Tony Leung was in the building – the Equarius Hotel, to be exact – and everyone wanted a piece of him. It’s a fact that there are few movie stars in Asian cinema who command as much love and attention as the great Tony Leung.
The 61-year-old actor was in Singapore on Thursday (Dec 21) to promote his movie The Goldfinger and to have a bunch of hardened and seasoned journalists asking, sorry, wanting photos with him was, yes, slightly embarrassing – but also testament to his irrepressible popularity.
Along with the movie’s director-writer Felix Chong and producer Ronald Wong, Tony touched down in Singapore around 2pm before rushing to Resorts World Sentosa to meet the local press. The night before, the trio, together with the movie’s other stars including Andy Lau, Charlene Choi and Simon Yam were at the film's Hong Kong premiere.
The Goldfinger is rousing crime epic with the same chaotic DNA as Hollywood movies The Wolf of Wall Street and The Big Short. And like Infernal Affairs, which Chong co-wrote, the movie pits Tony Leung and Andy Lau against each other.
Leung stars as a charismatic conman who arrives in Hong Kong in the 1970s and swiftly builds his money-making conglomerate based on lies, scams and murder. Lau is an upright ICAC inspector who goes on a decades-long cat and mouse game to bring the former to justice.
Tony Leung in Singapore to promote his latest movie The Goldfinger. (Photo: Mediacorp/Kelvin Chia)
It’s thrilling to see Leung hamming it up on screen as a villain. It’s also thrilling to see him in person. If anything, to find out if he’s really like how he’s been made up to be.
He still had that boyish grin that belied his 41 years in showbusiness. That famously bashful demeanor was also evident when he walked into a room filled with people. He did look like he was embarrassed about the attention showered on him. There’s even slight panic in his eyes. Guess all that talk about him having social anxiety – a term barred from interviews that day, FYI – were true.
“I still don’t like a lot of people around me. And now, I especially like being alone,” he said during our interview.
Also off-limits were questions about wife Carina Lau.
He was wearing a well-worn camouflage print windbreaker and track pants, and a pair of Maison Mihara Yasuhiro sneakers that has clearly seen better days. He didn’t change for the red-carpet event at Universal Studios Singapore where he was greeted by hundreds of fans.
His hair didn’t look styled. Instead, he looked like he just rolled out of bed.
All that just added to his mystique. A movie star who doesn’t care how he looks yet exudes more star quality than everyone else. A real movie star.
It’s easy to look at Leung and think: They don’t make them like they used to.
It reminded us of something we once heard, that after Leung and Lau, Hong Kong has no more movie stars.
And he didn’t exactly disagree with us when we said that to him.
“It’s the shrinking of the local market, and that has led to a drop in production," he said. "So even if you have talent, and hardworking actors… it won’t be like us in the past when we had so many opportunities to practice (our acting) and to experience (different roles). I think what Hong Kong cinema needs is to find new avenues out."
Tony Leung in Singapore to promote his latest movie The Goldfinger. (Photo: Mediacorp/Kelvin Chia)
In a way, his character’s rise to power in the 1980s mirrored Leung’s in the same era. Did he think he would become the superstar he is today back in the days of big shoulder pads?
“No, I didn’t,” he said. “At that time, I just really liked acting. It’s the thing that has never changed for me. I still love acting. It is a very fun thing to me. Every time I perform, I get to experience different things and a different type of life. With other jobs, you are doing the same thing over and over again. For actors, it’s different each time and you get to explore different worlds.”
What was the 80s like for him? “I just entered showbiz,” he said with smile. “I remember being in the artiste training course. It makes me think of Hong Kong at that time. The 80s was the busiest period of my life. I would travel to Singapore a lot then. I started coming here and around Asia a lot. At that time, most of Asia watched Hongkong dramas so I had a lot of chances to travel to many places.”
Leung said he still visits Singapore often – he was spotted at Gardens by the Bay in February – and his affinity for our sunny island started back in the 80s.
“I have friends here,” he said. “I used to come here a lot for work, for performances. I miss the way of life then, like the roadside stalls, the local cuisine. I used to go to the parks often, like the Bird Park but that has already moved.”
Wait, how did he even know that? How would Tony Leung, one of the world’s biggest stars, know that our humble Bird Park is no longer in Jurong, we asked.
“I was here recently and I like going to parks. Whichever country I visit, I’ll go walk around the parks. So when I got here, they told me that it moved. That’s how I know,” he said, adding that he hasn’t been to the new one.
Tony Leung in Singapore to promote his latest movie The Goldfinger. (Photo: Mediacorp/Kelvin Chia)
In the past, when he would brainstorm over scripts with his creative team, he would suggest they fly to Singapore. “I’m not sure why but we would always say Singapore and that’s why we came here a lot”.
Is it because he feels relaxed here, away from the prying eyes of the formidable Hong Kong paparazzi?
“Yes, yes, yes, yes,” he replied, without missing a beat. “A lot of times (I can just chill) by the pool. I can go swimming, suntan.” Those are simple luxuries he cannot afford to do in Hong Kong, he said.
Someone asked if he has thought of buying a house here. “It’s very expensive (to buy property in Singapore) now,” he chuckled. “Singapore’s living standards are very different. I hear they are a lot higher now.”
Again, we expressed our surprise and ask if he reads up on what’s happening in Singapore.
“Yes, I do,” he said, before adding that he “tries to understand the situation here”.
So who knows, maybe one day when property prices fall we can catch Leung strolling and minding his own business at one of our national parks on the regular.
The Goldfinger opens in cinemas on Dec 30.
