐观之心

虽然自己更侧重于李小龙资料的准备,对于叶问的准备没有王家卫那样丰富,但谈起叶问,梁朝伟也能头头是道。他首先用“很有趣”来形容叶问,再回忆起自己看叶问照片时的感受,“我都感觉他不像一个功夫人,因为他看上去很斯文,永远穿的很整齐,长衫,那个时候的长衫,很儒雅,然后他是矮矮的,瘦瘦的”,而除了“很有胸怀,很有深度,很沉稳”这些特征外,叶问给梁朝伟留下的最深印象就是“很乐观”。
“四十岁以前他是一个富家子,是很喜欢功夫的武痴。以前什么都有,结果后来由于打仗,收入没有了,家没有了,家人也没有了,后来来到香港,然后从我师父口中也知道他一些事,也是蛮坎坷的一生。但是我看他的照片他还是很有那种庄严的感觉,还是带着微笑,我就觉得一个这样的人怎么可以这样一生里面那么大的起落,怎么可以这样面对。我觉得这一次我觉得演完之后,我觉得他是一个很乐观,然后很有正能量的一个人,我觉得他的生活是他从功夫里面启发他的,他是一种精神,这种功夫里面去启发他去找到那个生活之道,不然不可能这样一个经历那么大的变故,到最后还可以那么从容,因为他后期的生活真的很苦”,聊起叶问宗师的一生,梁朝伟感触颇深。

谈宗师:必须对后人有所启发,才可称得上宗师之名

演完一代宗师叶问,梁朝伟对于“宗师”的理解与王家卫导演的理解达成了高度统一,“宗师就是要见自己,见天地,见众生:就是你先要很了解自己,看到自己,然后也要见过其他高手,因为天下那么大,还有很多其他的高手,我觉得还是要见众生,就是你必须要对后面的人有启发,这样才是宗师,才可以称得上是宗师,只有你才会懂得,你也不是宗师。因为有一些人他是天赋太强,但是不一定他能教你。”
梁朝伟强调,“见众生”是宗师之所以为宗师的一个重要元素,“就是要对众生有inspiration(灵感)。其他人的,不一定是要你跟我,但是你可能根据我教你的东西你会启发你会一些更好的一个想法,那就是一个inspiration。”

【关键词:练功】

“演形容易演神难,练功是理解人物的必要方式”

为拍《一代宗师》,几位主演都进行了相当长时间和大强度的功夫训练。前段时间,张震于全国八极拳比赛中赢得冠军一事也一度传为美谈,网友纷纷调侃说拍王家卫的电影虽然慢点儿但拍成之后还有一技傍身。而梁朝伟则主要由叶问的弟子梁绍鸿教授咏春,期间还因练功骨折受伤。对此,他一派云淡风轻,“练功夫都这样,都辛苦的”。而问起他是否已经具备足够的实力去PK咏春拳的练家子,梁朝伟还是表示,“没有信心”。
说起自己三年以来的辛苦训练,梁朝伟认为理所应当,并不觉得自己吃了多大的亏,“我练功夫其实就是为了演这个人物,练功夫对我来说一方面就是必须要我的在武道、在体型、肢体语言必须要很像咏春拳,很正宗的,这个还是比较次要的东西。主要就是我看过很多这些武术家的生平他们对功夫的理解,他们对一些他的那个心路历程,我看的但是我没感觉,因为我没有体验过,我也不理解。然后在练功的过程里面其实我是尝试去理解、去体验他们对功夫的一些看法,他们的理解,他们觉得功夫的精神是什么?他们是怎么样经过这个过程。这个不是你看完两本书你就知道的,就好像我们修养,不是我给你两本书,你看完就很有修养,你必须要很理解。” 正如王家卫曾经评价梁朝伟的,“他其实是一个非常细心的人。他的慢是很清楚自己要做什么。他有时候其实还是个孩子,他有一种很纯的东西,他就认为要这样做就这样做”。
他进一步谈到表演,“我觉得演一个人物你要形象很容易,你给我三个月时间,我每天这样锻炼,这样跳舞,芭蕾舞这样,我的形一定很像,但是你要有那个神,你就必须要有那个知识,你必须要有理解,你经过过,你体验过,你才会有那个神,所以练功夫对我来说除了是锻炼身体,就说是应付武打戏,还是我去理解这个人物里面的一个过程”。

【关键词:功夫】

“小时候觉得只有黑社会和警察才练功夫,现在觉得功夫是生活之道”

除了自己对于叶问的理解,梁朝伟拍完《一代宗师》最大的收获是对“功夫”的理解与从前不大一样。
他回忆说,“小时候其实也是因为李小龙去着迷功夫,那个时候大概7岁吧,7、8岁吧,70年头,那个时候也没有机会去练功夫,因为家里面穷,也没有这个钱,然后被灌输的一种感觉就是功夫,练功夫不是吧,练功夫就两种人练功夫,警察、黑社会。当时被灌输的功夫就是这样的打架”,然而,经过三年多的时间去学习资料和亲身体会、梁朝伟发现功夫绝对不是那么简单了,“不单是一个体能的训练或是智慧的一个功夫,也是一种心的训练,在精神层面上他是一个心的训练,训练的一个心。简单一点说,比如说禅修那种,然后也可以说是一种生活之道,你可以用一种精神去放在生活也是一样”。
什么样的精神才是功夫的精神?梁朝伟认为,“在练功夫中间你可以建立自信,还有在精神层面上,其实功夫到了,所以高境界那种就是你对手根本就不是你的敌人,你根本就不是要赢,你每一次的对弈就是要开发自己的精神层面,比如说你要怎么做到无为,你根本没有那个争胜的欲望,你跟对手只是你希望跟他和谐,就是那个很精神层面的。不然的话我们如果单是打架或是很能打,我们中国的功夫文化传统不会有三千多年到现在,很能打,泰拳也很能打”。

【关键词:宋慧乔】

“她拍出来有东方美,不感觉是一个韩国人”

此次梁朝伟与两位女星有对手戏,一是饰演宫二先生的章子怡,二是饰演叶问妻子的宋慧乔。他介绍说,“我跟子怡完全是那种就是江湖里面的那种自己朋友,最好像在戏里面王家卫说其实你的最好的对手就是你的自己,只有她才明白。我跟子怡是因为一场交手才认识,认识以后就有那种惺惺相惜的那种,但是我一个在北方,一个在南方,后来就因为打仗,然后就一直没有机会见面,但是一直都希望在交一次手,结果战争爆发以后逃难到香港就碰到子怡,碰到的时候已经很多年以后了。”
宋慧乔和梁朝伟饰演夫妻,他俩拍戏时一个说粤语一个说韩语,“但是还好,戏里面角色的那个设计的很妙,两夫妻话不多,所以还好,可以弥补这方面的不足”,梁朝伟回忆说。他还称赞宋慧乔是一位专业的演员,“宋慧乔也很好,拍出来有那种东方美,不感觉她是一个韩国人,在戏里面表现也蛮不错的”。

【关键词:王家卫】

“很适应王家卫的工作方式,《一代宗师》是最正面积极的王家卫电影”

说起《一代宗师》,大部分人的第一反应会是“实在是拖太久了”,而说起王家卫,大家的反应往往会是——“实在是拍得太慢了”。虽说身为观众和演员,大家基本已经接受了王家卫“拍得慢”的事实,但有时难免会对此进行一番吐槽或者是调侃。可梁朝伟并不属于这个行列,与王家卫的多次合作培养了他们之间的某种默契,他表示自己对于王家卫的拍戏方式非常适应,也从来没有觉得不满,“我就做我的事情,然后他一个电话打过来,我就可以过去拍”。对于王家卫的慢,他淡淡解释说“因为我觉得这一次这个人物我的确需要那么多时间的,不然我不够时间去准备”。
谈起这次合作与以往的最大不同,梁朝伟表示,“我在王家卫电影里面通常演的角色都是很阴暗、很忧郁、很沉郁,这次是很乐观的、很正面”,他强调,这部影片是王家卫最正面的电影,就是充满正能量的一个电影。

文/谷逸 图/二萌 视频/郭澄子

Source: http://ent.ifeng.com/movie/special/grandmasters/content-6/detail_2013_01/06/20826616_0.shtml

Video link: http://v.ifeng.com/ent/mingxing/201301/9218ebe8-d037-481b-8409-286da62338a8.shtml
Back to top
View user's profile Send e-mail
Info



Joined: 27 Jan 2003
Posts: 2112
Location: Hong Kong

PostPosted: Sun Aug 25, 2013 7:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote



对于梁朝伟,王家卫的要求是:“我希望梁朝伟演的叶先生是叶问和李小龙的结合体”,“要打掉梁朝伟身上所有的东西,重新塑造一个人”。

为此,王家卫请来叶问的最后一位亲授门徒梁绍鸿先生,让他亲自来教授梁朝伟咏春拳的拳理、展示手法。从咏春拳最基本的彪指、小练头、寻桥、木人桩等动作开始,兼教力量训练、套路,最后进行实战对抗。在习武过程中,梁绍鸿师傅也给梁朝伟讲述了当年叶问在世时开馆授徒的故事,以及叶问对咏春哲学内涵的独特理解。王家卫更是重点要求梁朝伟能够准确理解和表达“神情”。经过多年修炼,梁朝伟对“一代宗师”也有了自己独到的理解。他说:“打得最厉害的不是第一,在生活中能站得起来的才是第一!  

他成为“一代宗师”之前

王家卫第一次说要拍《一代宗师》的时候,我还很年轻。

我很喜欢学习新事物,每一次学新事物的时候都会提醒自己这件事情最基本的就是最重要的。因为学一样东西一旦学了越来越多花样、越来越花哨,就忘记了原来最基本的就是最重要的。我很喜欢学新事物,有空的时候就会学新事物,射箭、击剑、柔道,什么都想学。

记者:还记得导演什么时候找你演这部电影么?导演最初是怎么跟你讲《一代宗师》这部电影的?  

梁朝伟:他第一次说要拍《一代宗师》,我已经不记得是什么时候了,可能是在拍《花样年华》的时候吧。我还记得在旺角的咏春拳馆开幕的时候,我跟他都有去,还有记者拍照,可能已经不止七八年了,看回相片那时候还很年轻(笑)。因为当时不是真的马上要开拍,所以都没有坐下很详细地讲究竟是要做些什么。你也知道,我们的创作方式是一路创作。
直到四五年前,他才让我开始学功夫,开始让我看很多资料,他给了我一大堆关于北方的宗师还有李小龙的书,反而没有太多关于叶问宗师本身的。他做了很多调查研究和资料搜集,所以他很清楚叶问这个人物应该是怎么样的,他应该跟准叔谈了很久,也看了很多资料,他希望这次叶问和李小龙这两个人物能结合在一起。因为是王家卫,我们两个一起工作了这么多年,我对他有信任及默契。我觉得不如试一下另一种模式,就是叶问那方面我不需要知道那么多,因为他已经知道很多了,我纯粹专注于李小龙的部分,这样看一下大家碰撞在一起会出来一些什么东西。  
王家卫有时候也会很固执,有些他写出来(的东西),他会把叶问是怎样的人、对白是怎样的一起想了,既然是这样,他那么清楚叶问,我约莫知道叶问是怎么样的,然后专注于李小龙,做一个我们心目中认为完美的叶问是怎么样的。
另外我们不是在拍一部传记片,我们只是拿一个原型来拍电影,有很多创作在里面,不需要每一个细节都是真的,那样也未必会好看。我们做电影的当然是把其最好的一面呈现出来,加上我们的幻想,始终是电影,是一个fantasy(梦想)。

记者:你说这个角色也参考了李小龙,那么拼在一起出来的叶问会是怎么样的?他们两人个性完全不同,一个内敛、一个外露。

梁朝伟:其实叶问那方面,我也不是完全没有去看去研究,只不过不像王家卫那么深入。叶问给我的感觉是,他很不像功夫人,他很斯文,他有一种气质叫儒雅。而我小时候看李小龙简直是神,战神!没得顶!我觉得他很有魅力,很外露,很有自信,而且他经常说功夫用来表达自己。叶问在打拳的时候或比武的时候就有李小龙那种很放的感觉。平时不知道他那么能打,但打的时候会觉得和平时是两个人。我觉得这样挺有意思。
所以我觉得王家卫也挺有趣,有这样的提议。我也觉得很幸运,因为一个是我小时候的偶像,我是因为李小龙才认识他的师傅———叶问。李小龙的很多手稿里面常常会提到叶问,我觉得他很尊重他的师傅,他说过叶问是一个伟大的功夫人,也说过叶问是怎样启发他。李小龙很多东西是在他那里学回来的,所以这两个人其实是有关系的,你可以这样去设计这个人,可以有这两面,我觉得是成立的,而且是有趣的。
  
记者:王家卫让你们几位主演在演这部戏前,要真的去拜师学艺。在你知道要学咏春之前,有没有怀疑过?现在这个年纪才来学咏春能学到什么?
  
梁朝伟:那也是。不过我很喜欢学习新事物,每一次学新事物的时候都会提醒自己这件事情最基本的就是最重要的。因为学一样东西一旦学了越来越多花样、越来越花哨,就忘记了原来最基本的就是最重要的。我很喜欢学新事物,有空的时候就会学新事物,射箭、击剑、柔道,什么都想学。我想学不是因为我想学会那样东西,而是想学重新开始,重新去认识每一样东西。所以我当初学的时候不会觉得有什么怀疑或者不好。

记者:你在几年的训练过程里面学了什么?由什么开始学,学到最后是怎么样的。

梁朝伟:我师傅中文名叫梁绍鸿,是王家卫几年前介绍给我认识的,四五年前。他是叶问的徒弟,就是李小龙那一代中的一位。他的儿子陪我练咏春拳,因为我师傅本身还有其他生意,他不是整天在,主要他儿子陪我练,练到一定程度的时候师傅又会来看一下。我从咏春最基本的小练头开始练起,越练越久(笑)。咏春有三套拳:小练头、寻桥、彪指,我只是练了小练头,木人桩、棍,都练了一点。
后来我也有问师傅,要不要练齐其他的。因为我那时有太多东西在兼顾,没有坚持练。其实练齐也好的,练过的话,在现场摆位的时候,知道情况,可以提出自己的意见。因为八爷不是练咏春拳的,他设计出来的招式未必有咏春拳的感觉,你练过就可以加一招半式进去。师傅在现场的时候,我就可以问他。但是如果自己知道就准确一些。  

记者:拍完戏后还会不会练?
  
