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ELLE Magazine
Chow Yun Fat Interview
Chow Yun Fat, who went to Hollywood to develop his career, is now coming back to Hong Kong, with remarkable results, his first movie in Hollywood, “Replacement Killers”. He returns with fluent English and sense of humour.
The interview is conducted in the Peninsular Hotel.Chow answers the questions in English and Mandarin. The atmosphere is pleasant and relaxing. Chow shares with us his experiences, both good and bad, of working in Hollywood. He also compares working life and life style in the US with that in Hong Kong.
You want to know if a different Chow returned to Hong Kong from Hollywood? Find the answer in this interview!
ELLE: When did you leave HK to go to Hollywood?
CHOW: It was in 1993, after I made my last movie in Hong Kong. Then I went to US in 1994. After some discussion with the relevant parties for half a year, I went back to Hong Kong. And I spent two more years consolidating my position.
At that time, my wife and I both felt that the future of the Hong Kong film industry was not that prosperous. Besides I had played many kinds of movie characters. Therefore, we both wanted to try some new characters, which we had not done in Hong Kong before.
ELLE: Did you anticipate any difficulties when you first arrived in the US?
CHOW: It has to be speaking English. I had no real experience of speaking English. I even mixed up A, E, I, O and U. There are differences between the Hong Kong style English and US style English too. So there were difficulties in speaking English. And it was more difficult to speak English and to act at the same time.
Luckily, I did not have to speak too much in my first Hollywood movie. And the actress in the movie could speak fluent Mandarin. The crew, who worked with me, had seen some of my previous movies. Some of them knew who I was, and it made cooperation better. We worked together happily.
ELLE: Any good or bad experiences in the US?
CHOW: The good thing is that, I can do what I like to do, everyday in the US. The crew sometimes taught me some English I did not know,which was quite interesting. The bad side was that, sometimes they spoke some slang which I did not understand. I couldn’t laugh with them unfortunately.
ELLE: What is the difference between the life style in L.A. and Hong Kong?
CHOW: The life in L.A. is more relaxed and moves at a slower pace. Sometime they just focus on doing a single task for a whole day.
Most of the time was spent on travelling, from one place to another. Sometimes, it was quite exhausting. That’s fine if you were just staying here for a short period of time, but no good for settling down. Because it was so exhausting to spend so much time driving.
I must eat some Chinese dishes at least once a week. I did not enjoy burger and steak very much. In the first week of work, I made my dinner at home nearly every night. But later on, I tried to go out for dinner.
ELLE: Did you cook yourself?
CHOW: Yes. But my wife likes Singapore dishes, which are quite spicy, and I do not enjoy them very much. Therefore, when my wife cooks at kitchen, I will run out and vice versa (he laughs).
ELLE: Maybe we should do the interview at your place, so that we can try your dishes.
CHOW: I agree. You should come with me to buy stuff at Kowloon City. Here, in the hotel, you can only see women who enjoy high tea.
ELLE: What kinds of hobbies do you have?
CHOW: Taichi. And I enjoy swimming in the sea in the mornings too.
ELLE: What did you miss most when you were in the US?
CHOW: I missed Hong Kong very much as my mum is in Hong Kong. And I missed the food in Hong Kong, too.
ELLE: What is the main difference in making movies in Hollywood from Hong Kong?
CHOW: The equipment in the US was much better. The time for preparation was longer. The arrangement in US seems better too, actors could have rehearsals and lots of food and snacks were prepared. You could eat non-stop whole day.
Actors in the US had a lot of privileges. You can have a special make-up room, closet, etc. Actors in Hong Kong did not have that, they had to stay with the crew in small places. But it is more like a big family there.
Actors in Hollywood seldom make contact with the crew. They get back to their respective rooms for rest and wait for another shot. Sometime it was quite boring. I did not like that very much, because I enjoy chatting with people all the time.
ELLE: Was that a whole new experience of working in US?
CHOW: As an actor, it was a very hard decision to start a career in a new place, US. Especially for me, a man at 40 starting to learn English.
I have asked myself; why did I have to do that? I was famous here,I had money, friends and family here in Hong Kong, why leave? So it was a very tough decision to make.