This story was originally published in 8Days.
For more 8Days stories, visit https://www.8days.sg/
Continue reading...
The 61-year-old actor was in Singapore on Thursday (Dec 21) to promote his movie The Goldfinger and to have a bunch of hardened and seasoned journalists asking, sorry, wanting photos with him was, yes, slightly embarrassing – but also testament to his irrepressible popularity.
Along with the movie’s director-writer Felix Chong and producer Ronald Wong, Tony touched down in Singapore around 2pm before rushing to Resorts World Sentosa to meet the local press. The night before, the trio, together with the movie’s other stars including Andy Lau, Charlene Choi and Simon Yam were at the film's Hong Kong premiere.
The Goldfinger is rousing crime epic with the same chaotic DNA as Hollywood movies The Wolf of Wall Street and The Big Short. And like Infernal Affairs, which Chong co-wrote, the movie pits Tony Leung and Andy Lau against each other.
Leung stars as a charismatic conman who arrives in Hong Kong in the 1970s and swiftly builds his money-making conglomerate based on lies, scams and murder. Lau is an upright ICAC inspector who goes on a decades-long cat and mouse game to bring the former to justice.
Tony Leung in Singapore to promote his latest movie The Goldfinger. (Photo: Mediacorp/Kelvin Chia)
It’s thrilling to see Leung hamming it up on screen as a villain. It’s also thrilling to see him in person. If anything, to find out if he’s really like how he’s been made up to be.
He still had that boyish grin that belied his 41 years in showbusiness. That famously bashful demeanor was also evident when he walked into a room filled with people. He did look like he was embarrassed about the attention showered on him. There’s even slight panic in his eyes. Guess all that talk about him having social anxiety – a term barred from interviews that day, FYI – were true.
“I still don’t like a lot of people around me. And now, I especially like being alone,” he said during our interview.
Also off-limits were questions about wife Carina Lau.
He was wearing a well-worn camouflage print windbreaker and track pants, and a pair of Maison Mihara Yasuhiro sneakers that has clearly seen better days. He didn’t change for the red-carpet event at Universal Studios Singapore where he was greeted by hundreds of fans.
His hair didn’t look styled. Instead, he looked like he just rolled out of bed.
All that just added to his mystique. A movie star who doesn’t care how he looks yet exudes more star quality than everyone else. A real movie star.
It’s easy to look at Leung and think: They don’t make them like they used to.
It reminded us of something we once heard, that after Leung and Lau, Hong Kong has no more movie stars.
And he didn’t exactly disagree with us when we said that to him.
“It’s the shrinking of the local market, and that has led to a drop in production," he said. "So even if you have talent, and hardworking actors… it won’t be like us in the past when we had so many opportunities to practice (our acting) and to experience (different roles). I think what Hong Kong cinema needs is to find new avenues out."
Tony Leung in Singapore to promote his latest movie The Goldfinger. (Photo: Mediacorp/Kelvin Chia)
In a way, his character’s rise to power in the 1980s mirrored Leung’s in the same era. Did he think he would become the superstar he is today back in the days of big shoulder pads?
“No, I didn’t,” he said. “At that time, I just really liked acting. It’s the thing that has never changed for me. I still love acting. It is a very fun thing to me. Every time I perform, I get to experience different things and a different type of life. With other jobs, you are doing the same thing over and over again. For actors, it’s different each time and you get to explore different worlds.”
What was the 80s like for him? “I just entered showbiz,” he said with smile. “I remember being in the artiste training course. It makes me think of Hong Kong at that time. The 80s was the busiest period of my life. I would travel to Singapore a lot then. I started coming here and around Asia a lot. At that time, most of Asia watched Hongkong dramas so I had a lot of chances to travel to many places.”
Leung said he still visits Singapore often – he was spotted at Gardens by the Bay in February – and his affinity for our sunny island started back in the 80s.
“I have friends here,” he said. “I used to come here a lot for work, for performances. I miss the way of life then, like the roadside stalls, the local cuisine. I used to go to the parks often, like the Bird Park but that has already moved.”
Wait, how did he even know that? How would Tony Leung, one of the world’s biggest stars, know that our humble Bird Park is no longer in Jurong, we asked.
“I was here recently and I like going to parks. Whichever country I visit, I’ll go walk around the parks. So when I got here, they told me that it moved. That’s how I know,” he said, adding that he hasn’t been to the new one.
Tony Leung in Singapore to promote his latest movie The Goldfinger. (Photo: Mediacorp/Kelvin Chia)
In the past, when he would brainstorm over scripts with his creative team, he would suggest they fly to Singapore. “I’m not sure why but we would always say Singapore and that’s why we came here a lot”.
Is it because he feels relaxed here, away from the prying eyes of the formidable Hong Kong paparazzi?
“Yes, yes, yes, yes,” he replied, without missing a beat. “A lot of times (I can just chill) by the pool. I can go swimming, suntan.” Those are simple luxuries he cannot afford to do in Hong Kong, he said.
Someone asked if he has thought of buying a house here. “It’s very expensive (to buy property in Singapore) now,” he chuckled. “Singapore’s living standards are very different. I hear they are a lot higher now.”
Again, we expressed our surprise and ask if he reads up on what’s happening in Singapore.
“Yes, I do,” he said, before adding that he “tries to understand the situation here”.
So who knows, maybe one day when property prices fall we can catch Leung strolling and minding his own business at one of our national parks on the regular.
The Goldfinger opens in cinemas on Dec 30.
This story was originally published in 8Days.
For more 8Days stories, visit https://www.8days.sg/
Continue reading...