梁朝伟:真的不知道,因为我小时候玩运动太厉害了,很多关节已经受不了,我拍这部戏的时候到最后已经受不了.
  
记者:回过头想想,花那么多体力时间去练拳,真的那么重要吗?

梁朝伟:我从开始筹备,就是透过练功夫去体验和了解一个宗师的心路历程是怎么样的、对功夫的看法是怎样的。光看文字是没有办法知道这些的,必须自己去做。所以为什么练功夫这么重要,当然一方面是为了打出来像模像样,另一方面是令我进入这个角色,我在练的时候理解书里面讲的东西是什么,他们在练功夫时得到的启发有什么,看到功夫原来是这样的,这些我要自己亲自去做才知道。

他如何成为“一代宗师”

'这次一滴酒都没喝过'   

“未曾试过拍王家卫的电影这么健康,这次一滴酒都没有喝过。因为每天需要这么多体能,真的不敢喝,一定要很正常、很健康,所以身体好了。”

记者:能说说《一代宗师》这部电影故事是讲什么的?

梁朝伟:我真的还不知道(笑),听王家卫讲大家都是惺惺相惜。

记者:《一代宗师》的背景是民国武林。你对民国武林的认识是怎么样的?你了解的那个环境、时代中的宗师们的想法是怎么样的?  

梁朝伟:不知道,我没怎么研究他们的礼节,王家卫做资料搜集多一些,我没怎么研究,我反而会在练功的心路历程里面多研究一些。王家卫给我看了一些新派武侠小说,《道士下山》那种感觉,或者他想给我看一下他想要的那种感觉。  

记者:以你的理解,怎么样才可以称为“一代宗师”?  

梁朝伟:根据王家卫的解释是,要见自己、见天地、见众生,我也有些认同这种看法。要见自己首先要清楚自己;天下这么大,你都没有出去看过这些天地就是井底之蛙,要出去见一下世面;见众生就是要将你所学的教给别人,能够启发别人才叫见众生。我也觉得这才算是一代宗师。咏春拳以前是一种闭门拳,叶问应该是第三代,每一代只有几十人,它不是张榜招生,也是见到合眼缘、或者觉得是可造之材才收。咏春也不是一个很大的门派,像太极、八极那样,而是南方很小的拳种,叶问把它发扬光大了。我觉得叶问宗师做到了王家卫所讲的这三点。我看现在全世界很多人在练咏春拳。
  
记者:对于电影里咏春拳那部分,八爷和梁绍鸿师傅有没有冲突?

梁朝伟:我师傅不理会你电影是怎么样的,总之不应该是这样的他就会指出来。我要做的就是平衡。有时候我会跟我师傅说,行的了,电影是这样的。有时候我也觉得很难,要怎么拿捏,又想表达到真实的咏春拳是怎么样的。但是有时候电影太真实是不行的,太真实的话就不用拍,一拳就玩完了。有时候一些力度的表现需要靠一些技巧来达到,不然看不到杀伤力,不会真的打下去。

记者:和子怡合作的感觉如何?你们是第二次合作是吗?  

梁朝伟:在王家卫的戏里是第二次合作。但我整天觉得跟她合作了很多部,你也知道我们拍一部戏等于人家三部或者四部、甚至是八部,所以我经常觉得跟她拍了很多部戏,大家好像很熟,但是并不是真的很熟。我觉得我跟子怡在银幕上确实是挺搭的,两个人在外形上,还有她也真的是一个很好的演员、很好的对手,跟她一起做事真的挺好玩的。

记者:伟仔之前讲过,这次要表演一个大家没有看过的梁朝伟。是怎么个不同法?

梁朝伟:是吗?我有这样讲过吗?我真的不记得了。其实我觉得很难,毕竟在这个圈子已经这么多年了,观众有什么没有见过的,要做得完全不一样其实真的不容易,没可能,不知道当时为什么会这样讲,傻傻的。  

记者:现在回想,你会给自己多少分?

梁朝伟:我不会给很高分,我一定不会,所以我刚刚跟你讲,我今天想想会这样,明天想想会那样,后天想想又这样,我抓不住主意的。我经常说,幸好王家卫这样子,如果他不说O K,那我更惨了,一场肯定拍十天都拍不完,回去想想可能又会觉得不应该这样,我抓不定主意。我从来都不觉得自己做得多好,因为始终不知道会有多好,总之尽了最大的努力,不应该会太差,因为花了那么多的时间,效果会O K的。
  
记者:这部电影拍了很久,你在这个过程中有些什么收获,最大收获是什么?

梁朝伟:很多收获,第一身体好了,因为真的练了这么多年,我也未曾试过拍王家卫的电影这么健康,一滴酒都没有喝过。因为每天需要这么多体能,真的不敢喝,一定要很正常、很健康,所以身体好了。第二就是在这个过程里面得到很多启发,就像刚刚讲的功夫精神,也是一种生活之道,可以将其套入生活里面,或者是一种精神,不单单是武德或者打那么简单,而是一种精神,是一种精神的修行,也是一种生活方式。其实做人也是一样的,人应该是没有欲望的,不应该去为了赢而去做一件事情,但要做到这样不是那么容易的,所以我这次得到了很多东西。  

他眼中的王家卫  

他这次真的很容易让我过关  

王家卫哪有这么容易放过大家,但他这次真的很容易放过我,让我拍的时候信心很大,让我越做越有信心。

记者:导演有没有跟你提过,他之前的几年走访很多地方、拜访很多不同门派的老师。

梁朝伟:不知道,看《宗师之路》才知道。  

记者:看完《宗师之路》有什么感觉?  

梁朝伟:之前武术对我们来讲真的很陌生,不是单单对他,对我也是。我从来都没有学过功夫,小时候哪有准备学功夫,只有两种人学,一是警察、一是坏人,我怎么会学!再说家里在上世纪六十年代也不是很有钱。但当我们真的去认识功夫的时候,发现功夫真的不是那么简单的,武术不是为了打架的。其实应该让现在的年轻人或者父母了解学功夫不单单是为了打架,而是精神上的一种修炼。做人、待人处世都可以用这样一个态度、精神。

记者:这次跟导演合作有什么不一样?

梁朝伟:很不一样,吓了我一跳,他很容易就让我O K过关。搞得我很怕,还担心会不会太过自信。

记者:初期、中段还是后期?  

梁朝伟:全程!哇,我们很少有这样的情况,以往通常都是要拍很多次才过关的。可能准备功夫或者设计人物的时候很有信心、很清晰知道要什么,我们也都很快掌握到那个人物是怎么样的,所以很容易就满意了。
我是那种很懒的人,你没说不行我就O K,你说不行,那就再来吧。王家卫哪有这么容易放过大家,但他这次真的很容易放过我,让我拍的时候信心很大,让我越做越有信心。这是我的弱点来的,因为我经常战战兢兢,我不敢肯定是否这样的,我也经常三心两意,又想这样、又想这样,明天回去再想想,变成整天都不知道应该怎么做。但这次没有这样,我知道要怎么做,是这样就这样。不过,就是很累,我已经练得很卖力了,已经超负荷,但都很难应付,时间太长了。

记者:很多人觉得,《一代宗师》拍太久了,现在《叶问》系列都快拍到三了。

梁朝伟:你去吃炸鸡也要等啊。两部戏不同。《一代宗师》拍这么久是需要这么长的时间才能做到,所以没什么好说。

记者:你心目中的《一代宗师》是一个什么样的电影,有什么元素是会吸引观众的?  

梁朝伟:它讲的是一个属于逝去了的武林,功夫到底是什么,功夫的精神是什么,一群武术家的心路历程。就算我在1960年代看都会觉得原来功夫的精神是这么伟大的。功夫不只是功夫。打得最厉害的不是第一,在生活中能站得起来的才是第一。我觉得这部电影有很多正面的东西在,尤其是我的角色,有很正面的力量,很好。我现在很喜欢拍这些戏,我喜欢让人家看完觉得有希望,让人觉得你懂得生活才最厉害,你可以最后站在这里依然笑容满面才是最厉害的。

专题策划:南都首席记者 方夷敏 戴乐
专题统筹:方夷敏
采写:方夷敏 朱燕霞 实习生 孙晓斯 
 
Source: http://epaper.oeeee.com/C/html/2013-01/06/content_1787598.htm

Back to top
View user's profile Send e-mail
Info



Joined: 27 Jan 2003
Posts: 2112
Location: Hong Kong

PostPosted: Sun Aug 25, 2013 7:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote





对话《一代宗师》梁朝伟:拍完轻松多了

梁朝伟: 这次真的有点累了!

  且不说为演“宗师”叶问练功多年、断了2次手、前前后后拍了3年戏,拍完之后还有配音、各地奔波做宣传,拉拉杂杂到4月份才能结束,过节也没法消停。并且由于拍了大半年的夜戏,他还面临了一项艰巨的“倒时差”的任务。刚开始睡不了多久,四五点天不亮就起床去跑步,刘嘉玲打电话问他:“你人去哪里了?”他说“跑步啊。”“那么早?”“是啊,睡不着……”。

  电影杀青之后,他一度不太相信真的结束,四五天之后才缓过来:“突然间感觉原来真的很不一样,整个人轻松很多啊!”难怪在对话的最后,他略带“撒娇”地说暂时不想拍电影了,“不知道下一部什么时候,反正不想拍了,休息一下……”

  好在《一代宗师》1月8日终于要上映了,梁朝伟用自己生命中七分之一的时间酝酿出的这份功劳和苦劳,都将一股脑交待给观众。

  【倒苦水】  

杀青四五天后回过神来,觉得轻松很多!

  “我有点不相信,曾试过庆功宴吃两次都还要继续回去拍”

  新浪娱乐:《一代宗师》是你拍过最长的一部电影,拍了这么多年,杀青那天是什么感觉?

  梁朝伟:杀青那天,我还以为会特别兴奋,因为那一刻我记得是好像导演在说“梁朝伟最后一个镜头”,摄影师还在说“啊?那么重要的时刻?”这样,我还以为拍完那个镜头我会很开心,结果拍完以后还好。因为可能我知道整件事情还没有完结,因为后面还有配音,还有配旁白,后面还有一个很长的宣传期。是拍摄那个阶段的结束,后面还没有结束,还不能离开那个角色、那个人物,因为以后有宣传,人家还会不停不停的提醒你,让你讲你之前做的什么?你怎么想的?所以不算是结束。
  然后回到香港,大概沉淀了四五天,过正常生活以后,突然间感觉原来真的很不一样,整个人轻松很多啊!因为我没有发觉在拍片的过程里面,其实我一直压力很大,因为人绷的很紧,每天要应付动作、戏,你都必须全力以赴,精神很集中在里面。刚拍完还没有轻松感,但回到香港一个礼拜以后,整个人觉得好轻松啊,好舒服啊!虽然事情还没有做完,但是承受压力最大那一个部分已经结束了。

  新浪娱乐:这次补拍了很久,很多戏重新拍了,一遍一遍的在拍吗?

  梁朝伟:我跟他拍戏那么多部都是这样的,有一些是补拍,有一些可能觉得这样拍会更好,或者是放在不同的季节、不同的衣服、不同的环境会更好。

  新浪娱乐:补拍就是找很久以前拍过的再拍?

  梁朝伟:对。

  新浪娱乐:那你自己感觉是不是后来补拍的比以前更好?

  梁朝伟:我不知道有没有更好,这个不关我的事,这个是导演他的事情嘛,跟我无关,反正他要拍,我就尽我能力做到最好,你说从前的好还是现在的好?不一样啊。

  新浪娱乐:这次王家卫导演拍最久的一部片子,你在片场感觉他跟之前拍片子有什么不同?

  梁朝伟:还好啊,他都是那样,在片场很轻松,从来没有着急,着急的都是我们(笑)。

  新浪娱乐:到最后他都没有着急?也不告诉你什么时候拍完?

  梁朝伟:他不着急的,其实我也没有问他,他觉得什么时候要结束就结束,我也没问。

  新浪娱乐:那你是什么时候知道要结束了?

  梁朝伟:就是他跟我说“这是最后一个镜头”,我才知道结束了。我忘了什么时候知道,因为我不相信的,反正我离开那个地方,我听到那组人离开,我才知道结束。以我们从前的经验,我们可以庆功宴吃两次都还要继续回去拍,那我怎么知道?所以这也有可能是我听到是最后一个镜头也没有太兴奋的原因(笑),因为我从前有阴影,拍完三天以后打电话给我“我们有一场戏其实还是可以更好一点,还是再回来补一下”,也有这个可能。

  新浪娱乐:听说你拍摄期间经常失眠,杀青之后,失眠的情况是不是好一些了?

  梁朝伟:也不是,因为我长期在拍晚班,杀青以后还在调,把半年晚班生活调回变成正常人的生活,早睡早起。拍完以后我一直12点睡觉,四五点就起床,还记得刚开始我睡不了很久,四五点就起了,天不亮就去跑步,刘嘉玲打给我问:“你去哪里了?”,我说“跑步啊”。“那么早?”我说“是啊,睡不着……”(笑)。

  新浪娱乐:还是需要调养?

  梁朝伟:对啊,身体很累啊,那一段时间,现在慢慢希望把身体搞好。

  【聊角色】  

首次在王家卫电影中爆发“正能量”

  “不是能打就是第一,在生活中能站到最后才是第一!”

  梁朝伟的忧郁眼神和颓废表情主要是在一部部王家卫的爱情片里被塑造和渲染出来的,但在《一代宗师》里,梁朝伟不再是那个曾经大家最熟悉的“电眼靓仔”、“大众情人”,他所饰演的“宗师”叶问是一个坚韧、乐观、充满了“正能量”的人,“这是在王家卫的电影里前所未有的体验”梁朝伟如是说。

  新浪娱乐:你说之前压力很大,因为我看到有一个采访你说一场戏提前一个星期就会想怎么样,很紧张,是场什么样的戏?难度在哪?为什么会压力大到失眠?

  梁朝伟:不记得了。反正我觉得有难度的,我就会这样。

  新浪娱乐:什么样的戏会有难度?

