Written by: Ian Haydn Smith
Published in: 6degrees on 2001
6degrees met up with actor Tony Leung to discuss the Hong Kong film industry, his work with Wong Kar-Wai and in particular his latest film, &In The Mood For Love*.
6degrees 每 How do you choose you roles and do you prefer one specific type of film?
Tony Leung 每 I don*t mind working in different roles. I don*t just pick an artistic moviemaker such as a Wong Kar-Wai or Hou Hsiao Hsien. I take different kinds of movies because I love acting. I never plan for my career. When somebody gives me an offer I think ※Why not try this?§
6degrees 每 With the speed of films turned out in Hong Kong, &In the Mood for Love* taking 15 months to complete is a fair amount of time out of your schedule. Do you find such lengthy shoots more frustrating?
TL 每 I enjoy working with Wong Kar-Wai. I can have more time to develop my character and I enjoy the process of making films and not the results. And so, as long as we can shoot, I*ll always be there. As for most movies, they*re so well prepared, you don*t need that much time, but that*s another story.
With Wong Kar-Wai, working without a script is quite challenging, especially for an experienced actor. I*ve been working as an actor in film for over 18 years and I always try to forget all my knowledge or my technical skills and all my stereotypical expressions for a new role. But I have yet to find a way to do it with Wong Kar-Wai because there is nothing to hold on to. And you feel very insecure. You can*t act with your head; you have to act with your heart. You are given no hints about what the character is. What you know is the name and the occupation and that*s all. I think it*s good for me. You have to act by instinct.
6degrees 每 Wong Kar-Wai has been quoted as saying that he draws on the personality of his actors to create his characters. Is that tough?
TL 每 He constantly tries to do that. It can sometimes be quite exhausting. But that*s his way of working, especially in &In the Mood for Love*. I think he tried to put me in a different situation and he wants to observe how I respond. And he tried to explore some characteristics of me, which I maybe didn*t notice myself. It sounds a little bit scary, but it*s fun.
6degrees 每 I read Chris Doyle*s &Happy Together* diary again recently. It sounded like everyone was going insane! Was &In the Mood for Love* an easier shoot?
TL 每 I think it*s easier for me as I*m getting used to his way of making movies. I was very carefree in working with him. I don*t have to care about what story we*re going to shoot. I don*t have to care about what the character is going to do. He just gives me a scene and I*ll do it. I*m carefree now. I have no questions on set. I don*t want to know anything. Just give me something and I*ll show you and you judge whether it fits you or not.
6degrees 每 Are you interested in working further away from the Hong Kong film industry? In the West perhaps?
TL 每 It*s not the place or country that*s important, but the project and the people. I do receive scripts from different countries, including the States, but none have yet to interest. I*m trying to do something for the Hong Kong movie industry. For it to survive it has to do something international. The roles for Asian characters in Hollywood are very restricted. I don*t think they know us very well. They don*t know what kind of character is suitable for us. If I have an idea, I would like a scriptwriter in the States to write one for me.
6degrees 每 And what about the reaction in the States to &In the Mood for Love*?
TL 每 LA especially loved it. That NY loved it is not a surprise, but that LA liked it more surprised me.
6degrees 每 In the past, you have not been able to see the new Wong Kar-Wai film until it premieres. Did you see &In the Mood for Love* before it screened at Cannes?
TL 每 You will never have a chance to see his movie in advance. You only ever have the chance to see it in a premiere, so it*s frustrating to describe our feelings. When I watch a his film for the first time I*m confused because I*m constantly looking for the missing parts, so I don*t really get what the story is about when I see it for the first time. I kept asking, ※Where*s the love scene?§, ※Where are the scenes of us dancing?§ In Cannes I asked if we could see the movie before the press conference otherwise I never know what to say!
This was the first time we saw it in advance. It*s horrible if you don*t see it in advance and you go to a press conference and are asked questions about the film and all you can say is, ※I don*t know, I haven*t seen the movie yet.§ With &Happy Together* I spent four months shooting in South America and I didn*t know what it was about. He [Wong Kar-Wai] can do anything in the editing room. I have no idea of which direction or which angles he is going to shoot the movie from.
6degrees 每 And you have a singing career as well.
TL 每 I just want to express my feelings through a different medium. I sometimes just want to be myself, to express my own feelings. It*s different when you stand on stage and express yourself through music. I always want to do something besides making films. I don*t want to make three films a year and begin to hate it. You can control the emotions, the tempo, and the feelings. It*s kind of liberating.