Tony Leung Recalls 'Days of Being Wild' Reshoots, Blames Himself for Not Getting Simple Shots Right

Taipei, April 14 (CNA) Film emperor Tony Leung was invited to give a lecture at the Golden Horse Film Masterclass last night. Leung shared his experience filming the pear-eating scene in 'Days of Being Wild' with director Wong Kar-wai, which was reshot dozens of times. Wong Kar-wai never explained why, leaving Leung feeling down after filming, wondering how he couldn't even get a simple shot right.

Tony Leung came to Taiwan yesterday to give a lecture at the Golden Horse Film Masterclass. Leung talked about the importance of being in character for acting, and how he designs details such as the character's mental state, situation, and background to better get into character.

Speaking of his experiences working with different directors, Leung recalled often meeting and chatting with Wong Kar-wai before their collaboration, building trust in the director even before there was a script. "(But) I didn't know what Wong Kar-wai wanted," he said. For example, a scene in 'Days of Being Wild' where he ate a pear with Maggie Cheung was shot 30 or 40 times, but Wong Kar-wai never explained the reason, making him very unhappy when he went home, thinking how he couldn't even do a simple shot.

Leung stated that working with Hou Hsiao-Hsien on 'A City of Sadness' led him to start reading literary novels, which also changed his acting style. "Until one day, when I watched my own shots in 'Days of Being Wild,' I knew my state, that Wong Kar-wai wanted me to have no traces of acting."

His new work, 'Where the Wind Blows,' will be released in Taiwan on the 17th. Leung laughed and said that the director had sent him books on neuroscience, plants, and philosophy at the time, and his friends even joked, "Are you studying so hard to get a doctorate?"

Leung said that after more than 40 years in film, he is now more willing to leave his comfort zone and work with unfamiliar teams. "Now is the final stage of my acting; there's nothing to be afraid of, just try more new things."

Leung said that his current life is regular: he wakes up, exercises, eats, drives around, watches movies, cooks dinner in the evening, and then watches TV series or reads books. He emphasized that actors need energy, and exercise is the best way. "If your physical condition is not good enough, and you have to shoot a scene many times, if a very sad crying scene needs to be shot with 8 cameras, that would be hell!" He also encouraged the filmmakers present, "Prepare yourselves well, and when the opportunity comes, many people will see you." (Editor: Lin Shu-yuan) 1150414