Stephen Chow Talkasia Transcript

Tuesday, September 20, 2005 Posted: 0658 GMT (1458 HKT)  

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LH: Hello and welcome to TalkAsia, I'm Lorraine Hahn. Sitting right here with me is one of the 50 hottest bachelors in the world, according to People magazine, Hong Kong actor Stephen Chow.

Stephen was born in Hong Kong in 1962 and was inspired by actor Bruce Lee, to take Wing Chun classes as a young boy. His move into films saw him establish a trend in Hong Kong pop culture, known as "mou lei tau", or "meaningless talk," and his brand of slapstick comedy and martial arts inspired acrobatics soon won him a big fan base. He enjoyed a lot of local success with parodies such as the God of Cookery but it was the recent Shaolin Soccer and Kung-fu Hustle that finally took him global. Kung-fu Hustle is currently the highest grossing film in Hong Kong history.

Stephen, welcome to the show, thank you very much for being with us. I wanted to congratulate you on Kung-fu Hustle - good job. Were you surprised at all by the way the west and the global audience embraced the movie?

SC: Actually, I had expected this movie to do well. And the results ended up even better than I had predicted, so that was good news. And of course we're all happy, everyone in the cast and crew, all the workers on set and behind the scenes are very happy.

LH: Why do you think it was such a success? Why do you think the Western audiences just loved it?

SC: I think that for the audience, there are many factors that go into their enjoyment of a movie -- it has to have a good idea, and having a new idea is very important. Even when I go to the movies, I hope to see something new and innovative.

LH: You don't want to see the same old kind of movies and the same theme, right?

SC: That's right.

LH: So there is a sequel in the works?

SC: We're currently in the process of putting together the script of the sequel. Hopefully we'll be able to make it different enough from the first movie. There are advantages and disadvantages to sequels. The advantages are that everyone knows what this project is about and what good things to expect from it. But the disadvantage is that, as a filmmaker, you have to come up with a concept that is different, to make it unique.

LH: Let's talk about your approach to movies. Where do you get your ideas?

SC: Actually, there are ideas everywhere. If you are attentive to things around you, you will realize that there are a lot of good ideas everywhere. For example, when I see that teacup and it looks so pretty, I might think about doing a story about drinking tea. I don't know if there's a fixed answer. As long as you pay attention to your surroundings in your daily life, it's not very hard to find inspiration.

LH: Right. It is said you have been influenced by cartoons, is that true?

SC: That's right. I really like comics and cartoons ever since I was young. So they have a big influence on me and my work.

LH: And when it comes to your martial arts, acrobatics -- I mentioned Bruce Lee as one of your inspirations.

SC: That's right, yes. When I was young, other than reading comics and watching cartoons, I also practiced kung-fu and admired the idol Bruce Lee. Because when it comes to kung fu, he's clearly one of the best. And to me, he was not only a kung-fu star, he was also a philosopher. He had a different way of presenting himself that was one of a kind. He was one of the people who made me aspire to be different, to be one of a kind. That's very important in movie making.

LH: From inspiration, from getting new ideas and putting it on a storyboard, to making the movie, walk me through the process. What goes through your mind? I know, for example for Kung-fu Hustle, you actually wrote the script. But I mean, what goes through your mind when you take an idea and make it all the way into a movie?

SC: It's actually very simple.

LH: I don't think it's so easy...ok...ok...

SC: There's no mystery, you first have an idea. For instance, I want to film kung-fu as a topic this time. Ok, then we start to research...it's not my own individual work, it's a team effort – there are many good people in a team who help me. In actuality, I'm only mediocre. There's a lot of good people who give me ideas and in the end, I'm in charge of deciding which idea to use. It's a process that doesn't differ a lot from other directors.

LH: Do you actually write down all your words in scripting or do you work a lot with adlibbing when you're on set?

SC: I think we do a lot of improvising, on the spot.

LH: Your movies also make use of a lot of computer-generated effects. We see a lot of that in the west. That is very different from the typical Hong Kong movies, where people do the stunts, they actually do the stunts - they use wires, they use props. Why did you decide to do this?

SC: Those computer-generated effects really help us out a lot because now, if you use traditional means to do things, you're very limited. But with computer-generated effects, you can let your imagination run bigger and wilder. Things that you couldn't do in the past can now be done with computer-generated effects. However, I always have this motto: computer-generated effects are there to help you tell your story. They are a means of enhancing what you are trying to do. They should not be the main focus of the movie.

LH: Many Asian movies often use very stereotypical elements like kung-fu fighting, triads, you know, very common, those are the common storylines. Do you think that Asian movies could actually succeed without using these types of stereotypes?

SC: It's definitely possible, I am confident! All the factors you mentioned -- such as kung fu, bang-bang-bang gun-fights, they're all just genres. There are a lot of kung-fu films made but not all of them can reap good results in other countries. All audiences -- well, let's talk about western audiences -- we think that they only watch kung-fu films, and that they think that Chinese films are all about kung-fu or triads. I don't agree. I think that even with western audiences, they are only interested in watching good kung-fu films; it's not just the genre that attracts them. So as long as we continue to enhance the quality of our work, the rest of the world will know that we have the ability to make good quality movies -- not just kung-fu movies, but all types. As long as we continue to have good imagination for ideas, I am confident we can do it!

LH: Stephen, in recent years, we've seen a rise in popularity of Asian movies. They've made it into the western world. They've been big hits, but only recent years. Why is this, do you think?