  梁朝伟:很难讲,动作当然了,包括文戏,都会有难度,因为每一次碰到的情形、状况、角色都不一样。有时候碰到难的事情,你都会想很久要怎么去做。因为我常常觉得不要在现场浪费整个团队的时间,大家都累了嘛(笑)。我尽量把我这一部分做到最好,去省大家一点时间。

  新浪娱乐:你演了这么久,感觉这会是一部怎么样的电影?

  梁朝伟:整部戏我不知道,我还没有看过,就我的角色来说,我觉得是一个非常有正能量的人物,很乐观,很正面,对我来说是这样的感觉。这是我从前拍王家卫电影没有尝试的,他的角色都是很阴暗、很忧郁、很不开心,这个人物是完全相反的,很乐观、很正面的、很强的毅力,面对任何困难他都处之淡然,还可以微笑面对。我觉得这个在王家卫电影从来没有碰到过,也让我拍得很开心,因为人物很正面嘛,你会觉得没有什么事情做不到,没有什么困难会难得到我。

  新浪娱乐:跟现阶段自己的状态很像吗?

  梁朝伟:我不会啊,如果是我也不会为了一场戏一个礼拜睡不着啊。

  新浪娱乐:所以你还是觉得压力很大?

  梁朝伟:我没有那么强的正能量(笑)。

  新浪娱乐:我听说这次叶问这个人物在表演上有一个时间的跨度,十几年?

  梁朝伟:对,大概从他30多岁,一直到50岁。

  新浪娱乐:你觉得这个人物从一开始到后来,他的变化和成长是怎样的?
  梁朝伟:他的变化很大,40岁以前什么都有,他是一个富家子,地主的儿子。后来打仗,慢慢什么东西都没有了,家人、收入都没有了,后来到香港。我也听过一些叶问晚年的事情,很坎坷的,所以他人生起伏很大。他到最后还可以这样去面对生活,我觉得这个人物对我来说最有趣的,我当初想什么样的人可以这样?很难的。我不觉得你能打就是第一,在生活中能站到最后才是第一。

  新浪娱乐:你怎么慢慢找到宗师的这种内在气质——没有人打得倒的感觉?

  梁朝伟:时间喽,看书、收集资料啊。

  【论功夫】  

幼时痴迷李小龙——“家人说只有警察和黑社会才练功”

  40年后有机会学武——“武学更高的境界在于精神的提升”

  人人都知道周星驰是功夫迷,很少人知道其实梁朝伟小时候也因为喜欢李小龙而迷过功夫,但因家里人不支持而作罢。在进入TVB训练班之前,好友周星驰曾经拉着梁朝伟拍过一部短片,据当事人后来的回忆,剧情大概是导演兼主演的周星驰演好人,梁朝伟演反一号,然后两人打了一架,周星驰打赢了。梁朝伟笑说没想到40年后,居然有机会让他演了一部功夫片也真的学了功夫,圆了幼时的梦。

  新浪娱乐:您练功也练了好多年,有没有经过几个阶段,刚开始可能很累,中间找到一些乐趣,后来感觉有点累?

  梁朝伟:我一直都觉得累(笑),没有什么乐趣。

  新浪娱乐:每天练功多长时间?

  梁朝伟:刚开始的时候,慢慢加上去平均三个小时,不加自己的一些锻炼,单是功夫三个小时,因为后来我断手两次,那段时间很痛苦,因为我不是从小练,我毕竟是47岁才开始练功夫。那时候一断掉,你练了半年,已经达到某一个程度,手断掉,要停最起码五个月,那些东西没有了,功夫就是‘曲不离口,拳不离手’,三五个月以后,我就得重新再来,积累的东西已经没有了。第二次再断又要重新来,这个不是很痛苦吗?导演开始拍后,要求的东西很多,有一些东西要重新学习,其实是很难的,不过也是一个经历啦。

  新浪娱乐:《一代宗师》里的叶问是“武痴”,在纪录片里我们也看到王家卫导演寻访了很多武术界的大腕,都对功夫有很深的情感和兴趣,你在这个过程中有慢慢感受到功夫的魅力吗?

  梁朝伟:70年代初,我七八岁的时候,因为李小龙的原因,我开始对功夫很着迷,但是那时候家里比较穷,也不可能有多余的钱让你学功夫,也不可能让你学功夫,因为当时家人灌输你的观念就是两种人练功夫,警察和黑社会,不然练功夫来干嘛?小时候感觉功夫就是这么一回事。
  这几年经过很多研究、自己练功夫、看一些书,慢慢了解功夫究竟是个什么东西,不单是个体能训练或者是一个防卫术那么简单,还是一个心性的训练——可能是“做人之道”,有精神层面的东西,不是那么简单的打架、自卫或者身体锻炼,不然几千年的文化传统不可能到今天,只是打,很多人都很能打,但武学真正的精神、更高的境界不在打,而在精神上,所以他们追求可能的是精神上的提升。

  新浪娱乐:看到新闻,你跟周星弛也有切磋一下,关于练功夫的方法?

  梁朝伟:那个是开始的阶段,因为他从前也学过咏春拳,希望给我一些意见。

  新浪娱乐:你之后还会继续保持练功习惯吗?

  梁朝伟:我希望会,其实我从小就喜欢功夫,因为李小龙认识叶问宗师,但是没有机会,没想到40年后(笑),让我有机会拍这个电影,有机会学。看吧,我不知道,反正我很喜欢运动,不介意继续学。但是有一个难度,必须找一个师兄弟陪你练,因为咏春很多时候很难练,需要有一个对手跟你练。

  新浪娱乐:之后是不是有一段时间休息还是马上有新戏要开拍?

  梁朝伟:休息应该等到所有宣传完了以后,大概要到四月吧,应该暂时不拍电影了,不知道什么时候拍,反正不想拍,休息一下(笑)。

  (陆姝/对话、文 辛军/摄像 王黎/摄影)

Source: http://ent.sina.com.cn/m/c/2013-01-06/02143827687.shtml
Back to top
View user's profile Send e-mail
Info



Joined: 27 Jan 2003
Posts: 2112
Location: Hong Kong

PostPosted: Sun Aug 25, 2013 7:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Tony's interview part during the Premiere on 5 Jan 2013



[ 主持人 ]: 问梁朝伟老师,你的角色经历了那么多事情,我特别感兴趣,你为这个也付出很多锻炼,我们看纪录片你也付出很多辛苦,您觉得这一切努力值得在哪一个地方?为什么值得?

[ 梁朝伟 ]: 对我来说拍电影没有值得不值得,最重要是过程跟一般专业的电影爱好者做一个电影好玩不好玩,没有值得不值得,好玩就好。 对我来说这四年我想是一生难忘的,经过很多东西,也学会很多东西,作为一个演员,又创作了一个新的角色,做了一个新的尝试,算是我从来没有试过的。小时候七八岁的时候没有学功夫,因为那时候没有机会学,结果四十几岁才来学,对功夫有很多新的想法。整个过程很享受、很好玩。

[ 主持人 ]: 您付出很多时间,这个片子不一定投资最大的片子,但是是一个最奢侈的片子,你们不把自己的时间当做成本、当做感情放在这里,这个非常难得。有一次我看到你的谈话,电影当中有一些展示一闪而过,你说并不在乎观众是否看得到。

[ 梁朝伟 ]: 因为的确很多背后的努力是观众无法知道的,因为台上一分钟台下十年功,有时候演一个角色要形似、要有那个神,就需要花一点时间,真正去体验它对那个东西的理解、去感受它。单看文字你会知道,但是没有感觉。所以你会知道为什么我们用那么长时间去锻炼,锻炼里才会感受到心路历程、然后才可以理解、并且尝试感受。我也不觉得这是牺牲,反而是一种满足感,作为一个演员,你体验到,包括在银幕里呈现出来,做一个丰满的角色,很满足的。

[主持人 ]: 最后你自己问心无愧地交出这个角色。跟王家卫合作这么久,这次拍《一代宗师》的王家卫和以前有什么变化?

[梁朝伟 ]: 有什么变化?就是我从前没有试过在他的戏里看到那么乐观的正面人物、那么充满正能量的角色。从前演的都是很阴暗、忧郁、低沉的。这次很正面,每次收工都很开心,这个人让我感受到正面。这是从前没有在他电影里感受过的。还有这次很快就过了,打的部分没有那么快过了,文戏很快就过了,是不是他想多给我点信心,我很奇怪我有那么好吗?一两条就过了,从前拍十八条,过来跟你讲讲,第十九条,又跟你讲很多。这次很快就过了。这次的感觉,也是这么多年来很开心的一次。

[主持人 ]: 文戏这么快过,武戏有很多着急的地方吧,预告片里雨夜的打。

[梁朝伟 ]: 那段戏是整部电影里最痛苦的,我们拍了三十个通宵,从晚上开始就是湿的,一直到天亮。我第一天拍的时候没有觉得很冷,后来开始降温,火炉什么都出来,武行都开始把雨衣等等都穿到里面,拍了三个礼拜,我跟他说导演我真的不行了。他说结束结束,结果还继续又拍了一个礼拜,拍完之后我直接进医院照X光,那天我以为是肺炎,结果是气管炎,床上躺了五天才好。

[主持人 ]: 算是休息了?

[梁朝伟 ]: 拍完那个基本上没有能力再拍下去了,必须要停下去了,那场戏很辛苦。张震也有雨戏,但是没有那么久。

[ 主持人 ]: 真的自己去打还是辛苦很多。

[ 梁朝伟 ]: 对我来讲我也是很大压力的,又怕自己不够专业,因为我会很害怕连累整个团队,所以自己给自己压力很大。后来大家都很体谅我、很迁就我,也跟很多优秀的武打演员一起,我们的武行都非常好,因为他们的配合,所以后来就蛮顺利的。

[主持人 ]: 这次和子怡对手戏非常多,而且也是很动人的戏,还是有很感动和感伤的东西,这次对子怡有什么感受?

[梁朝伟 ]: 戏不用讲,她是一个非常优秀的女演员,我很佩服她,我跟她有很多打,很长的,拍了很多天,她也很多伤,我知道她受很多苦,但是我也没办法。我不可能轻轻打,我自己也是演员、也不是武打演员,我也很痛、她肯定更痛。但是没办法,所以我很佩服她,然后……对啊,就这样。

[主持人 ]: 因为我们一直在等待《一代宗师》,您对叶问这个角色的理解。

[梁朝伟 ]: 当时我在演这个角色的时候,大家看叶问的照片,我觉得他完全不像一个大功夫的人,永远是正装、长衫,很儒雅、很斯文,感觉很沉稳。但是他一生经历起伏很大。我看到他的照片都是他后期在香港的时候,那时候他应该生活蛮坎坷的,但是我还是有感觉他是淡然面对生命的感觉。我觉得这个人怎么这样呢?有很大的起伏,晚年的生活,我师父跟我讲他晚年生活很苦,但是还是可以这样淡然,我觉得这个人蛮有趣的。后来希望这个角色是李小龙和叶问的混合体,我没有看过他打,他平常很斯文的,打起来他可能突然变成另外一个人。李小龙确实有一种外露的霸气,这两个人是一种师徒的关系,我在李小龙很多书里提起他的师父,他很尊重,说他是一个伟大的武术家。在练的时候,练来练去练不好,叶问过来跟他说把自己放开、没有欲望,他第二天出海,一个人,突然就想到了。肯定叶问给李小龙很多启发。我跟王家卫导演想做一个我们心目中完美的叶问应该是这样的。后来拍下来这个人也乐观,不然怎么可能面对这样的生命。我们希望做一点多一点正能量的东西。
Back to top
View user's profile Send e-mail
Info



Joined: 27 Jan 2003
Posts: 2112
Location: Hong Kong

PostPosted: Sun Aug 25, 2013 7:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote


Maybe the real love story here is the one between a man and his director. Tony Leung Chiu-Wai and Wong Kar-Wai have made seven films together over a period of almost twenty years, and now their seventh film – The Grandmaster – is battling its way into cinemas. It was a long, arduous shoot, with Leung training for three years before a single frame of footage was even shot. The two men, both acknowledged to be at the very top of their game in their respective careers, talk candidly about their love for kungfu movies, the challenges involved in making a the film, and give us a little insight into a friendship that’s yielded the dreamy, artistic likes of 2046 and In The Mood For Love.



THE GRANDMASTER - Q&A with Tony Leung Chiu-Wai and Wong Kar-Wai
By Shawne Wang

Q: There have been some reports that this film is the fulfillment of your childhood dreams of making a martial arts film – The Grandmaster being the first kungfu movie you’ve ever made. Could you tell us a little bit more about that?

WONG KAR-WAI (WKW): It’s not just me – Tony’s the same way. Ever since we were kids, we’ve always been very curious about kungfu movies, but have never really had the chance to enter that world. Doing this film has given me a sense of what the martial arts world really is, and has also afforded Tony the opportunity to play a martial arts grandmaster.

Q: What was it about martial arts that proved so appealing to you?

WKW: I’ve always loved the notion of it – my first experience of it was literary, through martial arts novels and their almost mystical characters. Then I watched the movies: those starring Bruce Lee, Jet Li, the Shaw Brothers films. I wondered if Chinese martial arts was really that incredible… was it something that looked great and cool but didn’t really encompass what was in all the books and movies? Having walked this road [with The Grandmaster], I did discover that Chinese martial arts really is profound. Its philosophy and the spirit of its practitioners are just incredible, and I hope I can communicate that to the audience in this film.

Q: In interviews, you’ve said that you hope that Tony can achieve some kind of breakthrough in this film. Do you think he’s succeeded?

WKW: I’ve worked with Tony for almost twenty years and on six films [not counting The Grandmaster]. I think he’s now reached the point where a lot of roles are very easy for him to play – but I do think this role of Ip Man did represent a challenge for him because he’s never played such a part before. He needed a lot of stamina and discipline to get through the production, because it was a challenge not just to his acting skills but also in physical terms. In retrospect, I think he did what I asked for, and in fact surpassed it. I hope that his fans will come and see this movie because they’ll see a very different Tony Leung in it.

Q: What about you, Tony? Where do you think you achieved a breakthrough where this movie is concerned?

TONY LEUNG CHIU-WAI (TL): I… don’t know. But I think the thing that was most difficult for me was the martial arts aspect of it. I knew about it as a kid, of course, but I’d never had personal experience of it so it was completely new to me. The physical demands were really great. But after going through with the training, I did realise that taking the time to practice martial arts wasn’t just so I could deal with the big fight scenes, but also because it helped me to understand the internal journey, feelings and epiphanies experienced by martial arts masters. Before, I could see it, and understand it intellectually, but I’d never felt it myself – and that took me a long time to comprehend. It’s what allowed me to give the performance I did, not just where the fight scenes were concerned. It’s not something you can learn by reading… To understand how a martial arts master deals with his craft is something that you have to experience yourself, and something that develops slowly through that.


