Tse Kwan-ho Praises Taiwanese Makeup Team for 'Cold War 1994' Aging Effects, Says Prosthetics 'Fused with Real Skin'

(CNA, Taipei, May 19, by reporter Wang Hsin-yu) 'Cold War 1994' continues to receive acclaim, accumulating a total box office of NT$26.1 million in Taiwan. Hong Kong star Tse Kwan-ho, who portrays Hong Kong's wealthiest man, required special effects aging makeup, with the Taiwanese special effects team 'Pai Chia Tang' being the masterminds behind it. Their technique was so effective that Tse laughingly exclaimed the prosthetic and real skin had already merged. Special effects makeup artists Liu Hsien-chia and Hsiao Pai-chen have worked on films such as 'The Tag-Along: The Devil Fish,' 'Till We Meet Again,' and 'Kung Fu Hustle.' For this role, Tse needed to appear over 20 years older than his actual age, requiring the SFX team to create not only prosthetic skin but also a special wig. Tse arrived on set 3 to 4 hours early each day for preparation. The team would first apply the prosthetic skin, followed by a custom wig that reduced the appearance of his frontal hair. He said with a laugh, 'The SFX team is very meticulous; they even aged my neck. But completing the makeup takes a lot of time. They were very considerate, telling me to just continue sleeping when I arrived on set, and I would wake up with the makeup done.' Tse mentioned that even with the prosthetics, the makeup didn't come off while eating or drinking. The more he wore it, the more he felt the fake and real skin were merging, and it didn't affect his acting at all. However, removing the makeup also took several hours. 'It's not easy being a tycoon,' he said. 'Cold War 1994' is currently showing in theaters across Taiwan.