SC: Way back in the past, Bruce Lee's movies were very well accepted in the west. Of course, recently, the number of people who have taken interest in Chinese movies or Asian movies have really grown around the world, and many Asian movies are doing well. This just proves that we have good people in the industry here. If we have sufficient funds, a lot of us can actually do high quality work.

LH: Are you yourself impressed with this wave of movies coming from Korea, Taiwan, China, Japan?

SC: Yes, especially now. I really like to watch movies that are not only from Hong Kong or China, but also from Korea. I think that they have really improved a lot during these recent years.

LH: What does this mean for Hong Kong? You know, Hong Kong in the past has always been this sort of Hollywood of Asia, where all the movies are produced. It's always Hong Kong, the movie center. Does that mean with the rise of movies being produced outside of Hong Kong, in other countries here in Asia, that that might be competition?

SC: Well, this is a good thing. You know, competition pushes us all to improve. There is always going to be competition in this world, and there are many smart people, intelligent people out there. So you must constantly improve, and put effort into what you're doing. If you don't, others will catch up and be better than you.

LH: Many Hong Kong artists - actors, actresses -- have also spread their wings across the border to China. Also, a number of productions have been made in China - I presume because it's cheaper. Are you yourself doing something like this, also moving across the border, looking for opportunities there?

SC: Yes, of course! I am a Hong Kong citizen but often, I don't think of Hong Kong and mainland China as separate. To me, it's the same: I'm Chinese. I find talent all over China. China is a very big country, and can offer a lot.

LH: The issue, of course, that's plagued your industry and the music industry for many, many years is piracy. How do you feel about that?

SC: It's very difficult. This piracy problem has affected us greatly. I think that Hong Kong has already improved its effectiveness at fighting piracy. But you know that the problem of piracy is present not only in Hong Kong, but also in many places around Asia - it's all connected. So it will take long-term measures to fight against all the pirates, because even if you solve the problem in Hong Kong, you will still need to solve the piracy problem in mainland China and other Asian countries. It's not a problem that can be solved quickly.

LH: My guest is Hong Kong filmmaker Stephen Chow, one of People magazine's hottest bachelors. That's a pretty sexy title, Stephen.

SC: Really? Are you sure?

LH: Yes, definitely. What is your reaction?

SC: Actually, I don't know why I was chosen! I really don't understand what they were thinking!

LH: People tease you about it? Family, friends?

SC: I think that it's...I don't know. This is just something for people to gossip about. They're not serious.

LH: Well, you never know. It's pretty difficult to get on People Magazine's hot bachelor list in the world.

SC: Ok, yes. It's a good thing of course. I always bring that magazine with me wherever I go. And when I see a girl I want to impress, I take out the magazine and show it to her! (laughs)

H: I wanted to talk about your childhood. You're born in Hong Kong. You came from very humble beginnings. What are some of your strongest memories of your childhood here?

SC: I had a very ordinary childhood. It was nothing special, but I remember being very happy. It's true that my family was very poor, but we were happy. Every day, we would run around on the streets without supervision, because the adults were busy with work. I just remember playing happily on the streets with my little sister. Every day was very happy.

LH: Were you always the joker at the time when you were a child?

SC: No, when I was little, I was actually very quiet. I liked to run around, I was active but I didn't have much to say, I was very quiet.

LH: Oh, interesting, very shy, the shy type.

SC: I'm actually still very shy right now!

LH: What about your family and your parents? They're still in Hong Kong, right? Did they support you in your work when you decided to go into movies?

SC: Yes, they did. Actually, they didn't deter me from doing what I wanted to do. I think this lack of opposition was a form of support. ort in itself. Why did you decide to go into movies?

SC: At first, I was very interested in acting -- I liked to perform, to role play. Now it's the whole film production, the whole process of creating a movie, that I am interested in.

LH: I read that when you first got started, you were rejected by acting classes. Is that true?

SC: Oh yes.

LH: And you still stuck in there and still tried to get in there?

SC: Yes, there was no logic! Such a handsome man...why wouldn't he be accepted? It's really not reasonable, right? Actually, I did think about giving up on acting and doing something else when I got rejected. But in the end, I had a friend who helped me get a foot in the door and I stuck with it. So I think a lot of things are decided by fate.

LH: How have you seen yourself develop as an actor from let's say, the children's show to who you are today...has there been a great change in you as a person as an actor?

SC: I think that I have improved. I have learned a lot and still hope to learn even more. The deeper you are involved in something, the more you realize you're just a small drop in a very big ocean. You will feel like you've done really little, like you haven't done enough and need to learn more. There was a time when I thought I was very good. But now, I think that I've got a lot more to learn. I'm not saying that to sound humble, it's the reality!

LH: Do you have any favorite directors or even actors that you would like to work with outside of Hong Kong?

SC: I don't know if I will ever get the chance to collaborate with Steven Spielberg, but I would like to. I really, really like Steven Spielberg as a director. Even if I can't collaborate with him, it's ok. I just want to acknowledge him as one of my favorite directors.

LH: Is there an ideal movie that you haven't made, that you would like to make?

SC: Of course there are a lot.

LH: What kind? What would it be, your dream movie?

SC: It's hard to say exactly what. The thing with imagination is that it's unlimited. I don't have a particular topic that I must make a movie about, but I know there are a lot out there I'd like to try.

LH: Well, you have many, many opportunities Stephen I'm sure. Thank you very much for spending time with us. I appreciate it, thank you. That is TalkAsia this week. My guest has been Hong Kong actor and filmmaker Stephen Chow. I'm Lorraine Hahn, let's talk again next week.