Q: When you were injured or in pain, did you ever consider giving up?

TL: No, because getting hurt wasn’t really a big deal. You can get hurt while exercising. This was just an obstacle I had to deal with during the process. The biggest problem was that I couldn’t move [about as freely] and couldn’t continue practicing martial arts after I was injured. The first time, I broke a bone [his arm]; the second time was on the first day of shooting. I had practiced and reached a certain level of skill, and then I had to start from square one – twice! It was okay, I guess – you will encounter difficulties in everything you do, and it’s a matter of figuring out how to deal with it.

Q: What was it like working with your female co-stars Zhang Ziyi and Song Hye Gyo?

TL: Both of them are excellent actresses. I’ve worked with Ziyi quite a few times, and it goes without saying that she’s a great actress. After experiencing it myself, I thought she was admirable too for going through the process of preparing to be in an action movie. As for Song Hye Gyo, I felt so sorry for her, since I’ve been a part of movies that were filmed in languages I didn’t understand – like Chinese movies, at a point when I could understand it but couldn’t speak it, or Vietnamese films. For her to be so professional in the part was a really tough thing.

Q: The film was originally titled The Grandmasters before it lost the plural and became The Grandmaster. What happened there?

WKW: Initially, we wanted to make sure the audience knew that the film was about a few grandmasters, not just one. But, finally, my son told me that I could achieve the same goal by simply calling it The Grandmaster, which was a better, more impactful title. So I listened to him! As a film title, it actually isn’t tied to any particular individual, but is more about a state of mind – what is it that allows someone to attain the level of grandmaster, or to be called grandmaster?


Q: This is your seventh collaboration – what’s different about it?

WKW: It’s been more and more difficult, because our choices have become fewer and fewer. We are always looking for different challenges, but every time I give him a challenge, he meets it. Perhaps next time we should really do something completely different!

TL: Actually, I haven’t worked with this group of people in about ten years. But every time we get back together, I feel we have a certain kind of chemistry and energy, with all of us wanting to work together to do what we love. It was the same this time around. The biggest difference this time was that he gave me a lot of encouragement and boosted my self-confidence more! All the other films I’ve made with him, I have never been given a character as clear-cut as the one I played in this film – we have a real person that my character is based on, and we wanted this Ip Man to be a blend of the real Ip Man and a little bit of Bruce Lee, so I had a lot of stuff I could work with to prepare… which meant I was the luckiest actor in the production! Only I knew what was going on! The other actors were walking the path I had taken before… perhaps next time you’ll be nicer to them too!

WKW: Actually there’s a reason I was so nice to him! I remember when we were filming The Ashes Of Time in 1994, every night I would see Tony wandering the hotel corridors with a bottle of wine – he didn’t really sleep at night then – with music playing softly in the background. But, this time, on The Grandmaster, he was already injured and he wandered everywhere with a bottle of pills in his hand! So I felt I had to give him special encouragement or I was afraid he wouldn’t make it through the production!

Q: What was your own reaction to seeing this movie for the first time?

TL: Well, my reaction is of course very different from that of the audience. After all, in the four years I’ve been working on this film [three years of training and one of filming], I’ve gone through a lot… it was a very arduous process and a great challenge for many of us involved in The Grandmaster. There were occasions when I was so tired I almost couldn’t take it, but at least – as an actor – I could sneak a couple of days here and there to skive off, take a break and re-charge. But there’s only one director! I remember looking at his face when he finally finished the movie, and wondered if he’d be able to make it through the next few months of publicity. So, when I saw the final product, I couldn’t help thinking about how we’d managed to make it after those four years and I was so moved, I cried.

WKW: I think a lot of people would walk into the cinema wondering whether Tony Leung can fight. And I know that was a great personal challenge for him – reaching a level at which the audience would be satisfied with what they saw from him. So even when he was injured, he was on set, on standby. For him, it was an obstacle that he overcame step by step. And that’s why he had that reaction to the movie.

Q: Over the years you’ve been collaborating, it seems as if the Tony who appears in your movies has become more and more solemn as compared to the earlier films when he could show off some of his youth and comic talents…

WKW: I actually think it’s the other way around! Near the end of this film, when he was almost fifty, I felt he was getting younger and younger! I asked him what was going on!

Q: Your previous movies have highlighted your fascination with the cheongsam. Why do you like them so much? Also, there was a scene in the film when Zhang Ziyi was fighting in a cheongsam and silk slippers – how many dresses did she tear in the process?


WKW: Actually, fashion is the mark and symbol of its era. It’s not that I’m particularly taken with cheongsams, it’s that they were the fashion of the times in which the movie was set. Ziyi was actually wearing changpao in this film, which is a bit more gender-neutral. She had a lot of fight scenes but she didn’t really tear any dresses because she’s very disciplined and careful. Tony and Ziyi would always stand by the side after a take, and wouldn’t immediately change out of their costumes – they wouldn’t just sit down to avoid crumpling their outfits. So I’ve always told younger actors to learn from them. They must treasure their images, the way they’re dressed, as that’s part of the soul of their characters.

Q: Tony, would you consider Kar-Wai to be your soul-mate in the film-making sphere?

TL: Definitely. Over the past twenty years, we’ve been colleagues but also friends. We don’t always talk all the time but you don’t really need to in order to have a level of confidence and trust in the other person. This has to be developed over a long period of time. Work-wise, you do develop a certain kind of chemistry. We don’t really have a lot of discussions during filming – he won’t tell me why he’s filming the way he is and I don’t ask, because he must have his reasons for doing what he’s doing. What I can do is fulfill my own duties to the best of my ability. Sometimes, I only realise why he designed a scene or shot a particular way after I see the movie myself, but I wouldn’t know it at the point of filming. In such a circumstance, you have to trust this person implicitly! But whatever he tells me to do, I will do, because I know he has his reasons. This is the kind of understanding we have. It’s rare to have someone you can trust so much that you just need to focus on your own job and not think too much about everything else.

WKW: This trust is very important and allows us to have sustained this relationship for as long as we have. And we do still keep each other guessing: sometimes, he surprises me with something he does while acting, other times I surprise him with the way I shoot a scene. One of the most pleasant surprises I had with this film was seeing the level of detail and care Tony now puts into his performances. A lot of the time, we’re doing night shoots or filming in the rain or a fight scene – when shooting it, you’d think he did a great job. But, when editing the footage on a big screen, you realise just how much detail is encompassed in his expression. How a muscle in his face twitches or the way his eyes flicker can completely turn a scene around. I really think that Tony has achieved something truly impressive as a screen actor.

Q: Tony, there have been reports that you weren’t happy about some of your scenes being cut from the movie. Can you comment on that?

TL: I really do not know how much exactly has been cut from the movie. But I don’t personally feel a great sense of pity or loss over whatever has been cut. As an actor, I’ve acted it already – whether that footage can be used depends on how the director goes about putting the film together. This is his movie. If he uses everything I did, the movie might end up being four hours long! In the end, the final product is entirely up to him; he’ll use what he needs to tell his story. I don’t feel it but maybe the audience will lament the loss of some scenes they’ll never see.

Source: http://www.fmoviemag.com/c/features/item/1007-the-grandmaster-interview
Back to top
View user's profile Send e-mail
Info



Joined: 27 Jan 2003
Posts: 2112
Location: Hong Kong

PostPosted: Sun Aug 25, 2013 7:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

"Ein großer Kung Fu-Kämpfer ist ein sehr bescheidener Mensch"

Hongkongs Kinostar Tony Leung über Schicksal, Kampfkunst und sein neuestes Epos

Corso-Gespräch mit Tony Leung

Für seinen bildgewaltigen Martial-Arts-Streifen "The Grandmaster" trainierte Tony Leung ein Jahr lang Kung Fu und brach sich dabei beide Arme. Privat liebäugelt er mit einem Leben als normaler Mensch - und muss sich von seiner Frau beschimpfen lassen, wenn er zur Rush-Hour die U-Bahn nimmt.

Sigrid Fischer: Wong Kar-Wai hat diesen Film schon sehr lange im Kopf, inzwischen gibt es bereits einige IP-Mann Filme. War das nicht etwas ärgerlich, zu sehen, dass andere auch die Idee hatten, sein Leben zu verfilmen?

Tony Leung: Nein, weil wir Kung Fu ganz anders verstehen. Es geht uns um die spirituelle Seite des Kung Fu, und um ein paar Großmeister, um ihr Handeln, um Schicksal, um Freundschaft, um viele Themen. Wenn ich das auch nicht alles verstehe. Ich lese Bücher über die Bedeutung von Martial Arts, und so verstehe ich, warum die Großmeister soviel Respekt voreinander haben, welche Tradition dahinter steht, was diese und jene Geste bedeutet - Feind oder Freund z.B. Eine kleine Geste macht so einen großen Unterschied. Und das ist nur ein kleines Beispiel. Die Tradition hält noch viel mehr bereit, was ich nicht verstehe.

Fischer: Die spirituelle Seite des Kung Fu, von der Sie sprachen, hat die sich auch auf Ihr Leben nach dem Film ausgewirkt?

Leung: Ich denke schon, dass sie mich irgendwie inspiriert, wenn ich mir das auch nie bewusst gemacht habe. Ich verstehe auf jeden Fall viel mehr von Kung Fu als vorher. Vorher dachte ich, es ginge um körperliches Training, ums kämpfen. Jemanden zu verletzen und sich selbst zu schützen. Die spirituelle Seite kannte ich nicht und habe mich deshalb gewundert, dass diese Kultur über 4000 Jahre bis heute existieren konnte. Es muss ja mehr sein als nur eine Kampftechnik. Ich bin Buddhist, ich meditiere auch, und das ist vergleichbar. Es hat auch mit mentalem Training zu tun. Daneben kann es aber auch eine Lebensweise, eine Haltung sein. Ein großer Kung Fu Kämpfer ist ein sehr bescheidener Mensch. Und er weiß andere zu respektieren.

Fischer: Aber Sie praktizieren jetzt nicht jeden Tag Kung Fu?

Leung: Ich bin sehr sportlich, und werde auch weiter Kung Fu machen. Weil es mich sehr verändert hat, es gibt mir mehr Selbstsicherheit.

Fischer: Tony Leung, auch wenn es in The Grandmaster um viel mehr geht als um Kung Fu, die Kampfszenen sind ja trotzdem zentral und wichtig. Sie haben sich lange darauf vorbereitet - ist das nicht frustrierend hinterher zu sehen, dass viele dieser Szenen wieder rausgeschnitten wurden, nach so einer Anstrengung...

Leung: So sehe ich das nicht, denn es ist ein Wong Kar-Wai Film. Ich denke, ich habe etwas geleistet, und darauf bin ich stolz. Wie er dann eine Szene schneidet, das ist seine Entscheidung. Es ist ein Wong Kar-Wai Film. Warum mag ich ihn? Weil ich seinen Stil mag. Es ist kein Tony Leung Film. Ich erwarte nicht, dass er so schneidet, dass ich großartig darin aussehe. Das macht für mich nicht den Spaß dabei aus, sondern dass ich spielen kann, denn das tue ich sehr gerne. Die Vorbereitungsphase und der Dreh - das ist das, was ich daran liebe. Was danach passiert, ist nicht mein Problem. Ich gebe vorher alles, erwarte aber keine Gegenleistung - welche Szene Du wählst, wie Du drehst, das ist Deine Sache.

Fischer: Sie haben mit Comedy im Fernsehen angefangen, Tony Leung, wünschen Sie sich manchmal, dass Ihre komische Seite in Filmen mehr gefragt wäre - bei Wong Kar-Wai z.B. können Sie die nicht so ausleben, würden Sie das gerne?

Leung: Ja! Das würde ich gerne! Besonders in meinem Alter, auf einmal war ich 50. Da würde ich gerne etwas Leichteres machen, nicht so schwere Dramen wie bisher, das will ich nicht mehr. Ich habe schon über die Presse überall in Asien verbreitet: wenn Ihr ein Drama habt, dann kommt damit bitte nicht zu mir. Ich bin nicht interessiert. Ich möchte etwas drehen, das den Leuten Hoffnung gibt, und positive Energie. Die Welt ist so grausam. Das lese ich jeden Morgen in der Zeitung. Dann denke ich, ich sollte etwas Positiveres tun. Wir können sicher nicht die Realität verändern, aber wir haben die Wahl, wie wir sie aufnehmen - leicht oder ernst und traurig. Und ich will jetzt glücklich sein, andere Menschen wollen das sicher auch. Sollen andere die Dramen drehen, ich will Komödie.

Fischer: Sehen Sie junge Nachwuchsregisseure in China, die Sie vielleicht auch in dieser Hinsicht interessieren könnten?

Leung: Ich sehe nicht viele. Das liegt daran, dass sich das Land noch entwickelt, es öffnet sich gerade erst der Welt, alles steht noch am Anfang, und die Dinge brauchen Zeit. Der Hong Kong Filmmarkt ist in den letzten 10 Jahren auch geschrumpft, aber jetzt gibt es viele Co-Produktionen mit China. Ich hoffe, dass wir einige unserer Techniken einbringen können, und dass sie sich öffnen, was die Zensur angeht. Kreativität braucht Freiheit.

Fischer: Würden Sie gerne mehr außerhalb Asiens arbeiten, in Europa oder in den USA?

Leung: Das habe ich nie geplant, aber ich glaube, das Schicksal bringt die Menschen zusammen. Bei interessanten Angeboten sage ich nicht nein. Aber ich überlasse es dem Schicksal. Ich bekomme auch viele Angebote, aber sie interessieren mich nicht. Wenn ich unbedingt in Amerika drehen wollte, könnte ich einen Autor beauftragen, mir ein Drehbuch zu schreiben und dann würde ich den Film dort drehen. Aber ich erzwinge die Dinge nicht gerne. Ich mag lieber, wenn sie sich natürlich ergeben. Wenn's passiert, dann passiert's.

Fischer: Ist das Teil Ihrer Buddhistischen Philosophie, auf das Schicksal zu vertrauen? Wenn's passiert, dann passiert's?

