Tony Leung Chiu-Wai in Singapore

[Sandy]

Tony Leung Chiu-Wai in Singapore

Cinema OnlineCinema Online – Mon, Jan 21, 2013

21 Jan – Award-winning Hong Kong actor, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, and acclaimed director Wong Kar-wai will arrive in Singapore this Wednesday, 23 January, to promote the long-anticipated "The Grandmaster".

The duo, who are regular collaborators, will be walking down the red carpet at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands before attending the gala premier of "The Grandmaster" at the Grand Theatre.

While Singapore will be releasing the movie on 31 January, "The Grandmaster" might not be seen in Malaysia.

A couple of Malaysian distributors had expressed interest in the film but later backed out due to consideration that art films hold a limited appeal in the country. This decision is also supported by the surprising fact that Tony Leung's films perform averagely in Malaysia compared with other Hong Kong stars such as Andy Lau.

"The Grandmaster" is based loosely on the life of Ip Man, previously played to fame by Donnie Yen. The martial arts master who reputedly trained Bruce Lee will be played by Tony Leung in this version, which took over a decade to complete.

The film also stars Zhang Ziyi, Chang Chen and Korean actress Song Hye Gyo.

http://ph.news.yahoo.com/tony-leung-chiu-wai-singapore-061500964.html

[Benzz]

Tony go to singapore !!!! Ahhhhhh!!!
I don't know...I've been waiting a long time. T_T

Benzz Thailand (near singaporeT___T)

[Sandy]

Tony Leung: The charming Grandmaster

By Han Wei Chou

Posted: 25 January 2013 1928 hrs

Channel NewsAsia | Entertainment News

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/entertainment/view/1250201/1/.html

SINGAPORE: "He is so charming!" a female guest whispered breathlessly, as Hong Kong actor Tony Leung breezed past her into an exhibition hall at the ArtScience Museum, to speak with reporters after a media conference for his new film "The Grandmaster".

Even at 50, the charismatic Leung still turned heads during his promotional visit to Singapore on Wednesday.

But it was what he had to say about Wong Kar Wai's martial arts epic "The Grandmaster" which piqued the interest of the gathered reporters.

Leung, who plays martial arts master Ip Man in the film, revealed that one of the biggest misconceptions people have about "The Grandmaster" is that it was a pain for him to shoot.

Even though Leung had to undergo over two years of martial arts training for the role, endure two painful fractures sustained during his training, and spend over four years shooting the film, Leung said he didn't mind the hardship at all.

"Whatever you do, there is bound to be hardship," said Leung.

"There is hardship. There is also joy, and a feeling of accomplishment. Hardship is just one aspect of work."

"There is nothing painful about it. It is people's interpretation of how I feel," Leung continued.

As for the years he spent undergoing martial arts training, Leung believed it would have been impossible to play Ip Man successfully in "The Grandmaster" without the training.

"I am not trying to portray a martial artist's look, but show his spirit. You have to understand it before you have the confidence to do this," said Leung.

"When I first read the script, I just could not grasp why the characters have these ideas about marital arts."

"You need to experience it through accumulated practice and discipline. You can only get a deep understanding of these ideas over time," he added.

"Kung Fu is not so simple. It's not a self-defence technique or about physical training. Spiritually, it is about training, cultivating your mind, and is a way of life."

Peace lover

While he did not mind the injuries and the training he had to undergo for his role, Leung found actually having to hit his stunt partners during the film's action scenes one of his biggest obstacles while shooting "The Grandmaster".

"I never liked hitting people. I don't like that feeling," said Leung with a grimace.

"The action director will keep asking me to 'Hit him (the stuntmen he fight in the film), treat him like a punching bag!'

"I said 'I can't do it, he's a person too'. He'd say 'Don't care about that. Hit him.'

"Then I tell him 'This is cruel, get somebody else to do it." said Leung.

What would he do if he was actually attacked in a dark alley?

"If I really end up having to use my martial arts skills, I'd hit him once or twice and run away."

"I don't like violence."

With "The Grandmaster" complete, Leung expressed that he hopes to take a break for now.

However, it might be some time before he can rest, as he'll be busy with all the promotional activities for the film, which opens in Singapore on January 31.

"Besides Singapore, I have to go to Europe, the US, Korea, japan and other countries which I still don't know about," said the actor.

"The word 'Holiday' sounds pretty distant."

