The other side of "Social Fear Movie King" Tony Leung
On March 27, 61-year-old Tony Leung won the Golden Lion Award for Lifetime Achievement at the 80th Venice Film Festival.
He is the first Chinese actor to win the Golden Lion Award for Lifetime Achievement, and the third Chinese-language filmmaker to win the award after John Woo and Xu Anhua. Winning the award with him was Italian female director Liliana Cavani, 29 years older than him.
After receiving the news of the award, Tony Leung was as overwhelmed as ever, and Carina Lau posted a high-profile message to celebrate: "Congratulations to Mr. Leung, toast to my vision." ”
In the past 40 years, Tony Leung has acted in more than 80 films and won 1 Cannes actor, 5 Academy Award winners, and 3 Golden Horse actors. He starred in "City of Sorrow", "Tricycle Driver" and "Color Ring", all of which have won the Golden Lion Award in Venice.
For those who like Tony Leung, we begin to accept this male god with a wrinkled face and many people who are afraid of society, and enter the second half of his relaxed life at the age of 61.
01
"Social fear" Tony Leung has changed
When Tony Leung is mentioned, people always think of the gloomy Mr. Yi, the affectionate Zhou Muyun, and the dashing generation of grandmasters...
He has a thousand faces in the movie, but in life, he has always shown people as an introverted and silent "social fear". When attending the event, my hands were so tight that I didn't know where to put them. When fans asked him to take photos and autographs, they also looked restrained.
What's even more incredible is that he has lived in Japan for more than 20 years, but he doesn't speak a word of Japanese, and he says that he deliberately didn't learn because he didn't want to talk to anyone at all.
For years, he liked to hide himself in his comfort zone. Afraid of taking risks, afraid of losing, rarely filming new directors' plays, "You see I filmed Wong Kar-wai for 20 years, and To Qifeng and Hou Xiaoxian are people I am familiar with. ”
No one expected that after the age of flower armor, Tony Leung would have a little more courage and become a little different.
In the short film "Life Halfway Up the Mountain", he opened his heart for the first time and shared his story with director Zhuang Wenqiang.
He has cooperated with Zhuang Wenqiang 6 times, and when the first 5 times were completed, he quietly left the crew without leaving any traces. But the last time I filmed "Goldfinger", I deliberately stayed, helped everyone sign the DVD and poster, and grabbed Zhuang Wenqiang and said: "It turns out that the two of us have filmed for so many years, and we have never taken a photo together." ”
It may be that he is older, and he cherishes the fate of every encounter even more, "Why not leave a memorial?" Everyone will be happy. ”
Seeing Liang Chaowei's smiling appearance, Zhuang Wenqiang couldn't help but sigh: "There is a lot of optimism, I feel that now and before are two people." ”
In addition, Tony Leung also began to try some different roles.
In the past, Tony Leung has always avoided playing the role of father because when he was very young, his father and mother quarreled every day and later left them. It was the knot in his heart, and now, he is finally reconciled with himself.
In the Marvel movie "Shangqi and the Legend of the Ten Rings", he plays a cold father. In "When the Wind Rises Again", he plays Nanjiang similar to his own experience, both grew up in single-parent families, and they are both estranged from their fathers.
It is clear that Tony Leung has become more relaxed and more talkative. When he heard someone comment that he didn't like to talk, he didn't forget to quip: "Why does everyone say I'm not good at socializing?" I said a lot today. ”
In January this year, he even opened Douyin, interacted with netizens, and seriously shared the "three-piece set of overcoming social fear" - smiling, waving, comparing hearts, making people call insiders.
02
Behind the glamorous screen
It's an extraordinary effort
Although Tony Leung is restrained in life, he has always worked hard at work.
When he first entered the TVB artist training class, he acted and became the host of the "430 Shuttle" program. At the busiest time, I worked an average of 18 hours a day and didn't get a full night's sleep for 7 days. Often this one has not yet been filmed, and the next one is already being filmed at the same time.