Leung: Ja, Buddhisten lassen die Dinge geschehen. Wir setzen auf den glücklichen Zufall. Buddhismus ist ja nicht nur eine Religion. Es geht darum, wie man ein besserer Mensch wird, und wie man glücklich wird. Ich hatte eine unglückliche Kindheit, ich bin ohne Vater aufgewachsen. Und mein ganzes Leben lang versuche ich herauszufinden, wie ich glücklich werden kann. Deshalb interessiere ich mich auch so für Psychologie. Ich kenne auch viele Lamas und Rinpoche, sie sind wirklich weise und klug, ich lerne viel von ihnen. Ich möchte wissen, wie ich besser darin werden kann, andere glücklich zu machen. Dann ist man selbst auch glücklich.

Fischer: Aber politisch ist das ja schwierig, der Dalai Lama ist nicht akzeptiert in China...

Leung: Das stimmt, aber Politik interessiert mich nicht, ich drehe lieber Filme, das ist Phantasie. Und im Leben versuche ich, ein guter Mensch zu sein.

Fischer: Wie muss ich mir das vorstellen, wenn Tony Leung, der große Filmstar, irgendwo in China oder Hong Kong über die Straße geht? Können Sie das unerkannt, tun Sie das?

Leung: Ich setze eine Maske auf, und einen Hut und gehe raus, ich verkleide mich. Ich möchte doch wie ein ganz normaler Menschen leben.

Fischer: Und das gelingt Ihnen?

Leung: Ja. Und wenn mich jemand erkennt, versuche ich, zu rennen. Aber es erkennen einen gar nicht viele Leute, einfach weil sie nicht glauben, dass ich es bin. Sie wissen gar nicht, dass ich gerade in ihr Stadt bin. Und in Hong Kong nehme ich oft die U-Bahn während der Rush-Hour. Meine Frau schimpft dann: Warum machst Du das? Weil das der einfachste Weg ist, sage ich dann. Ich hasse es, vorne bei meinem Fahrer zu sitzen, weil mir beim Autofahren schlecht wird. Ich muss mich übergeben. Ich hasse Straßenverkehr. Ich gehe gerne zu Fuß und ich möchte wie ein normaler Mensch leben. Wenn es geht. Auf dem roten Teppich bin ich vielleicht ein Star, aber sonst bin ich so gewöhnlich wie jeder andere. Wo ist der Unterschied?

Tony Leung (sprich: "Long") ist einer der berühmtesten fernöstlichen Schauspieler - und gleichzeitig einer der wandlungsfähigsten. Blockbuster wie Arthousefilme nahmhafter chinesischer und Hong Kong-Regiesseure zählen zu seinem Repertoire, mit dem er in Asien zahlenmäßig einen mindestens so großen Markt abdeckt wie die Clooneys und Pitts aus Hollywood. Auf den Tag genau zum Kinostart seines neuesten Films "The Grandmaster" wird er 51 Jahre.

Source: http://www.dradio.de/dlf/sendungen/corso/2157673/

SF:王家卫的这部电影准备了很长时间,但其间已经有另一些关于叶问的电影,其他人也动了把叶问的一生拍成电影的主意,这是不是有些让人不爽?' S4 {, c2 i" G8 B3 ~

TL:没有,因为我们对功夫的理解完全不同,我们的团队关注的是功夫的精神层面、是宗师们的为人处世、命运、友情,和其它主题,我会读一些关于武学的意义的书,然后我理解了为什么宗师之间会互相尊重,其中蕴含了怎样的传统,各种手势是什么意思,是有敌意的还是友好的,比如一个小手势就会有很大不同,传统上也还有很多我没有理解的东西。

SF:您说的功夫的精神层面对您拍完电影以后的生活有影响么?

TL:我觉得有,它们给我启发,无论如何我对功夫的理解比之前更深了,之前我以为功夫就是身体训练,是格斗,是打人并且保护自己,之前我并没有认识到精神层面,所以很惊讶这种文化能够经历超过4000年延续至今,功夫肯定不只是一门格斗技术,我信佛,我也会冥想,这是类似的,这也与精神训练有关。除此之外,功夫也可以是一种生活方式和态度。伟大的武术家是非常谦虚的人,他会尊重其他人

SF:您现在没有每天练功夫?

TL:我是非常喜欢运动的,也会继续练功夫,因为它让我改变很多,它给我自信。

SF:Tony,即使一代宗师涉及的不只是功夫,但打斗场面也还是重头戏,您为之准备了很长时间,在这么累之后看到很多场戏被剪掉了,会不会有种挫败感?

TL:我不这么看,因为这是王家卫的电影。我觉得我付出了,并且我为我的付出骄傲,他怎么删减是他的决定。这是王家卫的电影。我为什么喜欢他?因为我喜欢他的风格。这不是梁朝伟的电影。我不指望他剪戏只是为了让我在电影里很好看,这不是我的兴趣所在,我的兴趣在于我可以表演,这是我非常愿意做的,我所爱的是准备阶段和拍摄,之后发生什么不是我的问题。我会全力以赴,但不期待回报,你选哪场戏,你怎么拍,那是你的事情。

SF:您以电视中的喜剧出道,会不会有时也期望在电影中更多地展现您喜剧的一面?比如在王家卫这儿可能您不能(在喜剧方面)尽兴,但是您愿意演喜剧么?

TL:是!我愿意!特别是在我这个年龄,我50岁了,我想做一些轻松的电影,不再想做像现在这么沉重的戏剧。我已经通过媒体在全亚洲宣布了:戏剧的请不要来找我,我不感兴趣。我想拍一些给人们希望的,有正能量的电影。我每天早上都从报纸上看到世界的残酷。然后我就想,我应该做一些更积极的事情,我们不能改变现实,但我们可以选择如何接受它们-轻松地或者严肃地。我现在想做快乐的人,其他人肯定也想。有的人想拍戏剧,但我想做喜剧。

SF:在这方面有什么中国的年轻导演让您感兴趣的么?

TL:没有很多,因为中国还在发展,才刚开放,一切还在起步阶段,这需要时间,香港的电影市场在过去十年内也萎缩了,但是现在有很多与大陆的合拍电影,我希望我们能把我们的技术带进来,而内地在审查上(应该)更加开放,因为创造力是需要自由的。

SF:您愿意更多地在亚洲以外工作么,欧洲或者美国?

TL:我从来没有计划过,但是我相信命运会让人们走到一起,对于有趣的剧本我不会说“不”,但是让命运决定。我也收到很多剧本,但不太感兴趣。如果我非要在美国拍戏,我会让作家给我写个剧本,然后我会在那拍,但是我不愿意强迫做一些事情,我更喜欢顺其自然。如果它发生了,那就发生了。

SF:相信命运是您佛教理念的一部分么?如果它发生了,那就发生了?

TL:是。佛教不只是一个宗教,而是关于如何成为更好的人,如何让人快乐。我在没有父亲的不快乐的童年中长大,我一生中都在尝试找到让我快乐的方法。所以我对心理学也感兴趣。我认识很多仁波切,他们很睿智,我从他们那学到很多,让他人快乐了,自己也就快乐了。

SF:我能想象一下著名影星梁朝伟走在中国大陆或者香港的大街上么?您会这么做而不让人发现么?

TL:我会带口罩和帽子乔装出行,我也想像普通人那样生活。

SF:那您成功(地像个普通人出行)了么?

TL:是的。如果我被人认出来,我就试着跑,也没有很多人认出我,因为他们不相信那是我,他们根本不知道我在他们的城市。在香港我经常在高峰时期挤地铁,我老婆就说我:“你干嘛这么做啊?”我说,因为这是最简单的路。我不喜欢让司机开车,因为我晕车,我会吐。我不喜欢道路交通,我更喜欢走路,如果可以,我想像普通人那样生活。在红毯上也许我是个明星,但是平时我和其他人一样,有什么区别呢?

采访最后还特意写到,一代宗师在德国上映的日子,老虎正好51岁

(Selected translation from Springlight)
Back to top
View user's profile Send e-mail
Info



Joined: 27 Jan 2003
Posts: 2112
Location: Hong Kong

PostPosted: Sun Aug 25, 2013 7:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

'The Grandmaster' Tony Leung On What Kung Fu Taught Him About Life and Why He Seldom Talks to Wong Kar-wai

In a celebrity culture where stars like Brad Pitt can effectively avoid doing press for his movies, there’s something profoundly exciting about getting the opportunity to interview a true international star like Tony Leung Chiu Wai. Not because there’s some velvet rope that journalists get access to since he’s not as well known in the U.S., but because performers on a certain level seldom seem to reveal their true selves, or maybe more accurately, are asked to reveal themselves. All of which is why speaking to Leung proved enormously informative, as the acclaimed performer and movie star revealed details not just about the state of the entertainment industry, but his craft and technique as an actor.

Indiewire sat down with Leung at the recent Los Angeles press day for "The Grandmaster," which marks the actor’s seventh collaboration with director Wong Kar-wai. Leung plays the title character – the iconic martial artist Ip Man – and he spoke in detail about the way, as an actor, he combined the spiritual aspects of kung fu with elaborate fight choreography to create a hero whose conflicts transcended physicality. Additionally, Leung discussed his ongoing partnership with Kar-wai, and examined the mutual influence that Hong Kong and Hollywood have exerted over one another in the past several decades.

Coming into a film that combines martial arts storytelling and the backdrop of actual Chinese history, what was the first thing you looked at as you and Wong were figuring out the story you wanted to tell?

I think the whole process started with a book Kar-wai showed me like two years before shooting. He gave me a book about Chinese martial arts in the New Republic period, because for us Chinese, that’s our culture. We used to read a lot of martial arts novels, books, and he said to me he wanted to do something like this. So I started reading that book, and it was amazing – I could picture all of the camera movement, the color and the tempo. And I said, “wow – this is very Wong Kar-wai!” And I started with that so I knew what we were going to do, and from that book, I had a better understanding about the martial arts circle in the New Republic period. Somehow they have some different traditions in that period of time, and it was fascinating. So I started with that, and then I moved on to craft the character, and then the training work and all of that stuff.


Ip Man is a character who has been interpreted so many times in so many different ways. How did you want your version of this character to differ from the others?

I think this time, with this character, I wanted to not just portray the look of a grandmaster, I wanted to know what’s in their mind. What is their state of mind when they’re doing a fight? What do they think? What kind of mind do they have? So I studied Bruce Lee, who is the only one who left us his intellectual [materials]. He studied philosophy in America, and he knew how to express what he learned in words. So he left us a lot of books about his knowledge of kung fu, and his understanding of kung fu – his vision of kung fu. Because Bruce Lee is the student of Ip Man, I thought, these two people might be connected – [Lee] might get a lot of inspiration from him.

But before the age of 47, I knew nothing about kung fu; even though I’m Chinese and I grew up with a lot of kung fu magazines, films, I knew nothing about kung fu. I only knew kung fu as just the fighting techniques, or maybe how it would promote health and good coordination. But that’s it. But other than a method of self-defense, it is a way to train your mind, very much like meditation, and it can be a way of life. There is a spiritual side of kung fu that you cannot learn by fact finding or instruction, and I realized that in the transformation of kung fu in these 4000 years of history, it was greatly influenced by Taoism, Zen and the I Ching, Chinese philosophy and ancient wisdom. And I was like, wow! So besides physically, there is a spiritual side of kung fu. So I tried to explore that, and that might be what’s in how I craft the state of mind of this grandmaster – I wanted to know what’s in their mind, what is their mental state during a fight. So I started training with the physical techniques first, and then after you master that, you go on training, but you start to train your mind – what no-mindedness means in Taoism. It doesn’t mean you shut out your thoughts and emotions, but it’s sort of like a mirror that receives but does not [reflect]. It grabbed me, and I knew the theory, but you can only understand through practice. The spiritual thing can last your whole life long to explore, so that’s when I spent from Day One until the end, I never stopped practicing. And that really helped me to figure out the state of their mind during a fight.

Especially in Kar-wai movies, as you can see in the action scenes, there’s a lot of stillness and close-ups – and if you know nothing about that, your eyes will look blank. Because this is not a drama scene, there is nothing emotional; they fight maybe in total calmness. But not just calmness, but there’s a lot of things in it, and we learned all of those mental things through practice – how not to oppose or dominate your opponent, but achieve harmony with him. How to do all of the moves without emotion. You have to practice, and you have to try to figure out how and understand how.

After this whole year, I just have a little understanding, but at least I know their state of mind during a fight. So that helped me to do the close-ups during the fight – not just posing, but you know what’s in your mind. I think that really helped, and that made me feel the difference between the previous action movies I did before – they were only action, and nothing inside. I was just doing all of the moves. But this time, I think there is something more than the moves; I have the mental state too. This was more spiritual than before.

How did that approach help you absorb the events of Ip Man’s life? Especially since they’re often handled elliptically in the film, they’re events that shaped his disposition, but they have to be contrasted with his study of that spiritual and emotional equilibrium.

When I’m trying to explore the spiritual side of kung fu through practice, I’m not just practicing kung fu – I’m trying to apply it to real life, how to apply this philosophy I learned in kung fu to deal with my actual life during these four years. How to deal with problems, how to work with others, what kind of attitude I should have. And because I know how difficult it was for this man to live life after he moved to Hong Kong, what I saw from the pictures [of him] was the dignity that was still in his eyes, and his calmness and his peaceful mind. I couldn’t understand how he could do that with such a difficult life, and I discussed that with Kar Wai. I said, "how can he do that? Maybe he’s optimistic." But he’s not just optimistic. I think kung fu inspired his way of life, so through this four-year process, the philosophy I learned I tried to apply it to real life. I thought, maybe he dealt with life like that, and it really changed me – it really affected me too, not just the character. It affected me with how to deal with life with a different perspective. So this helped me portray the character.

How did the demands of this movie change the dynamic that you and Wong Kar-wai created from working together in the past?

Our relationship is very strange – I really don’t know how. We’ve known each other 20 years, but we seldom talk. We never discuss; we always try to surprise each other. But we’ve built up a kind of trust, and a kind of understanding. I don’t know how we connect. I think it’s very much like between the characters of Ip Man and Gong Er – we don’t need to talk. We just gesture and know what each other wants. So I don’t know how we get that dynamic, but we just have that kind of chemistry. To me we are not just partners, but kind of soul mates. In this 20 year time if you asked me if I knew him very well, I know him well, but this just puts us together for seven films. It’s strange. But he always thinks he understands me, and I always think I understand him – but we never talk.

