by DAVID ARUL
The Star
16 January 1996

THE name is Fatt - Chow Yuen Fatt. Eh, wait a minute. It's Chow - Chow Yuen Fatt. Or Chow Yun-Fat, as Hollywood has simplified it. But whether he's referred to as Mister Chow or Mister Fat (a common mistake by those ang mohs who can't tell a Chinese firstname from the family moniker), his widespread fame is no mystery to those of us who have known of him for ages.

The man is famous, the man is a superstar, because he has charisma. And more importantly, because he can act. Can he ever! From comedies to romances to TV serials to dramas to the genre he is most famous for - the bullet- riddled, ichor-splattered "heroic bloodshed" films - Chow has made himself an icon of Asian cinema.

Now, after a two-year hiatus since his last movie, Peace Hotel, he is back on the movie scene in his Hollywood debut: the action thriller The Replacement Killers, which co-stars Oscar winner Mira Sorvino and opens here on Jan 21, a couple of weeks ahead of its US release.

Chow was in Singapore recently to receive the CineAsia award as Star of the Decade, and The Star managed to catch up with him for a chat.

How do you approach a man who has offed hundreds of bad guys (with thousands of bullets), tamed the wild hearts of Hong Kong's finest femmes, and who is to the movies what his character in God of Gamblers is to poker games?

With some trepidation, the interviewer thought, especially since his slot was the last in a long day of interviews for the actor. But his chat with Chow turned out to be a most enjoyable and enlightening experience. No natty suits of the type favoured by The Killer for this guy... just a simple untucked shirt over a T-shirt, the kind of outfit you might see on Sgt. "Tequila" Yuen from Hard Boiled.

Forget the stories you've heard about stand-offish stars and snooty prima donnas, for the next couple of pages at least.

You see, Chow Yuen Fatt is so... nice. A hard-working guy who wants to be seen as a friend rather than a superstar, always smiling, as quick to laugh as he is on the draw.

Accept no replacements. This guy is the real deal.

So, what have you been up to for the last two years since your last movie, Peace Hotel ?

Laying back, hanging around, eating a lot of food...

In the US?

Not all the time. Just for a couple of weeks now and then, talking about scripts, discussing with the people concerned about the movie (The Replacement Killers), filming...

A lot of scripts must have come your way during the last couple of years. What made you choose The Replacement Killers ?

I had a lot of opportunity for roles like the leader of gangs in Chinatown, syndicate chief, but my agent refused them. By coincidence one of the people from Columbia had this script, The Replacement Killers, but originally written for a white man as the killer.

My agent and my manager thought this would be a good opportunity for me to develop my career in the West so they signed me up for it, and the character was changed from a white man to an Asian.

Your character John Lee is very much like the two-gun hero in many other movies you've done. How is he different from those?

The director Antoine Fuqua, he did a lot of research, he looked at many of the action sequences from John Woo's movies, and he tried to modify them, made my action sequences much, much better than what I did before. So he put a lot of his ideas into the character and put a lot of his commercial experience into the shooting. He more or less put (in) more variety, more excitement, to make the character more dimensional, not only in the action sequences.

Could you give us an example of this 'extra dimension'?

John (Woo) is more in the sentimental vein, in the way he portrays his characters. Antoine Fuqua is more in the beat - (snaps his fingers, snap-snap-snap) like that, in the music videos, that sense. Fast paced. Always something happening.

Was John Woo closely involved with production?

At that time he was doing Face/Off, so our crew would send him the rushes; he would give some feedback.

You've seen Face/Off ?

Yeah.

What did you think of it?

I love it. You like it?

Oh, yeah, one of my fave films of the year, saw it four times.

Oh! Good, good. Hope you can see my movie more times than that.

Now that you've finished your first US film, what are the biggest differences that struck you between the US and HK style of filmmaking, for example, how they treat stars?

Honestly, in Hollywood, they treat the actor like a king - big trailer, tons of food on the set. Give them high status. I'm not saying HK filmmakers don't treat us like kings, but the size... (gestures to indicate sweeping scope)

It's always on a grand scale in Hollywood?

Hahahaha! Right, right. And the filming, it's more systematic, the schedule is planned out, everything is storyboarded. The production crew is three times bigger. And everything is geared towards making the movie successful.

In Hong Kong, sometimes the schedule is very flexible. We can change a scene, even the story, any time. In Hollywood, you talk about a five-day week, weekends off. Hong Kong, we shoot eight days a week!

What do you think Hong Kong can bring to the American film industry, now that there's you, John Woo, so many other directors, even Michelle Yeoh in the new James Bond film? What kind of good qualities do you think you can bring to them?

