Overseasidol.com — Hong Kong screen icon Tony Leung recently opened up about his experiences collaborating with different directors throughout his decades-long career.
Speaking at a public event, he shared insights into how these creative partnerships have shaped his acting style.
Leung recalled his collaboration with renowned filmmaker Wong Kar-wai, known for his unconventional filmmaking process.
He explained that before filming begins, they would often spend time talking and building mutual trust, especially since many of Wong’s projects start without a complete script.
Despite this, Leung humorously admitted that he often did not fully understand what the director wanted.
One memorable experience came during the filming of Days of Being Wild alongside Maggie Cheung, where a simple scene of eating a pear had to be repeated dozens of times without clear direction, leaving him puzzled at the time.
A turning point in his acting approach came when he worked with Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien on A City of Sadness.
That experience inspired him to explore literature as a tool for developing characters, using detailed narrative descriptions to better understand emotions and context.
Looking back, Leung realized that Wong Kar-wai’s direction aimed for performances that feel natural and free of obvious acting.
Watching his own scenes in “Days of Being Wild”, he said he finally understood the subtle intention behind that method.
Now, after more than 40 years in the film industry, Tony Leung believes he has entered the final stage of his acting journey.
No Response