How tough is it to find martial arts films that challenge you in the way this one does?

You have to spend a lot of time to prepare, but this is a very special experience for me. For other action movies I previously did, I didn’t need to spend that much time on them. With this film I tried to revisit Chinese heritage and tried to have a very good understanding of it, so I could try to be more authentic. And on the set, you know, we have different kinds of teachers – my teacher was there. And after a scene, after a shot is finished, we didn’t look at Yuen Woo-Ping or Wong Kar-wai, we looked at our teacher, because we needed them to approve whether it was correct or not. So this was much more difficult than ordinary action movies.

Hollywood has borrowed so much from Hong Kong cinema at this point. Where do you feel like Hong Kong cinema has been influenced by Hollywood?

I used to go to the movies every week when I was a kid, and I think at the time we started, it was Mandarin movies, and Hollywood movies were very popular in Hong Kong in the early days, the ‘60s and ‘70s. And Hollywood movies really influenced the Hong Kong movie industry. It made Hong Kong movies more entertaining and not traditional Chinese movies. That’s what makes Hong Kong movies so popular and they play a important part in Asian cinema.

So in the ‘80s, Hong Kong movies almost dominated the Asian market, and I think it’s greatly influenced by a lot of American movies. That changed the form of all of the movie production, because as you can see, no other countries, even Chinese movies, they don’t have such entertaining movies like Hong Kong movies. Our movies consist of everything – Chinese culture, traditional things, Western culture, action, entertainment. And I think that’s influenced by the Americans, a lot. Because I watched a lot of Hollywood movies when I was a kid, from the ‘60s to the ‘80s, until I started my career in television. And I am still inspired by a lot of American actors and directors from that period of time. So I think it’s interactive with each other.

Source: http://www.indiewire.com/article/the-grandmaster-tony-leung-on-what-kung-fu-taught-him-about-life-and-why-he-seldom-talks-to-wong-kar-wai
Back to top
View user's profile Send e-mail
Info



Joined: 27 Jan 2003
Posts: 2112
Location: Hong Kong

PostPosted: Sun Aug 25, 2013 7:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote



專訪:梁朝偉的功夫情結
2013年 08月 22日 07:05

與在香港長大的很多男孩子一樣,梁朝偉(Tony Leung)從小就是李小龍(Bruce Lee)的影迷。

但直到他飾演了這位功夫大師的師傅,他才對李小龍或者說“功夫”有了真正的了解。

在將于周五在紐約上映的影片《一代宗師》(The Grandmaster)中,梁朝偉飾演葉問。這位功夫大師曾教授包括李小龍在內的一小群徒弟功夫。葉問在中國南方長大,但后來搬到了香港,他在美國知名度不及李小龍,但也成了電影中的一個不朽形象,其中最知名的影片是2008年上映的、由甄子丹(Donnie Yen)主演的《葉問》(Ip Man)。

為實現具有獨創性的演繹,梁朝偉接受了《一代宗師》的導演、與之長期合作的王家衛的建議:將師傅葉問與后來成為大師的徒弟李小龍融合起來。《一代宗師》是梁朝偉與王家衛合作的第七部影片。

王家衛說,當你看有關李小龍的書或是他的信函和采訪時,會發現他有很多靈感來自葉問。我認為向觀眾展示這種靈感的來源是一個很好的方法。是誰使李小龍成為了李小龍?

因此,梁朝偉不僅學習葉問的功夫技藝(在訓練中手臂骨折了兩次),他還閱讀了李小龍的大量書信。他說,它幫助我不僅擁有了一代宗師的外貌,還有了他的心態和靈魂。

梁朝偉曾在《花樣年華》(In the Mood for Love)中飾演一位妻子出軌、自己被鄰居吸引的男人,還曾在李安(Ang Lee)執導的限制級影片《色戒》(Lust, Caution)中飾演一名與間諜糾纏不清的政治特工。盡管梁朝偉對高要求的角色并不陌生,但他仍花了大量時間為《一代宗師》做準備。在影片攝制前一年多,他就開始了功夫訓練,而影片的拍攝持續了三年多。

他最近接受了本報采訪,講述了那段時間他如何與角色融為一體、影片中的非暴力動作戲,以及看起來身體很差的王家衛如何幫助他堅持了下來。以下為編輯過的采訪內容。

《華爾街日報》:在影片開拍前,你對李小龍已經很熟悉,但你對功夫有多少了解?

梁朝偉:我過去認為功夫只是一種格斗術,但拍完這部影片后,我明白功夫不止是一種防身手段,還包含有很多哲理。功夫是一種修身養性的方法。你可以把它應用于生活。在功夫的發展過程中,受到了道教和禪宗的極大影響。最后吸引我的不是功夫這門技藝,而是心靈訓練。跟冥想很像。

《華爾街日報》:在此之前,你有進行什么靈修活動嗎?

梁朝偉:我信佛,有時會冥想。我發現道教和佛教之間有很多相似之處。但功夫的靈修作用僅通過讀書是學不來的。你不能通過調查和教授學得。

《華爾街日報》:你沉浸在葉問這個角色里大約有四年。感覺怎么樣?

梁朝偉:我在影片開拍前近一年半就開始熟悉角色了。這是我與王家衛合作中最享受的一次,過去拍片我從來沒有有關角色的任何信息。這次是取材于一個真實的人物,家衛做了很多研究。

《華爾街日報》:片中有幾場武打重頭戲,但其他時間我們就像是在看你編舞一樣。

梁朝偉:在拍完了全部的動作戲后,我沒有感覺影片中有任何暴力。這個人不是要殺人(笑),他只是在享受功夫這種藝術。

《華爾街日報》:所以,葉問是不同的。

梁朝偉:他看起來不像是一個會功夫的人,而是像一個學者,非常文質彬彬、博學、優雅。我知道他生活得很艱難,但你仍可以在他的眼睛中看到尊嚴。我曾經想,一個人怎么能像這樣生活呢?我想功夫確實給了他啟發。

《華爾街日報》:在與角色融為一體四年后,再從角色中走出來難不難?

梁朝偉:最后我確實想停下來了,無論是身體上還是心理上。在影片殺青前近一個月,我常常在片場對家衛說,我不能再做下去了。我沒有精力了。但他看上去比我還糟糕。他臉色非常蒼白,身體很不好。我必須堅持下去。

《華爾街日報》:經過這一切后,你仍是李小龍的粉絲嗎?

梁朝偉:現在我對他更加欽佩了,他不止是一位功夫大師,還是一個思想家。他仍在給我靈感。

《華爾街日報》:為什么?

梁朝偉:我從他那里學會了要像一代宗師一樣思考。學習功夫曾一直是我的夢想,但我從沒有機會,因為我小時候家里不讓學。我的父母認為只有兩種人才會練功夫,一種是警察,一種是流氓。有時在生活中,如果你錯失了這個機會,你永遠都不會再想學功夫了。我從未想過自己能在40多年后再來學功夫。

Barbara Chai

Source: http://chinese.wsj.com/big5/20130822/flm071359.asp
Back to top
View user's profile Send e-mail
yitian



Joined: 06 Jul 2011
Posts: 2172
Location: United States

PostPosted: Sun Aug 25, 2013 1:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

English version of the above Wall Street Journal Interview

2013年 08月 22日 07:05
Tony Leung, in the Mood for Kung Fu

Like many boys growing up in Hong Kong, Tony Leung was a fan of Bruce Lee from a young age.

But it wasn't until he played the kung fu master's teacher that he understood the man -- or kung fu, for that matter.

In 'The Grandmaster,' opening in New York on Friday, Mr. Leung plays Ip Man, the martial-arts master who taught a core group of disciples, including Lee. Ip Man, who was raised in Southern China but later moved to Hong Kong, isn't as well-known as Lee stateside, but he too has been immortalized in film, most notably by Donnie Yen in 2008's 'Ip Man.'

To create an original interpretation, Mr. Leung took a tip from 'Grandmaster' director and longtime collaborator Wong Kar-wai (this is their seventh film together): Blend the master teacher with the master student.

'When you look at the books of Bruce Lee or his letters and interviews, a lot of his inspiration came from Ip Man,' Mr. Wong said. 'I think it's a very good approach to show the audience where the inspiration came from. Who made Bruce Lee who he was?'

As a result, Mr. Leung studied not only Ip Man's martial-arts technique --suffering a broken arm twice during training -- he also read Lee's extensive writings. 'It helped me not to just have the look of a grandmaster, but have the state of mind and the soul of the grandmaster,' he said.

Though no stranger to demanding roles (he played a cuckolded man drawn toward a neighbor in 'In the Mood for Love,' then a political agent entangled with a spy in Ang Lee's NC-17-rated 'Lust, Caution'), Mr. Leung had plenty of time to prepare for 'Grandmaster.' He began kung fu training over a year before production, and shooting stretched out over three years.

He spoke with the Journal about staying in character over that period, nonviolent action scenes and how a sickly-looking Mr. Wong helped him press on. Excerpts from the conversation:

WSJ: You were familiar with Bruce Lee before filming, but how much did you know about kung fu?

A: I thought kung fu was just a fighting technique, but after I finished this movie, I know it's not just a self-defense method but also a lot of philosophy. A mind-cultivation practice. You can apply it to life. During the transformation of kung fu, it was greatly influenced by Taoism and Zen. What attracts me at the end is not the techniques. I was attracted by the mind training. It's very much like meditation.

WSJ: Were you spiritual before this?

A: I'm Buddhist, so I meditate sometimes. I find there's a lot of similarity between Taoism and Buddhism. But the spiritual side of kung fu cannot be learned just by reading books. You cannot learn it by fact-finding and instruction.

WSJ: You were in character as Ip Man for about four years. How was it?
A: I started almost 1.5 years before shooting. This was the most enjoyable work with Wong Kar-wai, because before, I never had any information about my character. This time, it's based on a real character, and Kar-wai did a lot of research.

WSJ: You have a few epic battle scenes, but other times it looks like we're watching you execute choreography.

A: I didn't feel any violence in the movie after I did all the action scenes. This guy is not trying to kill people [laughs]. He just enjoys the art.

WSJ: So Ip Man is different.

A: He didn't look like a kung fu man. He looked like a scholar -- very refined, very erudite and graceful. I know he lived a very difficult life, but you can still see the dignity in his eyes. I was wondering, how can a guy live life like that? I think kung fu really inspired him.

WSJ: Was it difficult to leave the character after playing him for four years?

A: At the end I really wanted to stop, physically and emotionally. Almost a month before the end, I used to say to Kar-wai on the set, 'I cannot do it anymore. I have no more energy.' But he looked worse than me. He looked so pale and so sick! I had to go on.

WSJ: After all this, are you still a Bruce Lee fan?

A: Now I admire him more, not just as a kung fu great but as a thinker. He's still inspiring me.

WSJ: How so?

A: I learned all my knowledge from him, to think like a grandmaster. Learning kung fu was always my dream, and I never had a chance because I was not allowed to learn kung fu when I was a kid. My parents thought was there are only two kinds of people who practiced kung fu: policemen and gangsters. Sometimes in life, if you miss that chance, you will never want to learn kung fu again. I never thought I would learn it after 40-something years.

Barbara Chai

http://chinese.wsj.com/big5/20130822/flm071359_ENversion.shtml
Back to top
View user's profile
Info



Joined: 27 Jan 2003
Posts: 2112
Location: Hong Kong

PostPosted: Wed Aug 28, 2013 6:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote



Tony Leung on playing The Grandmaster
by Keith Phipps

Since making his film debut in 1982, Hong Kong actor Tony Leung has worked steadily, appearing in nine released films in 1993 alone, during the early-’90s height of Hong Kong filmmaking. Leung—also billed as Tony Leung Chiu-Wai to distinguish him from fellow Hong Kong actor and occasional co-star Tony Leung Ka-Fai—remains one of Asia’s most popular stars, and in recent years, he’s worked with everyone from John Woo (subbing in for Chow Yun-fat at the last minute as the star of Red Cliff) to Ang Lee (Lust, Caution). Leung’s most enduring professional collaboration, however, is with Wong Kar-wai; he’s appeared in seven of the director’s 10 features. Wong uses Leung’s naturally mournful demeanor to great effect in films like Chungking Express, Happy Together, and In The Mood For Love, and he continues the trend in the pair’s latest collaboration, The Grandmaster. Leung plays Ip Man, a famed martial artist who fled from mainland China to Hong Kong and became an influential teacher for Bruce Lee, among others. Years in the works, the film required Leung to train extensively to execute its fight scenes. Yet, smiling more than he usually does onscreen, Leung didn’t look any worse for wear when The Dissolve spoke to him in Chicago.

The Dissolve: You’ve been talking about doing a martial-arts movie with Wong Kar-wai since 2004. Is The Grandmaster the film you were talking about?

Tony Leung: Yes. He had the idea of making this when we were shooting [1997’s] Happy Together in Buenos Aires. But we announced the project in 2004, I think, around that period of time.

The Dissolve: How has it changed over the years?

Leung: I don’t know, because after he announced it, I knew he was not going to do the movie in a very short period of time. So we did some other movies. We did In the Mood For Love, and we almost forgot about this project. [Laughs.] And suddenly, six years ago, he said, “Okay, we are going to do it now.” So that’s it. I don’t know what happened in between, because we never discuss. Our relationship is very strange. We have been working together for over 20 years, and we’ve known each other for 20 years, but we seldom meet. And we never talk. We seldom discuss together.

The Dissolve: So you mostly interact with him on set?

Leung: Yes. Somehow, we just connect. So I don’t know what happened in between. What I know is, almost two years before shooting, he showed me a book that is a Chinese martial-arts novel in the Republic period. And he said, “Here. This is what I want.” And I read it and said, “Wow. Very Wong Kar-wai.” [Laughs.] And the author of that martial-arts novel is also one of our scriptwriters. And we have another screenwriter who knows this period very well, every small detail of this period—all the cultural things, traditions. So that’s the first thing I got for this project, the martial-arts books. And Bruce Lee. [Laughs.]

The Dissolve: Were there any particular biographical details that you used to build your portrayal?

