Suns article 2004
Hong Kong Entertainment News in Review
Chow Yun-Fat and his wife, Jasmine Chan, gave an interview to The Sun recently. For the most part,
the couple talked about their relationship and why their marriage has been so stable for so long.
Excerpts:
- (Chow on cherishing love) "I'll say something that's true but isn't pleasant to hear. When you reach
middle age, there are a lot of things you get from experience. If you don't experience the failure of a first
marriage, how can you come to appreciate (true love) when you have it? So, I always tell people to find
your significant other while you're still young. The relationship between a man and a woman is private.
You don't need to worry what other people think. A lot of people search for years and can't find their
significant other, when you find it, you need to cherish it."
- (Chow on remaining faithful to his wife) "There really are many temptations out there, but I've
experienced all of them back when I wasn't married. Right now, what I'm looking for is a different kind of
romantic life. Besides, in my movies, I've pretty much been through all kinds of love relationships. I don't
need to experience them in real life. To me, work is work. Once I'm done for the day, I go home. If you do
that, there's no chance for any rumors to develop! When I'm not working, I'm either with Jasmine or I'm
taking photographs. I can spend the whole day taking pictures of the flowers that I have in my home. I
don't have the time, the inclination or the energy to cheat on my wife! A lot of people don't know a good
thing when they've got it, but I know and I know how to cherish it."
- (Jasmine Chan on her relationship with Chow) "Together with Chow Yun-Fat for so many years, we've
been through a lot -- happy times and unhappy times. For the first three years, we were living together in
secrecy. We couldn't let anyone know about us. We didn't go public until we got married. But, I didn't
mind. I'm grateful that God blessed me with Chow Yun-Fat. We've been together for twenty years and
we've been a team. We tackle everything together, we don't have separate agendas. We compliment
each other. We co-operate with each other."
- (Chan on Chow's career) "When he was making twelve movies a year for Cinema City, I saw how hard
he worked. I was there with him every day. I saw how hard it was."
- (Chan on the move to Hollywood) "When I went with him to take on Hollywood, we saw that it was a
good opportunity. Actually, we went it with our teeth gritted even though we knew we really couldn't lose.
When he was studying English every day and I couldn't help him with it, my heart sank. Now that we are
where we're at today, we both contributed a lot, we've propped each other up and helped each other
down this road. When I think about it, I think to myself that no matter what happens with Hollywood, at
least I know that I have a good husband."
The Sun's interview series with Chow Yun-Fat and his wife, Jasmine Chan, continues with Chow's
thoughts on BULLETPROOF MONK and his future in the business. Excerpts:
- (On the failure of BULLETPROOF MONK) I've thought about what happened with BULLETPROOF
MONK. I think it's a good thing. In anything, there will always be setbacks. You can't go forward smoothly
with every step. It's only natural to meet up with something like this. I've made five Hollywood films. One
of them (CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON) will be remember by many people. I think that's a
good accomplishment already. I've been in this business for thirty years. I started out in television series
and moved on to movies. There have always been ups and downs. I made about seventy films in Hong
Kong. How many of them are truly remembered by people?"
- (On retirement) Although I've been doing this for thirty years, I haven't given a thought to retiring. If I can
keep going, I'll keep going. What will I do if I retire! There's still a long way for me to go in Hollywood. I'm
going to continue to keep doing my best and I'll let chips fall where they may."
- (On returning to Hong Kong) I'll only make Hollywood movies. I won't make Hong Kong movies. It's not
about the money. Money isn't important. It's about my happiness. When you make a movie, you can't just
do the movie and forget about it. There's a lot of pressure. You have a responsibility to the producers
and the backers. You have to deliver a box office to them. Even when I did television series, I'd hope that
the ratings were good."
In The Sun's continuing interview series with Chow Yun-Fat and his wife Jasmine Chan Wui-Lin,
Chan explained why she takes such an active part in her husband's career.
Chan: "A management company takes care of my husband's career but I always have the final say. I
always read every contract carefully. Ten years ago, my husband was tricked by someone we
considered a friend. I won't say who it was. It was a shocking experience and a big lesson. It made me
realize that everything needed to be done carefully because something like that can never happen
again! My husband trusts me with this so I have to do my best. I try not to look at things with an eye
towards what's best for my husband, I try to look at things from a neutral, objective view." Talking about
how she does not mind working so hard for Chow, Chan said: "As Chow Yun-Fat's wife -- or maybe you
could say when you marry someone -- you have to make some sacrifices. I don't want to be one of those
'tai-tais' who spend their days shopping for designer clothes or going to those galas and balls. To be
able to clean and cook and take care of my husband's private and business affairs makes me very
happy."
- (On his Hollywood career) "Looking at the results of eight years in Hollywood, there are ups and there
are downs. But, I'm just an old newcomer in Hollywood, what more can I do? My time and experience
there is very short but I still made five films: THE REPLACEMENT KILLERS, THE CORRUPTOR, ANNA
AND THE KING, CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON and BULLETPROOF MONK as a lead actor.
Five films in eight years is not a small accomplishment. In the end, the way Hollywood makes film is
different from the way Hong Kong makes films. I can adjust my schedule for more time off. I also get
new experiences each time I make a new movie."
- (On his favourite Hollywood roles) "Out of all of the films, I like ANNA AND THE KING and
CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON the most. Actually, I give it my all in every one of my films but the
films that bring me the most satisfaction may not be the ones that the audience likes the best. In the
end, foreign audiences have different tastes."
