Hong Kong actor Tony Leung open to starring in a K-drama
BUSAN – Hong Kong movie star Tony Leung Chiu Wai, who has not been in a television series in 33 years, is open to acting in a K-drama.
“If there are roles for which I can overcome the language barrier, I would like to star in a Korean drama,” the 60-year-old said in Cantonese during a press conference held at KNN Theater in Busan on Thursday.
“I recently watched the film Coda,” he said of the 2021 Oscar Best Picture winner with a predominantly deaf cast. “If there is a role that does not require me to speak, like the characters in that film, maybe I can also be in Korean dramas.”
The veteran actor, who ventured into Hollywood in Marvel movie Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings (2021), said he would love to work with Song Kang-ho (Parasite, 2019) and Jeon Do-yeon (Beasts Clawing At Straws, 2020) as they are his two favourite South Korean actors.
Leung is the recipient of this film festival’s Asian Filmmaker Of The Year award, which is presented to a person or organisation that has made the most significant contributions to the advancement of the Asian film industry.
His wife, Hong Kong actress Carina Lau, 56, who is in Busan with him, is clearly proud of his achievement, posting numerous photos of him on Instagram at various events from the start of the 10-day film festival, which ends next Friday.
She shared photos of them meeting South Korean actors such as Ryu Jun-yeol, Han Ye-ri and Jeon Yeo-been, as well as a snap of Leung with Song and Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda. Song and Kore-eda recently collaborated on the movie Broker, which won Song the best actor nod at the Cannes International Film Festival.
Leung has picked six films by his favourite directors, such as Wong Kar-wai and Jeffrey Lau, for screening at the Busan International Film Festival. These include Happy Together (1997), The Longest Nite (1998), In The Mood For Love (2000) and 2046 (2004).
The former TVB actor, who graduated from the Hong Kong broadcaster’s drama class in 1982, added that he is open to taking on more diverse roles, including playing a villain or a serial killer.
“The first 20 years of my acting career was a time of learning; I think I can show off what I have learnt during my next 20 years. I can now enjoy working without being under pressure and this means I am ready to perform more diverse roles from now on.” - THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now