Leung: I started with Bruce Lee, because Kar-wai wanted me to merge Bruce Lee’s character into Ip Man. But I have no idea why, and I didn’t ask, because… “Okay, if you want me to, then I’ll try to study.” Then I studied Bruce Lee and Bruce Lee movies. I was a big fan of Bruce Lee, but I knew nothing about him. At that time, I was a kid. And then I studied his books, because Bruce Lee left us a lot of books about his understanding of kung fu—his perspective of kung fu, and his mission in kung fu. And it really helped me a lot on this character, because to have to look like a grandmaster is easy—you just need to master all the basic moves and all the techniques in fighting. But to have the soul, the state of mind of a grandmaster, you need to have the knowledge, your vision in kung fu, and your perspective. So I got all this information from Bruce Lee. And after I studied all his books, I discovered that kung fu is not just a scientific method of self-defense. There is also a spiritual side of kung fu. It is a way of training your mind, like meditation as well as the way of life. Because during the transformation of this art over 4,000 years, it went through a lot of stages, and it was greatly influenced by Taoism, Zen, and the I Ching. So there’s a lot of philosophy inside kung fu. It’s not just fighting techniques. It’s a lot more. But in order to achieve the spiritual side of kung fu, first you need to go through the techniques of physical ability. And then after you train your body, you can start training your mind.

The Dissolve: You make that sound a lot simpler than it probably is. It looks very hard onscreen.

Leung: [Laughs.] Yes. I trained nonstop from the first day until the end. It takes about four and a half years. Not just to master all of the moves, but to understand the state of mind of this kind of grandmaster. There’s a lot of stillness in the movie in the action scenes. When you do a pose or when you are in a fight, it’s easy to do a pose, but what’s in your mind? What are you thinking? When you fight, what should be in your mind, and what should you think? Or maybe you’re not thinking. Or something very spiritual, like no-mindedness. It doesn’t mean to shut down your mind, and empty your mind… It’s talking about non-grasping. You receive, but you do not keep. The spiritual side of kung fu cannot be just reading two books. [Laughs.] So I learned the theory from them. In order to understand the feeling, I needed to practice. So I took four years’ time to try to understand what their state of mind was. And it really helped me in action scenes when Kar-wai had very still, close-up shots. You need to have that kind of knowledge as an actor. If not, your eyes will be blank. [Laughs.] Because it’s not a drama scene. There’s no drama. You’re just in the mood and the kung-fu state of mind. And that takes a long time.

Besides all these kung-fu things, I have to work on the character. And we have no information about this kung-fu great before he settled in Hong Kong. So this is the missing part—what am I going to do? So, okay, well, I know—a young, charismatic man like Bruce Lee. He can look like a young, charismatic, very confident, maybe a bit playful… Because he came from a very wealthy family. No worries before his 40s. Kung fu is just his hobby. And so I tried to merge Bruce Lee into his previous life. And when he moved to Hong Kong, I have some information about him. I learned it from his son, and also my teacher, who is supposed to be his teacher. And I saw a lot of his pictures. And from the pictures, he didn’t look like a kung-fu man. He was very erudite and graceful. He had very refined qualities, like a scholar. I didn’t know where these qualities came from, but later, I figured it out.

“I discovered that kung fu is not just a scientific method of self-defense. There is also a spiritual side of kung fu. It is a way of training your mind, like meditation as well as the way of life.”
And in that period of time, he lived a very, very difficult life in Hong Kong. It seemed like he fell from heaven to hell. He didn’t even have a blanket in the wintertimes. My master told me that in the winter once he borrowed a blanket from one of his students. And on New Year’s Eve, the student came and said, “I want my blanket back.” And he was just so calm, and wrapped it up in newspaper, and gave it back to him. That was so sad. And there are a lot of stories like this when he was living in Hong Kong. But in all the pictures he took in Hong Kong, in banquets and gatherings, he always wore a smile on his face. And I could still see the dignity in his eyes. He still lived with dignity. And I was thinking, “Wow, this is an amazing person. How can he deal with life like that so easily, if he is going through this kind of life?” And I was really amazed by that, and I talked to Kar-wai and said, “What do you think about his character? How can he be like that?” And he said, “He is optimistic.” And I said, “No, not just optimistic. There might be something that inspired him.” And after I studied kung fu, I know maybe kung fu inspired him in the way of life, and how to deal with life. He applied all the philosophy and the theory he learned from kung fu. And kung fu maybe, in some way, transformed this guy.

The Dissolve: Did you grow up with martial-arts films?

Leung: Yes. Just like I mentioned before, I am a big fan of Bruce Lee. So I watched martial-arts films. Based on a lot of research, after the Grandmaster moved to Hong Kong, I think he really made Hong Kong become the center of kung-fu film. Kung-fu films started getting very popular in Hong Kong. I used to see a lot of kung-fu films when I was a kid. Right until now, Hong Kong is still famous for its action movies. Not just kung fu, but action. A lot of kung-fu masters, they passed on their skills to a lot of people who have now become stuntmen or stunt choreographers, like Sammo Hung.

The Dissolve: You have all these skills now. Do you need to find another movie where you can use your martial-arts skills?

Leung: [Laughs.] I don’t know. I hope I can carry on. I was really interested in the spiritual side of kung fu. Right until now, I’m still discovering. I’m still reading books by Bruce Lee. And because of Bruce Lee, I started studying Taoism, the Chinese philosophy. It’s a very spiritual thing. It’s very interesting. A lot to explore.

The Dissolve: How have martial-arts experts received the film? Have they liked it?

Leung: I think so. Because Kar-wai did a lot of research, from finding all these kung-fu greats… Because there are no such true martial-arts schools in China now. The kung fu that exists now is usually what I think of as sports, for performance. And you can only learn true Chinese kung fu from individuals. You never know who is the true master. The one doing work on a construction site, maybe he’s a grandmaster. You never know. And for all those kung-fu experts, they know we are trying to be authentic. And in every action scene, we had a different master on the set. And every time, after one shot was finished, I’m not looking at [stunt coordinator] Yuen Woo-ping, I’m looking at my teacher.

The Dissolve: One thing I like about your performance here—and in In the Mood for Love particularly—is that you feel like you belong to that period.

Leung: Yeah, especially the ’60s. Because I was born in the ’60s. When Wong Kar-wai worked with me on the movie, it recalls a lot of memories. I remember the color, I remember the light, I remember all the settings, the air, the smell. I don’t know why, but it recalls a lot about my memory. So I know the ’60s quite well. I remember my mother, all the banquets we went to, how people dressed, and that kind of air. So the ’60s is our period, maybe.

The Dissolve: What’s next?

Leung: I want to take a long holiday.

The Dissolve: Red Cliff must have been a tremendously involved shoot, and then followed by this…

Leung: Yes, yes. So I want to take a long holiday. And when we were doing promotion in Korea, suddenly, because of a picture, I talked to Kar-wai one night after a screening, and I said, “Do you find something in that picture of me and a Korean actress?” And Kar-wai said, “Yes. You two look so matched.” I said, “Yes. Do you think we can do something about that? Why not develop an action-comedy?” So we are now trying to develop an action-comedy. But not this year. We hope to shoot maybe at the end of next year. The wintertime is better for action. [Laughs.]

Source: http://thedissolve.com/features/interview/110-tony-leung-on-finding-a-martial-arts-grandmaster-s/
Back to top
View user's profile Send e-mail
Info



Joined: 27 Jan 2003
Posts: 2112
Location: Hong Kong

PostPosted: Sat Aug 31, 2013 7:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

‘The Grandmaster’ Interview with Actor Tony Leung

Before Bruce Lee, there was his instructor, the Kung fu Grandmaster Ip Man. The tale of this incredible non-fictional character is presented in The Grandmaster, the latest film from perfectionist director Wong Kar Wai. Tony Leung stars as the title character, and is at the center of the film’s numerous wondrous sequences of Kung fu, as choreographed by Woo-ping Yuen, who previously worked on Twin Dragons and Kill Bill: Vol. 2. Leung stars opposite Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon star Ziyi Zhang.

Leung is an Asian superstar actor, and has starred in a bundle of acclaimed Asian films from notable directors like John Woo, Yimou Zhang, Ang Lee, and certainly Wong Kar Wai. Such films include In the Mood for Love, Happy Together, 2046, Hero, Infernal Affairs, Lust, Caution, and Red Cliff. While he has reportedly expressed great interest in working with filmmakers like Martin Scorsese, he still hasn’t worked in a Hollywood production.

Along with Brian Tallerico of HollywoodChicago.com, I sat down with Leung to talk about his famous relationship with director Wong Kar Wai, why he complained more than ever while making this film, what The Grandmaster taught him about Kung fu, and more.

The Grandmaster opens in Chicago on August 30.

Martial arts is an acting tool along with dialogue. How as an actor did you use martial arts to express the character’s journey?

I think learning the techniques is often difficult but what I think is you have to understand is that the knowledge of Kung fu is more important. In order to portray a grandmaster you need your own understanding of Kung fu, and you need to have your own perspective and vision of Kung fu.

I did action movies before, but I never had this kind of understanding of Kung fu. If you understand Kung fu, and you know this is not … there’s lot of stillness in this one, even when they are fighting. I think if you don’t understand the state of mind of this kind of Grandmaster, you will just have nothing in your eyes, you will just go blank. You have to study how a lot of greats did it, and [study] what is the spiritual side of Kung fu. If you have that knowledge, and you know what you need, and what kind of mental state you’re in in that moment, I think this makes the action different. I spent a lot of time on it. You can’t just read two books and have that understanding, so that’s the reason why we took so much time in understanding. I think it was four years we prepared, and during that I broke my arms twice. You discover a lot after, after you have managed all of the moves, then you can start to train your mind. First you are working with your physical moves, but then when you reach some maturity, it is work with your mind. I think this is an amazing journey.

On being a fan of Bruce Lee.

I knew nothing about Kung fu before, and I am a big fan of Bruce Lee. I watched Bruce Lee when I was 8 or 9 years old, and what stayed in my mind was the technique. I was not allowed to learn Kung fu, because my mother said there are only two kind of people who do Kung fu, policemen and gangsters. So that’s what they think about Kung fu. So I think this is very meaningful for us to do a Kung fu movie at this age. It’s good to let all of the people know what is the true spirit of Kung fu.

This seems like a journey that changed you as a person as well.

After I studied Kung fu, I wondered how it has a history of four thousand years, and still exists. I found out that during the transformation of Kung fu, it was greatly influenced by Chinese philosophy, Daoism, the Zen, the I Ching. You know the philosophy of Kung fu can be applied to real life too. The philosophy in Kung fu is not to dominate your opponent, but to achieve harmony with him. In real life, it is actually is just a way how to achieve harmony with the nature. I was really amazed. I hate punching people. this is the only difficult thing I can overcome throughout this process, but I enjoyed the spiritual side of Kung fu very much. But in order to develop that side, you have to punch people. After you understand the theory, then you have to do the real practice, and somehow that kind of thing will grow spontaneously inside you. But you have to do it properly with hard work and intelligent thinking. To me, I know nothing about my Chinese heritage or my culture.

If Wong Kar Wai had proposed this project to you at a younger age, would you have been able to do it? Or does this project rely on your familiarity with how he works to to keep working with him?

I think this is the right timing for us to do it. I think he had the idea to do this back in 1996 or something around there. He had this idea after he saw a picture of Bruce Lee when we were making Happy Together in Buenos Aires. He was really curious about who was behind Bruce Lee, and who inspired him. But after having made this movie, I don’t think I could have done it at an earlier age; this is the proper moment.

Along with your disinterest in punching people, were there any other decisions in this film or in others that you and Wong Kar Wai could not agree upon?

Not much. This is the only one. We always have something that I can not do in our previous experiences. I remember one time when we were making Happy Together, and we were in the slaughterhouse. I needed to use an electrode to make a cow move, and I said I could not do it. And they kept rolling and did twenty takes, and I said, “I just can’t.” It’s like punching people, it’s tough.

From your experience with other directors like John Woo and Andy Lau, how is Wong Kar Wai different from other filmmakers?

I think he is very good with telling stories. The first time I met him I was like “Wow.” I can feel him. I think he is very amazing in how he tells a story, and it is very attractive and romantic. After we did the first movie together, when I went to the screening, I was like “Wow, this is the man I want to work with.” I think we are the same kind of people. We have great passion, and we will try our best no matter what happens, and try to do it a perfect as we can. Our relationship is very strange. We’ve known each other for more than twenty years, but we seldom hang out. Maybe like ten times in our lives. We never talk much; we don’t talk on set.

Is that true for how you interact with other directors? Separating on-set life from personal life?

No. Me and [Wong Kar Wai] need to keep a distance with each other. I think he always wants me to guess what he wants to do. Every time I went on set and got in front of the camera, I knew. I never watch playback. And of course he never shows up the script, and I know he has the script, but he wants us to experience and explore ourselves. But this time, I have more real character to work on, and this time is different from what we have done before. I have never done this much preparation for Kar Wai. This is maybe because of the Kung fu thing. But this is the most enjoyable movie I’ve worked on with him.

Really?

I never have that kind of experience where I am very confident because I knew my character very well. So I knew how to react, because I don’t need to know what the story is about, I need to know who I am and how to react. Because different persons have different reactions.

When doing a sequence like a rain sequence you have a lot of physical demands. But was this mentally one of the more challenging scenes to perform?

Yes. That was my first scene. We spent 40 overnights and the weather was extremely cold, and Kar Wai makes it more difficult with the heavy rain. It’s slippery, slippery. We would do the master shot at the beginning first, so that means I have to fight fifteen people from that end to over there. For everyone else, they needed to memorize two moves, and for me I needed to memorize thirty moves. But everyone is so professional, and everyone is under the rain in the freezing cold. You have a lot of pressure. You don’t want it end because of you, and that was a nightmare. That was the most difficult scene that I ever did in my acting career. Not just trying to do the acting, but the weather, and you have to take care of the camera movement, and everything. I never knew how I could do that. But after 20 days of shooting, I had a runny nose and headache every night, and I would take all types of cold tablets. I said to Kar Wai, “I cannot do it anymore. I am very sick.” And he said, “Okay, okay, okay.” And then we shot for ten more nights, and I went straight to the hospital after that scene. I laid in my bed for five days.

Were there any points in which you wanted to give up on the production? This scene you’re talking about could have gone on for longer.

At least you die so there is no other options. I never complained that much in our previous projects. But with this one, I complained a lot. It’s not really complaining, but I had to tell him my situations. “I’m exhausted.” But he is used to pushing me that far.

