Hong Kong Action Legend Sammo Hung on 50 Years of Blood, Sweat and Sacrifice: “Every Nerve Ending Has to Be in Play"
5:30 PM PDT 3/17/2019 by Karen Chu
Sammo Hung at Hong Kong's House 1881
The HKIFF's 2019 "Filmmaker in Focus" looks back on his glory days, diagnoses the industry's current problems and ponders the nature of his fame as an East Asian superstar.
Sammo Hung is a name any fan of Hong Kong action cinema knows and reveres. A pillar of the Hong Kong film industry's golden age in the 1980s, Hung used his creativity and childhood training in Peking opera to craft breathtaking choreography and unforgettable physical feats on screen, reshaping action cinema worldwide.
An award-winning actor, director, studio mogul and star-maker — in addition to his personal action resume — the 67-year-old legend has been named the Filmmaker in Focus of this year’s Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF). In addition to publishing a commemorative book dedicated to his work, the event will showcase 10 of Hung's seminal films — such as Eastern Condors, The Valiant Ones, Winners and Sinners and Encounters of the Spooky Kind.
Still passionate about filmmaking after a career spanning more than half a century, Hung's enthusiasm that was on full display when he sat down with The Hollywood Reporter to chat about fame, a pesky new-generation of actors, Hong Kong's action cinema tradition and cursing.
You started working in films in the 1960s, and have one of the most distinguished careers in the Hong Kong film industry. How do you feel about being named the Filmmaker in Focus at the 2019 HKIFF?
It caught me by surprise, but I’m very happy for this opportunity to let the Hong Kong audience be reminded of this fat old man who risked his life many times on film. I don’t want to boast about any contribution, but I was part of the group of people who toiled for the film industry. It makes me happy to know that the audience has a chance to remember the old days.
In the 1980s and 1990s, you helped popularized the action comedy genre, gave rise to the Chinese hopping vampire (goeng-si) sub-genre, and set up film companies that produced many Hong Kong cinema classics. Looking back, what do you see as your proudest achievement?
Not any particular one film. I’m proud of all my films. I’ve enjoyed great success in many different genres. I have been very blessed to have so many ideas and to continuously produce successful films. I’m very thankful to the heavens for giving me the wisdom. Since the first film I directed, [The Iron-Fisted Monk (1977)], all of my films have done well. I can call it luck, but I’ve also worked very hard. So I always tell my children, “don’t blame your father for going to work making movies and not spending time with you when you were small. If I didn’t work as hard as I did, I couldn’t have given you what you have now.” You can’t have your cake and eat it. There was nothing we could do. At that time, everyone had to figure out a way to provide for their families, so that the children didn’t have to starve and suffer. Most of what we did was give physical labor — blood and sweat. We have been quite lucky.
Did you ever dream about stardom of this scale when you first started in the movies over 50 years ago?
Even now, I haven’t given much thought to superstardom. I’m still quite surprised by my fame — even now, when I go to, for example, to a rural area in Indonesia or India, some people know who I am. I never aspired to be a screen hero, all I ever wanted was for people to respect what I do.
One year, I went to Universal Studios in Hollywood. I got there early, and was waiting at the gate. A lot of tourists were arriving, and many of them asked to take pictures with me. An elderly American couple next to us watched flummoxed, and at one point they couldn’t contain themselves anymore. So they asked, “Excuse me, what do you for a living? How come so many people are asking to take pictures with you?” I told them, “I’m a star! I’m a big movie star! But in Hong Kong!” [laughs] What I really hope is for the younger stars that I helped discover to have that kind of recognition. That’d give me comfort.
Aside from acting, you have been a director, producer, action choreographer, actor, studio owner, and founder and leader of a stunt team. Which of these roles do you think is most representative of you?
I think what describes me best is director. As a director, I can control every aspect of a film, how the actors should behave, how the story should go. I used to try and find inspirations everywhere – I would go to the airport or train station and just study people, the way they moved and interacted and their expressions. But I can’t do that now, I’d be bombarded by people with their phones — selfie requests.
You made your directorial debut in 1977. But between Once Upon a Time in China and America (1997) to The Bodyguard (2016), there was a period of almost 20 years that you didn’t direct. Why?
I didn’t like the ways things had become. It was a time when actors were so in demand, that with a call time of 8am, they’d tell you they could only arrive at noon from another job. After two hours in makeup, they’d say they’d have to leave at 4pm. There was a film I made that two actors were tied together back to back, and they didn’t actually see each other’s faces for the whole shoot because it was so rushed. I just didn’t want to deal with those kinds of situations, so I stopped directing. I have a bit of a temper. That kind of thing really ****es me off.
Also, I think it takes a sense of childlike wonder to direct films and create a story. You have to believe in it yourself. Somewhere along the way I’ve lost that.
You’ve created numerous iconic action scenes and won best action choreography at the Hong Kong Film Awards four times. Which action scene do you remember the most?
Many action scenes I’ve done were rather good. Such as The Prodigal Son (1981), Eastern Condors (1987), even the first film I directed, The Iron-Fisted Monk. Looking back, I’d say many action scenes in my films have been quite good.
Apart from receiving awards for your action work, you have been a two-time best actor winner at the Hong Kong Film Awards. Which is more challenging, the physical or the emotive aspect in acting?
It was definitely the physical, action aspect that was more demanding. Every bone, muscle, tendon, nerve ending has to be in play in an action scene. Whereas to portray emotion, it depends very much on the person you’re acting with. There were times when I acted in a scene, and it didn’t feel right no matter how I did it. Then I realized I wasn’t getting anything from the person acting opposite me; there was no connection or interaction, so the scene didn’t come together.
A large part of your career was in comedy as well, including the recent film A Lifetime Treasure (2019). What do you enjoy most about the genre?
I can’t say I particularly enjoy acting in comedies. What I really enjoy is thinking up a good gag. But it was a different time, there was no WeChat, no social media. Now once the film is released, everyone will spoil the gag on social media, so it won’t work anymore. I made a cameo in A Lifetime Treasure because I’m good friends with the director Andrew Lam, who has been in the film business for a long time. I see how the Hong Kong film industry is doing now, and Andrew’s film is a very local, Hong Kong film, so I thought I’d help out when he asked me.
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Originally Posted by GeneChing