-CNA/ha

[Sandy]

Tony Leung dismisses talk of soured relationship with Wong Kar-wai while promoting new movie

Article by: HEATHER TAN , Associated Press

Updated: January 23, 2013 - 6:38 AM

StarTribune.com | Entertainment | Movies

http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/movies/188023101.html?refer=y

SINGAPORE - For a director and actor who have worked together for about two decades, there did not seem to be much chemistry between Wong Kar-wai and Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai at a news conference promoting their new movie "The Grandmaster" on Wednesday.

Wong kept his arms folded most of the time and Leung did not look his way when Wong answered questions from the media.

However, Leung, who suffered two broken arms while preparing for the role, dismissed rumors of tensions and unhappiness with his director over having some of his scenes cut.

"I don't harbor any unhappiness or ill feelings toward Wong because I respect and understand his decision," Leung said in response to a question. "The decision is entirely up to him to decide how his story should be told."

"The Grandmaster," which reportedly took 17 years to complete, is Leung's seventh collaboration with Wong and recounts the life story of Chinese martial arts legend Ip Man, famous for having trained Bruce Lee.

"I wanted to see a different Tony for this movie and I believe that `The Grandmaster' has proven to be a new challenge for him both physically and emotionally with the amount of time taken to film it," Wong said in support of Leung. "It is a new way of showcasing the character of Ip Man so it was physically challenging for Tony to undergo training for so many years just to prepare for the role."

While the two seemed to be on civil terms toward the end of the news conference while posing together for photos, they still maintained a certain amount of distance.

Leung and Wong's collaboration in the 2000 movie "In the Mood for Love" won Leung international recognition and the Cannes Film Festival's Best Actor award. Their relationship is said to have soured when Leung learned that scenes from "The Grandmaster" had been cut to favor his co-star, Zhang Ziyi, who plays the daughter of his rival.

As the co-stars were reported to have filmed their scenes separately, Leung remained oblivious to Zhang's screen time. Leung also said that his work in the movie served as second fiddle to Zhang's role.

Wong, however, defended his decision to reduce Leung's film time by saying that Ip Man was a man of few words and thus he felt it necessary to remove as many dialogue scenes as possible.

The move prompted Leung's wife, Hong Kong celebrity Carina Lau, to take to her microblog to criticize her husband's role in the movie as being a "silent, colorless ghost."

The movie has faced its fair share of obstacles, including Leung developing chronic bronchitis as a result of shooting at least 30 action scenes in the rain.

Leung is also believed to have spent three years mastering the martial art of Wing Chun required for the role, and broke his arms twice in the process.

But the film's misfortunes turned into box office success by grossing $26 million in its opening week in mainland China.

It also scored more than double the box office sales of competitor Jackie Chan's action-comedy "CZ12" and went on to gross $1.04 million in its opening weekend in Hong Kong.

Three previous films about the life of Ip Man, which were not released in North America and most of Europe, made over $36 million.

"The Grandmaster" is to open next month's Berlin Film Festival, where Wong is to serve as jury president.

[Sandy]

Tony Leung is fighting fit

Author: Yip Wai Yee

Date Published: Saturday, Jan 26, 2013

Original Source: The Straits Times

Distribution Channel: AsiaOne | Singapore Press Holdings Ltd . Co.

http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Showbiz/Story/A1Story20130124-397604.html

Acclaimed dramatic actor Tony Leung really can fight, says auteur film-maker Wong Kar Wai.

Leung, widely acknowledged as one of Hong Kong's most accomplished thespians, stars as martial arts expert Ip Man in Wong's latest movie The Grandmaster, which opens in cinemas here next Thursday.

Speaking to local press at the Artscience Museum at Marina Bay Sands yesterday, Wong, 54, said in Mandarin: "A lot of people will want to know - can Tony really fight? I can say that he has done it and has even exceeded all my expectations for the role."

Leung, 50, said humbly that the role was "indeed very challenging physically", because he had never done gongfu before. While training for the part, he suffered injuries, including a broken arm.

The Grandmaster is the seventh collaboration between the director and actor. Among the most famous works they had worked on together are In The Mood For Love (2000) and 2046 (2004).

Leung also refuted reports saying that he was unhappy with Wong cutting out a lot of his scenes in the final version of the film.