Once on set, he kept shedding tears because his eyes were so dry. No way, the entire crew had to set aside 2 hours for him to squint for a while.
When filming, no matter how difficult the environment was, he never complained. When "Grand Canal" was filmed, it was filmed in Huashan, when the cable car was not as convenient as it is now. He climbed from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and when he arrived, he was so tired that he couldn't even hold the cup.
He and the crew lived in a cabin on the top of the mountain, without a toilet and without a bath. The water on the mountain was picked up step by step by the porter. The whole team can only use one basin a day, and he can't put his hands in the water when washing his face, so he can only carefully dip a towel in it.
Another time filming in Dunhuang, I had to take a six- or seven-hour car ride back and forth every day. He was already motion sick, but he carried it for a month and a half, and even he said: "How difficult the environment is, you can adapt to it." ”
Even if he is injured on the set, in order not to delay the progress, Tony Leung will bite and insist. When filming Zhang Yimou's "Heroes", he spun and jumped from a very high roof, because the tatami mats were not properly placed, breaking three or four ligaments.
The moment he fell, he clearly heard his leg "rattle", and there was no energy.
But when the staff asked if he could continue, he agreed without saying a word. When I returned to the hotel after filming the hanging wire, my legs were so swollen that I couldn't move at all.
After recovering a little, he took the injury to film. Zhang Yimou asked him, "Then can you fight", he said: "Basically, it doesn't seem to be very capable, but if you need it, I will try to tie it up and see if I can shoot." ”
In the end, I finished filming that scene.
When Tony Leung was filming, he also had a characteristic that he was smashing the details to the extreme. When filming "A Fei", there was a line that was filmed 27 times and kept repeating.
When filming "In the Mood for Love", he ate 26 bowls of wonton filming, and when he couldn't stand it, he said to Wong Kar-wai: "I can't shoot anymore, I vomit!" ”
Almost every director who has worked with him is full of praise for him. American director Destin. Crichton praised him: "Working with Tony Leung has been one of the best experiences of my career. He was always the first on set, well prepared and willing to do whatever the film needed. ”
After hearing this, Tony Leung just replied faintly: "This is my job." ”
03
Leave the baggage of the past behind
Let go and act
The title of the actor and the blessing of the trophy are both honors and burdens for Tony Leung.
Because the audience's expectations have always been, if you are not careful, you may be criticized by words, resulting in "late festival protection".
Therefore, after some actors become famous, they will choose to gnaw at the old book. However, Tony Leung did not want to do so. When he sees the movie he wants to make, he still has an itch.
In his opinion, he is in the last stage of the actor, and he cannot be bound by the past, but should throw away all the baggage.
Therefore, he put away all the medals he got and did not let himself see them. will also keep persuading himself to let go and act, "After accumulating so many years of experience, it is not much better, and it is not bad." ”
Some time ago, because of the need for filming, he also practiced the piano. Growing up, he never learned any instrument, and it was a new challenge.
At first, he was particularly difficult to get started, and at one point he collapsed, just like those children who were forced by their parents to learn specialties.
For 3 consecutive months, he played 8 to 10 hours a day, and although he had to call the director to "scold" the director every time he finished playing, the effect presented by the film was also similar. As he puts it: "Leave your comfort zone and life really begins." ”
When not acting, Tony Leung returns to being an ordinary person and living simply. In your free time, listen to the sound of the train passing by and have a quiet cup of coffee.
He enjoys spending time alone riding his bike, surfing and spending time with nature. Sometimes lying down and looking at the clouds, half a day passes.
This year, from August 30 to September 9, 2023, the 80th Venice International Film Festival will be held in the Lido of Venice, Italy. At that time, he will go to the scene with Liliana Cavani to collect the golden lion.
Some people worry that it is too early for him to win the lifetime achievement award. But for him, this is not the end, but a new beginning.
He said: "I hope to make a TV series in the spring of 2024, because I am from a TV station, and I would love to return to TV dramas in the final acting career. ”
Halfway up the mountain, he is still continuing to the top of the mountain.
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