Chow's caper with classic lines
New Strait Times
by Matthew Marsh
Every summer, some of the finest motorcars ever made converge in Paris, France, for the Louis
Vuitton Classic. MATTHEW MARSH steers through a parade of the bold and beautiful that's enough to
make even Hong Kong star Chow Yun-Fat reassess his priorities. It's surprising to hear Chow Yun-
Fat confess that he hates travelling. Recently, the Hong Kong movie star flew to Paris to present a
prize at the Louis Vuitton Classic - an annual event that celebrates automotive design and highlights
the luggage maker's historical connection with travel.
"You can hang me from a wire, 100 feet in the air, swinging around with my sword," confided Chow, in
reference to his action films like the 2000 hit Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, "but I get really scared
when a plane hits turbulence." Surely this can't be true? "Yes, yes, yes," he assures me with a tap on
the arm, "flying east-west across the Pacific, it can sometimes last for an hour."
Chow's disarming honesty is an effective tool and contrasts with his onscreen two-guns-blazing style.
He's a good actor then?
"If people think you are a good actor, then you are, I suppose," he says simply. "I don't make movies to
win awards - it's my job, it's how I make a living."
Despite it being his third language, after Cantonese and Putonghua, the 48-year-old seems almost
relieved to speak English. He gives the impression of thinking about the subjects being discussed
but not "creating" the answers.
Displaying honesty once again as we discuss which of the more than 70 cars on display might be his
favourite, Chow says, "I'm not a g-force man. You need to be physically strong to drive a sports car and
I prefer a relaxing ride." He talks about the beauty of line that characterised cars designed in the
1950s and 60s and remembers the old Alfa Romeos he owned as a youngster.
Now the most important things in choosing a car are "comfort and " (with a pause for humorous
effect), "price!" His Singaporean wife Jasmine smiles at this: it's clear that they are a team, that she
plays an important almost managerial role for him. He grins. "If I owned a classic car, my wife would
look after it most of the time". Later, at lunch, Chow walks over to my table, pinstriped jacket over black
turtle-neck top, and ruffles my hair with his hand. "How's the food?"
We get to talking about cars again. The Lamma Island-born Taurean admits to hankering after the
famous 1954 Gullwing Mercedes and displays an impressive knowledge of its attributes. He
remembers resisting the temptation to buy one that was on sale in Hong Kong once.
"They brought it over from Europe, but it was left-hand drive of course, so you would have to apply for a
special permit each week to drive it. And it cost HK$4.5 million (RM!2.2 million)."
Surely a man of his wealth could keep a classic car secretly? Chow laughs. Jasmine is out of earshot
now and he leans forward conspiratorially: "I could own something in Shenzhen perhaps, but not a
car". His reference to the habit of Hong Kong businessmen keeping their mistresses just over the
border might seem reckless. In fact it just reinforces the point that Chow is a man content with who he
is and what he has to say. He's not worried that his joke will be misunderstood. His confidence is
charming.
"People in Hong Kong don't trouble me," he says. Perhaps this explains why he is so relaxed. "I take
the bus and train a lot, sometimes the ferry. I've been popular for 30 years now and I'm treated like a
big brother, I suppose. There's a lot of waiting in the movie business and I'd rather do that at home
than in the United States." His honest and logical answer continues with the Chow trademark suffix:
"and if you spend too many days in the US, they tax you!"
This year's Louis Vuitton Classic moved from its regular Parc de Bagatelle venue to the Domaine
National de Saint-Cloud which overlooks the city of Paris. There's a historical connection with Louis
Vuitton here too: the estate was the 19th century home of Napoleon III and his wife Empress Eugenie,
who was one of luggage-maker's first customers. "I knew it was the perfect place," says Vuitton's
Francois Delage, now Asia-Pacific executive director. "When I worked in Paris, I owned an E-type
Jaguar and often drove here for lunch."
It was another Jaguar - a rare XKSS model owned for more than 20 years by screen legend Steve
McQueen which caught Chow's attention when he was welcomed to the impressively manicured
gardens by Vuitton's CEO Yves Carcelle. The car's present owner, Richard Messer, did not
immediately recognise Chow and was slightly alarmed when he hopped in, to a chorus of camera
shutters. Was he just creating a photo opportunity, being a professional? "Steve McQueen is in my
soul," protests Chow. "The Great Escape was the most fantastic movie - I was moved and stunned by
his performance."
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