You can say it's mostly in terms of the action sequences. The HK style - for the action sequences - is more compact, full of energy. Whereas Hollywood is more into big visuals, stunts, using computer graphics, and you can see that they are using the computers a lot to enhance the explosions and stunts.

So you can say that in Hollywood the actors are usually very safe. In Hong Kong we are working a little closer to reality, in the explosions and so on. So it's scarier. In Hollywood, more or less they put in a lot of equipment and planning to make things very safe, to make the very dangerous action sequences as safe as possible. In Hong Kong, sometimes we have to...(meaningful pause) take a risk.

I understand you did quite a lot of your own stunts?

Ah, yes.

Did the crew take it well?

Oh, no, they try to avoid putting their actors in very dangerous situations, because the stunt co-ordinators association, they won't allow actors to do certain very dangerous stunts. In Hong Kong... well, it's sometimes very dangerous. Always, in Hollywood, they're very protective.

Because of their investment in the star...?

Right, exactly!

So now, what's next for you?

Well, my agent is setting up a project with Oliver Stone's production company, The Corrupter, and maybe late summer, another project called King's Ransom.

That's with John Woo, right?

Mmm-hmmm.

The Corrupter is a police thriller?

Yeah, based on a true story.

(In it, Chow co-stars with "Marky" Mark Wahlberg. He plays a cop whose principles are compromised because of a past debt to an underworld boss. Report also put him in a starring role for Anna and the King, the story that inspired the musical The King and I.)

And King's Ransom ?

Oh, more like a light comedy and action film.

Any idea who your co-stars will be in that one?

Difficult to say. A lot of discussions are going on, nothing's signed yet.

There's a report that you're considering a project by King Hu?

It's called Battle Of Ono, based on the first-generation Chinese workers in America. An independent company is looking for a distributor to back the project, but some people, they're not very interested in the Chinese workers' story. It's difficult to find investors.

Any chance of an Asian-American joint venture?

Yeah, maybe they could try to collect some money from here (Asia).

They also have to find a good director. (The late) King Hu is difficult to follow. The director has to have his qualities. He will face a lot of pressure on this movie.

I'm so sorry about King Hu, you know. We met several times in LA and HK and talked about this script.

You think you'd want to make it a personal crusade of yours to see the film made?

Ah, no, because the rights belong to the independent company. Best thing would be for them to get it off the ground.

Apart from thrillers and action-comedies, what kind of role do you most want to play? Do you see yourself taking on dramatic roles?

Mmmm, I think we have to wait for this movie (The Replacement Killers), see how it does. Hollywood, it's all based very much on...

The bottom line?

Hahahaha, yes, we have to see how the box-office is.

Now that you're in the Hollywood community... we've seen a lot of event films this year. The trend in Hollywood seems to be to produce a lot of expensive films that either hit big or sink. What are your thoughts on that?

Someone told me that the producers usually try to, to expand the audience beyond the domestic viewers. Domestic box-office is only about 40%-45% of a film's total earnings, overseas gross is sometimes 50%, 60%.

So they try to make a lot of spectacular scenes, big explosions, big special effects, to try to attract big audiences overseas.

In the US you can see a lot of independent movies, like Fargo, make a lot of money, and cost only a few million to make. But generally, most of the world, they still prefer action movies.

They (filmmakers) will try to put tons and tons of money into proven characters or series like Batman, Die Hard 4 or 5, Alien 4 or 5. But even with that, the box-office today is not much better than before. Even with films like The Lost World, which they pumped so much money into, the audience still preferred the first one.

So more or less the audience, they are very picky.

The audiences are getting more selective?

Yeah, they know which one is to their taste. They can smell it! And they can go to the Internet, find out in advance what pictures are coming out, what the critics and the fans say about them. They are very demanding and knowledgeable now. So maybe in the future, much more attention will be paid to the scripts, to the characters.

Drama is very important, even if it's a romance or action film. Like in Liar Liar, you have a very good character, a good relationship between father and son, and even though it's a comedy you can get a lot of passion from it. The scriptwriter is very important to make good roles stand out in a movie.

I mean, of all the supporting elements, the animation, the effects, the important thing is the character itself. The majority of attention should go to the characters.

That was the problem with a lot of films this year? (That the roles, the characters, were secondary to other things.)

Yeah, because they have a formula. In Hong Kong we had formulas - up and down, they go in cycles.

Speaking of HK, I understand they are going to remake A Better Tomorrow ?

Um, no, I haven't heard. I know they remade City on Fire, The Killer.

It was on the Internet, one of the homepages dedicated to you, someone said they're going to put Lau Ching Wan in Ti Lung's role, and Leon Lai in your role.

(feigns deafness) Who?

Leon Lai.

I'd like to see that! (Film company people in the room laugh out loud.)

