That sounds crazy.
When my television series were at their most popular I also had no chance to watch them, because we would still be filming when [the
earlier episodes] were broadcast. I just heard about [my works] from other people, you know what I mean? It took a long time to shoot then –
for both TV and film. Dude, when we shot Hard Boiled we worked on well over 100 sets. [Laughs] It was a major production!
This reminds me of [cinematographer] Christopher Doyle’s reply when I asked him to name his favourite Hong Kong films a few days ago. He said he couldn’t name any because he ‘makes films to make films, not to watch films’.
That’s very true.
I guess this is a very common statement for people working in the industry.
It is, it is. And when you happen to have made something that’s turned out to be surprisingly successful, all you can say is ‘oh’. It’s just one word: ‘oh.’ [Laughs] You have no idea how people in the public are seeing you; you just keep your head down and work like there’s no tomorrow.
Many Hong Kong audiences feel that the best time – the ‘Golden Age’, so to speak – is already in the past. Do you agree with that?
I totally agree. Because the production costs were lower in the past, and the salaries are relatively expensive nowadays. In a city in which property costs are so high… now, you can go back a little bit and look at the death of Japanese cinema, which was entirely down to the high property costs. Studios such as Toei Company have all utilised their lands in the property market and not troubled themselves to make movies, no? [Laughs] You know how much we used to like Japanese movies? That has all changed since their economy took flight in the 1980s. Even an iconic figure like Akira Kurosawa had to rely on Steven Spielberg’s funding [to make the film Dreams (1990)]; and he’s a national treasure, wasn’t he? So now, unless the four major property developers [in Hong Kong] decide to support our cinema… [Laughs]. It’s very expensive now – from the actors to everything else. Our population also only has seven million people, so our box office… what can we do about it?
We’d just build more houses.
That’s the thing! What can we do? We can of course make more films like Gallants [2010, the low-budget best picture winner at the 2011 Hong Kong Film Awards]. But can we gather 100 industry people to unite and give low-budget movies a chance together?
How about the trend of Hong Kong-Mainland co-productions in recent years? Do you think it’s a good thing for our industry?
It’s not up to us. Things change along with the times; there will always be a culture of sorts in any given period of time [in history]. For example, if they had torn down the Sunbeam Theatre, would there still be Cantonese opera? There would still be some. [Laughs] You’d see them at Ko Shan Theatre or Tsuen Wan – the smaller venues. You can’t stop the change of times. It’s very difficult. And you can also see that there’s a shortage of actors today. Many would think: if it takes so much time [to become an actor], why don’t I be a singer instead? How long would it take to turn someone into a movie star? It’s very difficult now.
Being a Cantopop singer has become one of the most natural paths to becoming a movie actor nowadays…
Indeed, indeed.
They don’t start out as actors any more.
They don’t, because it’s a tough road. It’s like ‘I’d rather enrol in the Miss Hong Kong pageant than the actor-trainee programme’. [Laughs] It’s too difficult to get ahead.
Now that you’re one of the biggest movie stars in Chinese language cinema…
I’m just an actor! I’m not a star.
Okay, but seriously, have you been taken aback by your achievement?
Not really. I just treat it as a job. It’s pointless even if people put a crown on my head. [Laughs] I mean, I have my own way of life, and I’m still taking the MTR and buses. My life wouldn’t change if you give me a boat or an airplane. That I have an interest in something doesn’t mean that I have to milk it for all it’s worth; the fun I have when I work on a set with all the [cast and crew] is greater than what comes to me afterwards.
Throughout your film career, what question have you been asked the most?
‘How did I create a certain character?’ But it’s impossible to explain [to those who’re asking], because as long as they haven’t spent the long hours on the set with me, they won’t understand what filmmaking is all about. For example: you’re interviewing me now, and I’m also full of questions about how you’re going to write this up afterwards. After you’ve listened to and digested [what I said], you’d come up with something – written words, specifically – that are slightly altered according to your own emotions and knowledge. When I read your interview another day and think back to our conversation today, I’d also have a [new understanding]. Same for filmmaking: we hear the story from the film director and we perform on the scene after discussing it, but you can’t simply envision the end results. If I showed you the script of A Better Tomorrow, you wouldn’t have guessed how it’d turn out to be like; and when I read your story later on, I’d also think: “Oh, Edmund, you’re writing it like this?” [Laughs] You know what I mean?
Yes, I think so.
You have your room for creativity, just as I have my room for creativity. The process is where we meet and interact.
Do you have a habit of re-watching your own movies?
That very rarely happens. I watched the [pre-release] midnight screening [and that’s it]. I have a habit: I don’t watch the playback on the set, and this has been the case ever since my television days. I only watched my films once when I got the chance to see them on the big screen. Why do I do that? Because it should be the director who tells me what to do, and it’s not about what I think I should do after watching the playback.
So if you could show your family just one of your films, which would you choose?
I think An Autumn’s Tale is good. [Laughs] I really like how it provides the fantasy that there may be a table for two [for the protagonists] at the
end. There’s a bit of hope. It’s also precious for two people from different cultural backgrounds to come together eventually. I like watching dramas a lot; for action films I like watching the Die Hard movies, the Rambo movies and the Indiana Jones movies, but I like watching dramas more than action films.
But you’re most famous for your action films!
But then, from start to finish, I’ve always been trained to be an actor since my actor-trainee programme! People just pushed me into being an action star! [Laughs] Dude, it’s such an irony. I never learned to fight or anything, you know what I mean? I’ve never been a martial arts actor.
Is that why you chose to add a little extra depth into your action roles? I saw that you’re often chewing on a toothpick...
It’s only Mark Gor [in A Better Tomorrow].
Not only him but…
I think there’s only Mark Gor – who else?
You’re doing that in Hard Boiled too.
So… it’s only the John Woo series. [Laughs]
Finally, can you tell Time Out your top five favourite Hong Kong films?
I like Tsui Hark’s Once Upon a Time in China (1991) – I like it very much. And I like Tsui’s Shanghai Blues (1984) and The Butterfly Murders (1979), Ann Hui’s The Spooky Bunch (1980) and Boat People (1982), Yim Ho’s Homecoming (1984), and I like Stephen Chow’s movies. [Laughs] They are hilarious. Actually, I love watching comedies the most.
Really? You should do more of them.
I think comedies are enjoyable to both the audience and me. It’s a lot of fun on the set: even if you can resist laughing, the crew members on the side are already laughing [during the filming]. Comedies are hard to do, but if you can do it, it’s a lot of fun.
Is there any type of character that you still really want to portray on film?
Yes, there are many. For actors, our roles change as our age increases. There’s no turning back at some point. There must be characters that you’ll find the chance to play at different ages. Like Jane Fonda’s father [Henry Fonda] and his film On Golden Pond [1981]: you will have the chance to play that kind of [elderly] character one day; that’s just the way it is. From your acting skills to your life experience to your body, it’s all heading in that direction. You’ll see me do that not very long from now. [Laughs]
Lastly, how do you want to be remembered decades from now?
It’s good enough if the audiences like the movies and like the characters. I’m only a performer. As long as they enjoy watching me, I’ve done my job and that’s fine with me already. The main issue is: as a performer who’s collecting a pay cheque, I’m satisfied as long as the box office is decent and the boss isn’t losing money. If the audiences like [my performance], of course I’m happy; but even if they don’t, there’s not much I can do for them either – dude, I’m just making a living! [Laughs]