ELLE: So what are your feelings now for having lived here in US?
CHOW: I enjoy getting here and there in US. No matter who I am, I don’t care. I can travel around, say hi to anyone in the street, shop anytime I like.
ELLE: It sounds interesting. It is quite different from the life of a Hollywood star, they are always with bodyguards at their sides. Your agency allows you to go here and there without bodyguards?
CHOW: What can they do to me? I don’t care. I want to be down to earth.
ELLE: Why accept this movie, “Replacement Killers”?
CHOW: My agency and I were of the opinion that, the character I act in the movie was quite like those I did in the past. It would be easy to recall people’s memory of who I am. An action movie would also remind audience what I am good at. My agency thought that my first movie should be at least able to make some profit, so that I can get a place in Hollywood.
ELLE: What kind of killer were you in the movie?
CHOW: Quite like that in John Woo’s movie. A killer who would not kill children, old people, who has sympathy and love (he laughs).
ELLE: Will you work with John Woo soon?
CHOW: Maybe, this summer. A movie called ‘King’s Ransom’.
ELLE: You seem to work well with John Woo. Any reason behind this? Is it because your characters are well suited?
CHOW: Maybe we think similarly. Sometimes the characters created by him were suitable for me.
ELLE: What is the difference between John Woo and other directors?
CHOW: The biggest difference is that, when he asked me for a facial expression, I could do it at once, and he took it. In front of his camera, I was transformed into another world. I did not work as smoothly as with other directors.
ELLE: According to your agent, Terence, political relationships are vital in Hollywood. Is that correct?
CHOW: Absolutely.
ELLE: Any characters you want to act in Hollywood?
CHOW: Mute ones. No need then to speak English in the movie. Sometime it made me tired to speak the lines in English. I watched a movie “Children of Lesser God” in which the actress, who was dumb, was really cool. I watched an Italian movie “II Postino” which was a good one. I enjoyed watching ‘Mr BEAN’ too.
ELLE: Some said that you got a lot of fans in US China Town, why?
CHOW: In the 80’s, I had been in the US singing and doing some performances. I did quite a number of very popular TV dramas too. So lots of people in China Town like me.
ELLE: Any expectations about your next movie?
CHOW: I hope I can spend more time on it,and prepare better for the character.
ELLE: Among the movies you have done, which one do you like the most?
CHOW: The one that impressed me the most must be “A Better Tomorrow”. I had just left TVB at that time, and I met John Woo. This movie brought me popularity and money, and the character brought me a lot of opportunities. Although I was just a supporting role in the movie, I felt so good.
ELLE: Did you have thoughts of being a director when you were small? Or did you enjoy watching movies?
CHOW: No, I was not thinking of that when I was small. I lived in Lamma Island when I was small. I watched people doing movies with lots of make-up and special clothes. I found that very interesting.
After I started my career as an actor, I found that it was no different to other jobs. People see us having nice clothes, eating, and drinking. But we do have some hard times. We must act whether it is daytime or nightime. People did not see that.
ELLE: What is the most important thing in your life at this moment?
CHOW: Health. I enjoy my life every minute, every second. Life is short; it would be a waste of life if you do not enjoy it.
ELLE: When did this opinion come to you?
CHOW: I had this thought when I was doing fewer movies. In the past few years, I was so busy doing a lot of movies, and I did not have time to rest and think. I am not saying that I will stop working, but I would do one or two movies a year, and I prefer to spend more time with my friends and family and myself.
ELLE: What do you expect of your children, if you have any?
CHOW: If I have any children, then I will let them do what they enjoy doing. . If they want to be actors, then, ok, just let them. Children should have their dream.
ELLE: Would you like to be a director?
CHOW: No. I don’t enjoy directing. I prefer acting. I wish I could do an English movie and a Chinese movie once a year.
After two hours of interview, CHOW seems unwilling to stop. He suggests we should take the bus or MTR with him to Garden Street, Mongkok. On the way, CHOW keeps showing a side to him that is down to earth. His pleasant character and sense of humour is so impressive.
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