(The film may in fact have already been made; there's something making the rounds with the above-named cast called Return to a Better Tomorrow. It's not exactly a remake, and is available on video for those who want to take the risk. Frankly, we can think of better ways to spend the money, like on a yoghurt cone. Why mess with perfection?)

So of all the films you've done, 70-plus now, which is your favourite role?

Some characters are very, very close to my heart. Like Mark from A Better Tomorrow. In the early 80s I did one with (director) Ann Hui, about the refugees... The Story Of Woo Viet, yes (often cited by Chow as one of the roles he is proudest of). And in 1984 I did another one called Hong Kong 1941.

You won the Golden Horse award for that one, right?

Exactly. Oh, you have a very good memory.

(feigning humility) Uh, it was in the production notes.

And in 1986 there was A Better Tomorrow, City On Fire, An Autumn's Tale... and The Killer.

That was the film that launched you internationally, would you say?

Right, exactly. Still my favourite. If you talk about action movies, The Killer is my favourite film of all time.

But if you had to pick the one role you're the proudest of?

I think Mark from A Better Tomorrow... a lot of passion, emotion, sadness, happiness, everything inside.

So that is your overall favourite? You were kind of a dark horse in that one, weren't you? Um, that is, they were trying to use it as Ti Lung's comeback and to introduce Leslie Cheung to the film world, but you kind of took the spotlight from the two of them.

Actually, the story was more about the brothers, played by Ti Lung and Leslie Cheung. My role was only a small part, but the character just stood out. John Woo had a lot to do with that.

I can probably say (from this experience) that success as an actor is all based on your f-a-t-e, fate.

And timing, that's very important too.

In 1986, the year it was released, it was a hard time for the Hong Kong people, you could say everybody was waiting for a better tomorrow.

Mark was someone they could identify with. They needed somebody to "speak" for them. This guy Mark, he was like the focus for all their feelings.

To what do you attribute your international appeal? The fact you have fans all over the world and even in America where your films were not widely released till recently. That is, your films didn't open in thousands of theatres nationwide, but you were still well-known there.

I'd say it was John Woo. I think it was John Woo's films more than me the public went to see.

You sure about that?

Oh, yes, yes. They like his directing. I mean, an actor has his own charm, or appeal, but the director is more important, the director is the soul of the movie.

I'm, I'm not very talented.

Oh, come now.

Yeah! (Take A Better Tomorrow for example) Everything is from the director - the jacket, the toothpick, the sunglasses, everything is from John Woo. The set-up, everything is from the director. My "charm" is not mine, it's from the movies.

Cough. Sorry.

You want some water?

No, no, I'm fine, thanks.

(To movie folks in the room) Could we get some water please?

What's it been like in America? Do people recognize you when you walk around?

Not yet. Not in Chinatown.

Not in Chinatown?!

Hahahaha, yes. I can go anywhere in the United States, no problem. I'm still a new kid in town.

So, what kind of impact is the new kid going to make with The Replacement Killers ?

Can't tell yet. I hope it does well. I hope most of all, however it does, people will treat me like a friend rather than anything else. I want to keep the relationship ordinary because performing is just part of my job.

Like you, you're doing your job, so I'm working too, I get pressure from my bosses. Stardom is no big deal.

(The water arrives)

Cheers! (Interviewee and interviewer clink glasses.)

Boy, wish I had a photo of that! (Everybody laughs)

Anyway, you were saying... it's all just part of the job? That's not a common attitude among movie stars.

Maybe... but I don't think you should call me a movie star. Just call me Fatt-chai or Fatt-kor or whatever, but don't call me a superstar or anything. I'm just a worker in the film industry.

I never, never bring my profession to my reality. This is only part of my work, I don't take my subjects, the roles I play, into my world. This is just a fantasy, not reality. It doesn't work that way.

You're not like some actors who get so wrapped up in their work, they stay "in character" even after the cameras stop rolling for the day?

Yaaaaah! Not for me. But some actors, they love the camera. Some, they just don't have it. They don't have a relationship with the camera. That's important for a film or TV actor.

Not like a stage show, where you are face-to-face with the audience, they can respond to you, so you know how you're doing.

When you're facing the camera, you're not with your "partner", the audience. So you have to develop a relationship with the lens. Otherwise when it's over, you didn't get it right, and you have to do another take.

(Movie company exec signals the end of the interview.)

Oops, time to wrap things up.

They giving you a hard time?

(Remembering the restaurant scene from A Better Tomorrow II) Er... of course, they're just doing their job, too. (grin) But before we go, could I beg your indulgence...? (holding out a camera to movie company lady)

That would be an honour!

And that's it, really. The rest of the interview ends mainly visually as the reporter's guise is shed and the starry-eyed fanboy comes out of hiding to pose for a couple of pictures with...The Man.

©1998 The Star. All rights reserved.