Hong Kong actors, directors return home after pilgrimage to
Hollywood
Sina
HONG KONG, Aug. 20 2005 (AP) -- After making their name in Hong Kong, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Chow
Yun-fat and John Woo all made the leap to Hollywood. But Hong Kong's top actors and directors are
now either returning home for projects or seeking inspiration from their cultural roots, with some citing
creative restrictions and cultural differences in the United States.
Chan has been prolific in the U.S. but he still films movies in Hong Kong. Chow is slated to appear in
the upcoming Ann Hui film "My Aunt's Postmodern Life" and plans to collaborate with famed Chinese
director Zhang Yimou in an adaptation of a Chinese play.
Woo is due to begin filming "Battle of Red Cliff," a joint Sino-U.S. production about an ancient Chinese
battle. Li's upcoming movie "Fearless" tells the story of Chinese kung fu master Huo Yuanjia.
Chan said he's well-paid but artistically unfulfilled in Hollywood. "I make a lot of money in the U.S., but
I can't make films I like," he said during a recent interview with The Associated Press. Chan says
Hollywood movies are so costly that they seldom take creative risks, and that's why his U.S. films are
so similar in genre. Chan's Hollywood works haven't veered from the formula of interracial action
comedy, a genre he's excelled in with Chris Tucker in the "Rush Hour" series and with Owen Wilson
in the 2000 "Shanghai Noon" and "Shanghai Knights" in 2003. But his Hong Kong productions are
more diverse. He plays a tragic hero in "New Police Story" in 2004. Chan's new film "The Myth," tracks
the journey of man who seeks his lost love from a previous life.
The same trend is seen in other Hong Kong talents who moved on to Hollywood. Chow has reprised
the role of gun-toting hero repeatedly, in U.S. movies like "The Replacement Killers" in 1998 and "The
Corruptor" in 1999. But before he left for Hollywood his body of work included romance and comedy.
Chan says Hong Kong actors' roles are inherently limited because of their poor English. "Today when
our actors go to the U.S., what movies can they make? Can they appear in 'Titanic?' Could they do
'Kramer vs. Kramer'? No. No actor could do it," Chan said.
Veteran Hong Kong director Tsui Hark says Chinese actors simply aren't convincing in Western
roles. "They can't be viewed as Americans," he said. But Tsui thinks Hong Kong's entertainers have
already surpassed expectations in Hollywood. "Be it Chow Yun-fat, Jet Li or Jackie Chan, the
proportion of dialogue and drama in their movies is heavy. They use their dialogue to show their
acting skills a lot," Tsui said.
Indeed, the Hong Kong actors have broken new cinematic ground, especially when it comes to
interracial collaboration. In addition to the Chan-Tucker and Chan-Wilson comedy duos, Jet Li and
late pop singer Aaliyah star in "Romeo Must Die" in 2000, a modern telling of "Romeo and Juliet." He
also appears in "Cradle 2 the Grave" in 2003 with hip-hop star DMX.
Chow's roles haven't all been one-dimensional. In "Anna and the King" in 1999, he played an
authoritative Thai king who grew fond of his children's private tutor, played by Jodie Foster. Chow is
majestic as king in a performance that matches, if not outshines, Foster. While Chow is all guns
blazing in "The Corruptor," his portrayal of a corrupt New York Chinatown police officer who handles
thugs ruthlessly steals the show, overshadowing co-star Mark Wahlberg. Chow's biggest U.S. hit by
far is a kung fu movie in 2000 directed by Taiwan's Ang Lee. "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" netted
four Oscars and became the most popular foreign film in U.S. history.
While Hollywood's Hong Kong stars are signing up for projects back home, they aren't abandoning
their U.S. careers altogether. Chan has maintained his profile in America with a steady stream of U.S.
movies. Woo's production company Lion Rock Productions is based in Los Angeles. Chow will start
work on the third installment of "Pirates of the Caribbean" later this year.
Director Stanley Tong is a rarity in that he relocated back to Hong Kong after a brief stint in Hollywood,
where he shot the 1997 comedy "Mr. Magoo" and the TV series "Martial Law" starring Sammo Hung.
Tong said there's no point in staying when he's absorbed all the movie knowledge he can, because
he can't make authentic American movies. While the prestige of working in Hollywood is tempting,
Tong said he likes working in his own culture better. "I don't like living abroad and I really like my own
Chinese culture," he said.
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