Tony Leung teams up with singer Faye Wong for another outing that
has Chang Chen and Vicki Zhao Wei as co-stars
By Clara Chow
Published on (The Straits Times - Singapore)
(6 FEB 2002)
HONG KONG actor Tony Leung Chiu Wai had to 'kiss' Mandarin-pop diva
Faye Wong almost continuously for two days. They were shooting a
scene for their upcoming movie, Chinese Odyssey 2002, which opens
here next Tuesday.
But, Leung, 39, asserted it was only 'fake kissing' in which
clever camera angles made up for lip contact.
Said Leung of Wong: "She just couldn't stop smiling or laughing.
I don't remember how many out-takes we had. By the end of the scene,
we were exhausted."
The two, as well as co-stars Vicki Zhao Wei and Chang Chen, were
in Singapore on Monday to promote the movie in which Wong and Leung
play each other's gender-bending love interests.
The pair first acted together in 1994, playing kooky lovers in
Hongkong auteur Wong Kar Wai's Chungking Express. Chinese Odyssey
2002, directed by Jeff Lau, is also produced by Wong Kar Wai.
When asked about his impressions of his co-star, known for her
ice-queen bearing, Leung said: "Working on Chungking Express, I
never saw her smile. But she's changed a lot. She's more mature. She
makes jokes on the sets."
Wong, 32, the Beijing-born, Hongkong-based female singer, was in
an upbeat mood, but characteristically enigmatic with her answers.
When asked to compare Leung and Tony Leung Kar Fai, whom she
worked with on Okinawa Rendezvouz, she said with an amused if
exasperated laugh: "Kar Fai's more bubbly, Chiu Wai's quieter. I
don't find either sexy, I don't have that kind of feeling towards
them."
Leung was in the midst of shooting Chinese director Zhang Yimou's
big-budget Hero with Maggie Cheung and Zhang Ziyi when he was
'recalled' by Wong Kar Wai for Chinese Odyssey 2002.
The different experiences on the two sets, he said, was 'like
going from heaven to hell'.
"It's very comfortable working with Zhang. We didn't need to do
too many shots a day, we had nice facilities. And then you have to
work more than 18 hours a day to complete Chinese Odyssey 2002 in 20
days."
The Chinese New Year comedy also stars mainland Chinese actress
Zhao, whose career had recently been dampened by a
Japanese-flag-as-dress incident.
When asked about the patriotic backlash against fellow Chinese
actress Zhao, both actors were unanimous in their condemnation of
the media attack on her.
Said Leung: "She's professional and clever. A very nice girl. I
didn't think it was her fault. It was too unfair."
Wong added, emitting a high-pitched whine: "I think the whole
incident was blown up by the media. I don't believe that many people
will accuse Vicki of Japanese imperialism by wearing the dress. But
I'm sure she'll be more careful from now on."
She, after all, has had her fair share of run-ins with the press.
Recently, the Hongkong media claimed to have spoken to her
five-year-old daughter Dou Jingtong who apparently revealed details
about her mother's life with actor Nicholas Tse.
When asked about the incident, Wong's eyes glazed over and she
said defensively: "They didn't interview Tongtong. I think the media
shouldn't have harrassed Tongtong and then said they interviewed
her."
She added: "I feel very repulsed by what they did, but that
doesn't mean I'm upset with Hongkong or will consider moving away."