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Feature Article
Drunken Monkey - Wu Jing: Most Grateful to the Seniors for their Grooming, Admired Senior
Brother Jet Li Most
Meiri Paper, 9 April
Yi Fei
When interviewing Wu Jing, the action actor of Drunken Monkey (zui hou) that was
in production in Shanghai (It has moved location to Zhejiang Hengdian on 28
March), he puckishly passed the microphone to an
assistant director from Hong Kong, confounding this reporter with his half-baked
Hong Kong style National Language. Grinning broadly, Wu Jing spoke in proper Mandarin, "Let me talk, but my National Language is not as good as
his."
Real Kungfu in Drunken Monkey
As
Drunken Monkey is Shaw Brothers' brand new project since their withdrawal from the
movie industry around ten years ago, everyone in the production is very
dedicated - no one dares idle about. They even specially invited the legendary
marital arts director,
Liu Chia Liang, to stage a comeback. The movie, set in the 1930s, is about two
youngsters' pursuit of martial arts from a kungfu master and their
experiences, feelings and dawning realisation of life, their love for a girl. It's a
movie which pays tribute to martial arts code of ethics and philosophies, and
glorifies chivalry.
To the audiences who have grown weary of special effects, it would be fabulous
to be able to to view a movie with real fights. "All the actors and actresses
possess martial arts skills and would not be using special effects. Using stunt
doubles would be the last thing to come to our mind."
explained Wu Jing. Liu Chia Liang had once indicated that, "To produce a kungfu
movie that the Americans would have great difficulty accomplishing."
Research on Acting
Stars who started off in action movies depend mainly on their extraordinary
martial arts skills. On the other hand, the acting skills needed in dramatic
parts can be a major hurdle to them. Jackie Chan makes up for his shortcoming
with his comic skills, while Jet Li only figured out his route of acting after
many years. Wu Jing has also experienced this,
"Being action stars, we are not blessed with training in drama schools, so we have to put in extra
effort in acting. This is the first time I am acting in a modern show. There
are various areas which are new to me. I hope to achieve a breakthrough in
acting and my presentation of the character."
"I am especially grateful to Yuen Wo Ping for grooming me, teaching me about acting in front
of the camera, so that I may get into my role. Recently, Ng Man Tat sent me a
book, Birth of a Role, while Cheung Sing Yim also gave me a set of The Self
Discipline of an Actor (or Actress), hoping that I may upgrade my acting skills, become an
all-rounder actor."
Admires Jet Li Most
When talking about China's action stars, Wu Jing admired Jet Li most, "He is my
fellow senior brother, there are some kind of Beijing Wushu traits in our
actions. I feel a certain closeness to him, and most importantly, he has achieved
what I had wished to do but could yet accomplish. It's not easy for action stars, including
myself, to have come thus far in the showbiz. We have to make more sacrifices,
put in more effort and work harder
than other actors."
On the directors he has worked with, Wu Jing said, "Cheung Sing Yim and Yuen Wo
Ping brought me into the entertainment arena. Director Cheung is more
traditional, and pays attention to the essence of wushu. Director Yuen's camera
work is very stable and solid, carrying the power of wushu. Liu Chia Liang is
a Wong Fei Hong third generation disciple, and commands a great deal of respect. Each
of them has his own style and are pragmatically making kungfu movies."
Source:
Sina |
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