He said: "The movie is the director's work. What he wants to include in it is his choice. I don't regret that the scenes were cut because I have played those scenes and experienced them already as an actor. Perhaps the audience would feel more regret, however, because they would not be able to watch them."

straitstimes.com

[Sandy]

Tony Leung tells all about "weird" relationship with Wong Kar Wai

By Han Wei Chou | Posted: 28 January 2013 1441 hrs

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/entertainment/view/1250683/1/.html

SINGAPORE: They have worked on seven films together now, and spent countless hours in each other's company on the set.

Their latest collaboration, "The Grandmaster", took over four years to shoot.

But Hong Kong actor Tony Leung still doesn't quite understand his relationship with Hong Kong director Wong Kar Wai, who has worked with him on hits like "'In the Mood for Love" and "Chungking Express".

"It's very strange. Our relationship is weird," said Leung, when he met the Singapore media at a publicity event held at the ArtScience Museum recently.

"Actually, we don't speak much … we just have the chemistry and energy on the set. I can't say I understand him, I am trying to understand him," mused the actor, who plays martial arts legend Ip Man in the film.

"But we have fun every time and I enjoy [it] a lot, that's why we still make movies together!"

Leung explained that there has always been a little trial and error when he worked with Wong.

"You don't know how he wants you to act, and he doesn't tell you what he wants, so I just act it out and see if he likes it.

"If he doesn't say anything, then it means this works," said Leung, flashing a boyish grin.

Cuts and bruised egos?

He may not understand Wong, but Leung expressed that he "trusts" him completely, and did not fall out with Wong over the fact that Wong had cut a number of his scenes from the final version of "The Grandmaster", as some tabloids have claimed.

"I've been working with Kar Wai for 20 years. We are very good friends … this trust is built up over time," said Leung.

"How many of my scenes were cut, I haven't counted. But I don't feel it's a pity or anything special that my scenes were not used," Leung added.

"Because as an actor, it's enough that I have acted in the scene. Whether the director uses it or not, it is his production. He decides what will be the final product and how to tell the story.

"If he used everything, it would be a four to five hour film," he continued.

"You have to have a lot of trust in him. No matter what he does."

"So I don't feel it's a pity, though the audience may feel that way because they won't have a chance to see the stuff that has been cut."

Standing out

Although audiences will probably have to wait for the DVD or Blu-Ray release of "The Grandmaster" to catch a glimpse of some of the deleted scenes, the cinema version of the film has quite a bit to keep their attention, from philosophical soliloquys, to carefully orchestrated fight scenes.

But will it be enough to make "The Grandmaster", which opens in Singapore on Thursday, stand out from the rash of Ip Man films that have surfaced in recent years?

When asked how "The Grandmaster" stacks up against the popular "Ip Man" trilogy, which starred Hong Kong actor Donnie Yen, Leung said it is "unfair" to compare them.

"They are like works from two different painters. You can't compare them because their techniques are different and their focus is different," said Leung diplomatically.

"So it's unfair to everyone to compare them. Each has its own unique points."

-CNA/ha

[Sandy]

Kung fu more than fighting: Tony Leung

Souce:Xinhua Publish By Gloria C. Gonzales Updated 29/01/2013 7:23

nzweek Entertainment

http://www.nzweek.com/entertainment/kung-fu-more-than-fighting-tony-leung-45773/

BEIJING, Jan. 28 — Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Chiu-Wai has told of his epiphany while preparing for his role in high-kicking new film “The Grandmaster” that kung fu is “more spiritual practice and way of life” than pure fighting.

In the latest interview with Xinhua, Cannes award-winning Leung said he learned a lot about the spirit of kung fu and how to become a master of the martial art during years of preparation for this cinematic tale of Bruce Lee’s master, Yip Man.

“The greatest master is the one who understands life and who, after everything, stands here, still wearing a nice smile,” said Leung, who plays Yip, master of the martial art of Wing Chun.

The movie, which debuted on the Chinese screen in early January, was directed by Hong Kong art-house director Wong Kar Wai, also Leung’s long-time collaborator.

“As a child, I used to think that only the police and evildoers learned martial arts. But when we really get to know it, it is an attitude and spirit that can guide us in dealing with people and affairs,” Leung said.

To ensure he got the best performance possible from his star, Wong Kar Wai invited Yip Man’s disciple Duncan Leung Siu Hung to not only train Tony Leung in Wing Chun but also tell him Yip Man’s stories.

It requires more than reading the script to feel a master’s changing notions about martial arts, according to Leung — “It is important to practice kung fu myself to really become the character I am playing.”