Tony Leung more interested in playing villains, says he is 'lazier' than his 'hardworking' co-star Andy Lau
The Hong Kong superstar was in Singapore to promote his upcoming movie, The Goldfinger, and shared his thoughts on reuniting with Lau after over 20 years.
His friendly eyes and sweet disposition don’t seem like a natural fit for villainous roles. That could probably be why Hong Kong cinema legend Tony Leung only ever played the bad guy a few times in his decades-long illustrious career.
But, the charisma, quiet confidence and sexy magnetism of Leung have actually proven to work in his favour. Who can forget his role as the ‘bad boy’ undercover cop in Infernal Affairs? Or him being a special agent for the Japanese in Lust, Caution?
And most recently, his Hollywood debut in Marvel’s Shang-Chi where he played a family man (he was literally a dad) who probably made your question your allegiance as you couldn't help but root for him.
Yet, not many have offered him the role of the bad guy, said Leung in an interview with Singapore media at Equarius Hotel. The 61-year-old was in town on Thursday (21 December) to promote his upcoming movie The Goldfinger, and he expressed interest in playing more villainous roles.
Leung told Yahoo Southeast Asia, “I’m more interested in playing villains because less people find me for that role. I think I’ve only played the bad guy less than five times in my career, so it feels very refreshing whenever I act as one.
“There also aren’t as many rules and restrictions when playing the villain, so recently, I prefer those roles.”
He added that he doesn’t really differentiate between the ‘good guy’ and the ‘bad guy’, but looks at the personalities of the characters, and some are simpler while others are more complex.
The Goldfinger follows the rise and fall of a billion-dollar company, founded by a criminal mastermind (Tony Leung), over the course of a 15-year investigation by an elite anti-corruption investigator (Andy Lau). It is set in Hong Kong in the 1980s, and also stars Charlene Choi, Simon Yam, Alex Fong and Philip Keung.
Leung admitted that the role was the biggest challenge of the film as it’s “very different from who I am”, and relied on the costume and makeup to help him slowly get into character.
Reuniting onscreen with Andy Lau after more than 20 years
This movie also marks the first onscreen reunion of Hong Kong cinema heavyweights Leung and Lau since Infernal Affairs in 2002.
On reuniting with Lau, Leung said to Yahoo, “We normally don’t have a lot of chances to meet. When we work together, we barely have any time to chat because there’s a lot of work to do in a day, and sometimes, we’re discussing how to shoot the next scene.
“Typically, we don’t communicate often, but when we film together, we have chemistry because we really trust each other. And I feel that whenever we collaborate, he knows how to handle the scene no matter how I act.”
The legendary Hong Kong actor also clarified that it really was just fate that he and Lau hadn’t had a chance to act opposite each other till now.
He shared, “I think making a movie is also about fate, and if it’s not fated, we cannot help it. Of course, we really enjoy working together, so we hope that after this, we don’t have to wait that long again to work together. And if we collaborate again, can we be partners instead of adversaries?”
Director Felix Chong and producer Ronald Wong were also in town, and Chong said that Leung was his only choice to play the role of the criminal mastermind.
Chong, 54, told Yahoo in separate interview, “I wrote the script in 2018… After the bosses (at production company Emperor Motion Pictures) agreed to finance it, I happened to be talking to Andy Lau and I thought, ‘It’s been almost 20 years since Infernal Affairs. Why not get them both to act together again?’”
The Hong Kong director (who also wrote the screenplay for Infernal Affairs) then revealed that he shared the script with both actors without telling them who would be their co-star, but they guessed it anyway.
Chong compared the atmosphere on set to a “class reunion” and found it to be the most memorable experience while shooting the movie.
“Whenever they have time, Andy and Tony will be talking about the old times when they entered showbiz, like who bullied them or when their salary was so low they had no money to go home. There’s a lot of love, I feel,” he said.
What Tony Leung finds impressive about Andy Lau
It might not be known to many, but both Leung and Lau go way back - even before Infernal Affairs. In fact, both of them first acted together in the 1984 TVB series The Duke of Mount Deer.
When asked how does Lau inspire him, Leung replied, “One thing I find impressive about him is that [compared to him] I’ve only been an actor, I’ve never been anything else concurrently. I think I’m lazier than him.
“He is really hardworking. He’s been a singer, an actor, and a producer at the same time. And he is successful at every thing he does. I really admire that about him.”
Has that made him think about challenging himself to do more things, though?
Leung smiled and said, without missing a beat, “I don’t want to because, I think everyone has their own way of living.”
The Goldfinger opens in Singapore on 30 December.
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