Source: http://thescorecardreview.com/articles/interviews/2013/08/28/the-grandmaster-interview-with-actor-tony-leung/39846
Back to top
View user's profile Send e-mail
Info



Joined: 27 Jan 2003
Posts: 2112
Location: Hong Kong

PostPosted: Sun Sep 01, 2013 6:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Exclusive Interview: Tony Leung, Cinematic Grandmaster

Tony Leung is a grandmaster of the big screen.

His collaborations with John Woo, Wong Kar Wai and others have solidified not only his reputation as a master craftsman but one who is able to take that physical craft so attached to the notion of "acting" and translate it into a narrative as well technical force. A Buddhist, he radiates a sense of peace and calm that makes it hard indeed to imagine flashing a gun or fist yet upon speaking with him about his craft it's clear that a sense of spiritual place comes as natural to him as his embodiment of character, dialogue and powerhouse use of force in action scenes.

A once in a lifetime opportunity to interview him yielded a memory I shall treasure forever.

Twitch: As someone who has moved between action and arthouse, was THE GRANDMASTER an intentional attempt to blend approaches?

Tony Leung: No, I never plan when it comes to my acting career. What I think is that fate brings people together. Interesting things come up and I think , "Why not." Of course. But in the beginning the film was not a kung fu film. Kar had the idea, we talked about doing, a movie about the life of the man who inspired Bruce Lee. But in the ten years that the idea developed it became the story of the development of martial arts during the life of this man.

I myself didn't know a lot about Chinese kung fu at that time. It has been an amazing experience to develop my understanding of it. Even Ip Man. I really only knew about Ip Man because of Bruce Lee.

It's interesting to see so many movies come out about Ip Man at the same time the superhero movie comes into full bloom. Do you think those two things are carried on the same waves? Ip Man was a real person of course.

People are always craving superheroes. Kung Fu heroes are surely popular for that reason. But Ip Man wasn't just a hero in that sense. He was, in his own way, even more amazing. During my research for the role I would look at these pictures and he looked nothing like a kung fu master. He looked like a scholar. So erudite and graceful. The force is hidden. Very refined. He also lived a very difficult life in Hong Kong. There were times he didn't even have a blanket in the winter. Until he was forty he really had no worries. He was brought up in a wealthy family and made kung fu his hobby, a very serious hobby. But I think that when he had to trade kung fu for money it was even harder than having no blanket. yet you look at those pictures from those years in Hong Kong and you see that he has still managed to hang on to his dignity and his optimism, some small inner measure of happiness.

It made the spiritual sense of kung fu even more real to me as I studied it. It's a way of mind. Over the course of four thousand years it has been hugely influenced by Tao and Zen and Iching. At a certain point, after you achieve your physical technique it's almost all about training your mind. Very similar to meditation in Buddhism where you try to remove yourself from emotion and desire and harmonize yourself with nature.

Is this how you would typify your spiritual relationship to your art?

working within a spiritual paradigm has never been a goal. It emerges on it's own. This particular journey on The Grandmaster has been amazing in ways I can't even describe. I broke my arms twice making this film which I guess what happens when you start studying kung fu at the age of 47. [much laughter all around]

There was so much here I had no control over which put me deeply in touch with the spiritual side of what we were trying to accomplish and where I was in my own life spiritually. For instance, we didn't have a firm start date so I started practicing and training in my garden. Every so often I would get ahold of Kar and ask if we were ready to start shooting and he would say, Not yet. Soon. Soon." and so, I would keep training. Nine months later I was working with my trainer and he broke my arm right before shooting. I was frustrated and sad. Now I was the one who wasn't ready. But Kar was there to say, "It's okay. We will do what we have to do. What you have to do is rest." The Dr. told me I had to rest for six months. Instead I waited two weeks and tried taking pain killers and wrapping my arms and some light training. Six months later everyone thinks it has healed and we are just starting shooting in China. Yuen Woo-ping has, everybody was there and after a week of rehearsals, the very first day of actual shooting I break my arm, in the same place, worse, in a scene where I was fighting six stuntmen.

It was because I refused to stop training. I learned alot about myself that day.

Was making THE GRANDMASTER a way of finally getting to make a true kung fu film?

I was thrilled. Yes, yes. I grew up reading kung fu novels. And to be able to make this film with the dream team of Yuen Woo-ping and Kar means a lot to me. I grew up with these stories. I think that because the grandmasters almost all moved to Hong Kong, this is why we have a such a rich history of action and martial arts movies and why it's been through so many stages. The talent and energy was there to support it and it's evolution. There was a time when kung fu cinema It seems people are less interested in that these days and I was excited when the project took this turn because I would get to see the way that Kar approached the fighting. It was glorious to make a project where we tried so hard to be faithful to the history and the spirit of kung fu and Chinese heritage.

Do you feel like this is a part of the repatriating of kung fu cinema that has been going on? It seems a lot of people want to take it back to it's spiritual roots.

Oh yes. There is not much real kung fu left, even in mainland China now. There is plenty of martial arts sports and eye catching display but there are no more schools dedicated to the art of real Chinese combat. You can only learn now from individual masters and they are all dying. I don't even think it's Western influence our nation is just not dependent on it anymore except as a way of commerce. I wish that this could happen again. The ultimate goal of kung fu is the achieving of a peaceful mind and calmness and for me that has been such a great thing.

What's next?

First I want to take a very long holiday. But when I was in Korea with Ziyi Zhang who plays my wife in the film I saw some press pictures and approached Kar about doing an action comedy together. So I think we are trying to develop that for next year. I know that John Woo is shooting an epic 1950's story in Beijing right now.


The Grandmaster expands wide in theaters across the U.S. today (Friday, August 30). Check local listings for locations and showtimes.

Source: http://twitchfilm.com/2013/08/exclusive-interview-tony-leung-cinematic-grandmaster.html
Back to top
View user's profile Send e-mail
Info



Joined: 27 Jan 2003
Posts: 2112
Location: Hong Kong

PostPosted: Sun Sep 01, 2013 6:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote



The Grandmaster of Wong Kar-wai Films: Interview with Tony Leung

In his sixth collaboration with director Wong Kar-wai, Tony Leung plays Wing Chun grandmaster Ip Man, most famous in the West for training Bruce Lee.

by Ada Tseng

Date Published: 08/23/2013

Tony Leung has shaved his head for the summer. Why? "It's hot," he says. A reporter asks if it's for a new role, and he shakes his head. After four years of training and shooting Wong Kar-wai's latest film, The Grandmaster, Leung wants a vacation.

The Grandmaster opens in New York and Los Angeles today, August 23, and it will expand nationwide next week. The film, which premiered to box office success in China back in January, stars Tony Leung, Zhang Ziyi, Chang Chen, Song Hye-kyo and Cung Le. But it's Leung who carries the film as the titular character Ip Man, a martial artist who didn't have to work until he was 40 and then saw his world turned upside down during the Sino-Japanese War. Exiled to Hong Kong, he would eventually begin teaching Wing Chun and establish his legacy.

Wong Kar-wai wanted Leung to create a character that combined Ip Man and his most famous student, Bruce Lee. "These two people are connected," explains Leung. "We don't have any information about Ip Man before he settled down in Hong Kong, and no one knew how he lived his life in China, so why not have Ip Man be a young, charismatic Bruce Lee? A very playful, confident Bruce Lee. So that's how I merged Bruce Lee into the life of Ip Man before he settled down in Hong Kong."

A week before the American release, Tony Leung was at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills talking to journalists about his latest film.

On learning kung fu at age 47 to prepare for the role:

It was really hard at the very beginning. After the first few months, you get used to the training, and you progress day by day. But after nine months of training, one day, my trainer broke my arm [just when] we were supposed to start shooting, it was very frustrating, and I was very upset -- not just because I felt bad for the team, because everybody is so well prepared, but also because you can do nothing. You just need to rest for at least five months, and after those five months, you have to go back to stage 1 again. Just like a singer, if you don't sing for a year, you go back to stage 1.

It was also difficult [for another reason.] Three months [of training] is good enough to handle all the action scenes. But when I studied kung fu, Kar-wai asked me to study Bruce Lee, and I started studying his books about how he learned kung fu and his perspective toward kung fu, and I finally learned that there's a spiritual side to kung fu. It's not just the physical training or self-defense method. It is a way to train your mind. It's meditation and a way of life.

The spiritual side of kung fu cannot be learned by just reading one or two books. In order to understand what they went through, you need to go through practice. You have to learn how to do all the basic moves first. After one year, when you get to a certain standard, you can handle all the moves, and they become second nature, then you can go through the mind-training process. Their state of mind when they fight really interested me.

What I wanted to portray is not just the look of a kung fu master, but because there are a lot of moments of stillness and close-ups in the action scenes, I really wanted to know what is in their mind in that moment, how they control their mind. What is it is that they call no-mindedness? It's not just shutting off your emotions and thoughts; it's something about non-grasping, how to maintain your mind like a mirror, in a way that you receive but it does not keep. How does the mind really free from emotion and desire? This is really ineresting. I understood the theory, but I didn't have the feeling, so that's why, finally, I spent four years training in kung fu. It helped me craft the state of mind for the kung fu master. It's very different from the action scenes I've done before.

Comparing kung fu to acting

The cultivation of kung fu will go through three stages, and I think it's very similar to the way an actor progresses. The first stage is the primitive stage for someone who knows nothing about kung fu. During a fight, he just blocks or hits instinctively.

The second stage, they call the stage of art. It's when you start practicing kung fu and you know different types of methods of blocking, striking, and kicking, and you gain knowledge from that, but at the same time, your original self and your sense of freedom are lost. In various moments, your mind will stop because of [all] the intellectual calculation and analysis. I'm still in this stage in kung fu.

And then the last stage is the stage of artlessness. That's when your training reaches a certain maturity, a certain standard, and your techniques are performed on almost an unconscious level. There's no interference from your mind; it just flows by itself.

That's very much like acting. In the same way, in very beginning, if you've never learned acting, a cry is a cry, a smile is smile. After you learn, you'll start to think a smile is not just a smile. What kind of smile? Why do I smile? But in the end, it's just a smile or a cry. When you act, you don't try to cry, there are just different things that make you cry.

I don't know if I can explain it correctly, but the thing I explore in kung fu is very much like acting. I think all art comes to the same truth. In the end, it's just about being natural and authentic with simplicity. No fancy moves. When you hit someone, you don't jump around and hit. You just hit. You just go. Acting is the same thing. You just feel it and let it come out naturally. No interference and no control. But if you don't go through second stage, you won't get to the third stage. It's just like a circle: one two three, one two three.

On his sixth film working with Wong Kar-wai

Our relationship is the same, and Kar-wai's working style never changes. But this time, I had more information on my part, because at least I have a real character to work on. I've never had this kind of feeling before. I was very confident on the first day on the set, because I know who I am, so I can respond to different situations. Before [on previous Wong Kar-wai films,] I felt very insecure, because I always [only] had little hints about the character. I know he always has a script, but he never shows us, because he wants us to have more space to experience and create our own character, but this will make you very insecure and frustrated. Different people have different reactions to the same thing, so if I don't know my character, I don't know how to act or react. But this time, I was very confident.

Also, this time during shooting, I always felt very positive and optimistic. I've never had this feeling [shooting a Wong Kar-wai film] before. I was never calm and at peace, maybe because all the characters that I worked with him before were very dark and suppressed -- very different form this one. What makes Ip Man great is not just because of his physical abilities, it's because of his wisdom.

[Wong Kar-wai] has [the whole film] in his mind on the very first day. I still remember he showed me a book two years before shooting. It was a martial arts novel by one of our scriptwriters, and he said, 'Take a look. I want this kind of feeling." And when I read the book, I said, "Wow, it's very Wong Kar-wai." I can picture the colors, the stillness, the motion and the art direction. I think he already has that in mind long before shooting: he knows all the colors, motions, what he wants to shoot, how he is going to shoot. He is very well prepared, but he never let others know he's very well prepared, because he's just trying to see what we can do. He wants us to inspire him or something. I don't know.

The epic rain sequence in The Grandmaster

I think that was the most difficult thing I've done in my acting career. We spent about 30 nights doing that, and the rain made everything more difficult. And it was freezing cold in the winter. I was shivering behind the camera every night after midnight, and we had to keep ourselves wet all night long. We cannot even change our shoes, our rubber soled shoes, because if the camera sees it, [the shot] is no good.

That was my first action scene [in the film]. What you see is not that difficult, but when you're shooting, you have to do a master shot every night first, so I had to fight 15 people from one end of the street to the other, and we rehearsed 20 times to shoot 27 times in different angles. It's a lot of pressure, because I don't want any injuries because of me. The whole team is working under very difficult conditions in the freezing cold.

And then, I didn't know that at the end, I'd have to fight a real champion [mixed martial artist Cung Le]. Here's a guy double my size and he's a real champion, and I was like, "No...." But Kar-wai said that if you can handle fighting him, you can handle fighting anybody. There was one scene where I just needed to hit him. I just kept chasing and punching him. It took 20-30 takes, and after the scene, when I went back to remove my make-up, I found I have all these bruises. But he had no padding! No protection!

On working in Hollywood

I have had some offers in the past, but I never found the right project. I always think fate brings people together. Fate hasn't brought us together yet, but there's always a chance. I never think about that. To me, movies are an enjoyment. I enjoy the process. These four years weren't just a movie to me, it really changed a lot in my life. It changed my attitude towards people and my attitude on how to deal with life. I apply the things I learned about kung fu when I encounter difficulties and obstacles. Movies are inspiring journey for me.

What's next

After all these years of hard training and shooting, I think I need to take a very long vacation. But when [Wong] Kar-wai and I were promoting The Grandmaster in Korea, after the premiere at the after party, we said, why don't we try to develop an action comedy? Because I always want to do comedy. And I've been practicing kung fu for such a long time, so we shouldn't waste it. [laughs]

I think I am more mature now, and I have a different way of dealing with life. I cannot change reality, but I can change my perspective, and I want to see things in different perspectives, so maybe a comedy will help me.

Source: http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/w_apa/showarticle.aspx?articleID=19033&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1
Back to top
View user's profile Send e-mail
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    www.tonyleung.info Forum Index -> Tony Leung Movies All times are GMT - 8 Hours
Goto page 1, 2  Next
Page 1 of 2

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group