- (On why he resists returning to Hong Kong films) "I made about 70 films when I was in Hong Kong.
How many of them made several million dollars? You can count on one hand the number of films I
made in Hollywood. A lot of people wait their whole lifetime to do a defining work. They search and
search for many years. How can I compare with others? For me, making Hollywood films is a learning
experience. I get new experiences and meet new people. I get to see how things are done in a different
arena. Since I consider acting to be my life's work, I treat it like I'm going to class. The reason I haven't
done a Hong Kong film in so long is because the whole milieu is different overseas. Hollywood is about
waiting for an opportunity. It's like playing mahjong. I've already played four rounds in Hong Kong.
Playing overseas, I can get new challengers and see how other people play. I can learn more."
In her segment, Jasmine Chan provided insight on Chow's relative inactivity of late. Revealing that
she and Chow have an agreement for him to work one year then take one year off, Chan told The Sun:
"I'm 43 years-old this year. I still have many years to go. To be able to spend it with my husband is very
important. I really cherish our time together. So, we've agreed that he works for one year and then takes
one year off. When he works, we are both very busy but when it comes time for rest, it is our private time.
We are always together. Even if it is just watching television or having dinner, I'm happy. I treasure every
second, every moment."
Day five of The Sun's interview series with Chow Yun-Fat began with Chow talking about Tony Leung
Chiu-Wai becoming the winningest actor at the Hong Kong Film Awards. Previously, Chow and Leung
were deadlocked at three Best Actor awards apiece. All that changed in 2003, however, when Leung
won for his work in INFERNAL AFFAIRS. For the record, Chow has won for A BETTER TOMORROW,
CITY ON FIRE and ALL ABOUT AH LONG while Leung took home prizes for his work in CHUNGKING
EXPRESS, HAPPY TOGETHER, IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE and in addition to the award for INFERNAL
AFFAIRS. Chow: "I don't mind that Wai-Jai (Leung) has broken my record and won the Best Actor award
four times. It's a good thing. If the new wave doesn't push out the old wave, how can there be any
progress? It's like when Ah Sam (Hui Kwoon-Kit) retired, there was Hok-Yau (Jacky Cheung). A new
wave has to be there for an industry to continue developing. Even if the Hong Kong film industry doesn't
have Chow Yun-Fat, the market won't die. It'll still keep going."
Chow went on to talk about the strengths and weakness of Hong Kong films, working with John Woo
and future prospects for his Hollywood career:
- (On Hong Kong films) "I think that in the past few years, Hong Kong has produced fewer films but there
have been more solid films. I believe that cinematography and editing in Hong Kong are superior to that
of Hollywood. But, if you're going to attack the international market, the script is very important. In the end,
the subjects available to Hong Kong filmmakers are very narrow and it might pose a problem for the
international market."
- (On John Woo) "I haven't worked yet with John Woo on a Hollywood film. Just because we're friends, it
doesn't mean we will necessarily work on a project together. Actually, we support one another a lot.
When we were in America, I'd visit him and he'd visit me. But, doing a Hollywood project together
depends a lot on the right timing and the right conditions. Although I haven't worked with him yet, I have
no regrets because I've been able to work with many other producers and directors."
- (on his Hollywood career) "Actually, I'm in negotiations for two or three projects. I've had lengthy
discussions with producers. Hollywood movies take a long time to make. You can't hurry them. When I
make a Hollywood movie many, many months can pass by from the moment I formally accept to my last
day on the set."
Day six of The Sun's interview series with Chow Yun-Fat had Chow sharing his thoughts on why he
continues to call Hong Kong home, his daily routine, his decision to live a healthier life, meditation
and photography. Excerpts:
- (On why he calls Hong Kong home) "Even when I first went to America to further develop my career, I
already made the decision not to live there. I'd only go there to make a living. I stayed there for a long
time at first because I needed to learn English and get used to the lifestyle over there. Now that I'm
following the plan to work one year and take one year off, I'm living permanently in Hong Kong. I can
spend more time with my mother this way. I'm already 48 years old. There are a lot of things that I
cherish even more than I did before. Every time I take a year off, it feels very comfortable."
- (On his daily routine) "My life is very basic. I get up and work out. Then I have breakfast, read the paper
and study some English. In the afternoon, I do some photography. It's early to bed and early to rise for
me every day. I go to bed after watching the nightly news then get up at five or six in the morning."
- (On living healthy) "I pay more attention to my health now. I go for regular checkups. My attitude
towards my health is to inch closer to a better shape every day. Before, I would work day and night and
never take care of myself. After I started working out, I realized that I was really lazy in the past. I've really
done a lot in the past few years to get myself in better health. I don't drink and my diet is very simple. I try
not to eat any fried foods."
- (On meditation) "I've been meditating once a day for about a year now. A massage therapist taught me
how to do it. Each time I meditate, I feel very relaxed. I think it's quite useful. I never had much time for
reflection before. Now that I calm myself down every day with meditation, I think about a lot of things that I
never had a chance to."
- (On photography) "Photography has taken up a lot of my time. My favorite is working in black and white.
I can walk around all day with ten pounds of camera equipment around my neck. As for my camera
subjects, I sometimes like to take photos of birds, sometimes it's the sea, sometimes it's the sky. I like
the atmosphere here (Ma On Shan village), the feel of nature. When the weather gets too hot, I ask my
wife to buy some flowers. I can spend an entire afternoon taking pictures of a single flower. Then, I can
go to my dark room and try different methods of photo development. That's enough to fill my entire day!"
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