Director Stanley Tong and stars Norika Fujiwara, Wang Lee Hom and Ruby Lin roll into Singapore
The title may be China Strike Force but this is indeed an international movie. Directed by Hong Kong director Stanley Tong and featuring an international cast - Hong Kong superstar Aaron Kwok, popular Taiwanese singer Wang Lee Hom, Taiwanese cutie-pie Ruby Lin, Japanese top-billing actress Norika Fujiwara, American actor Mark Dacascos and rapper Coolio - China Strike Force promises to thrill movie-goers with more than the usual stunts and action sequences.
Tong was the man behind Jackie Chan's hit movies First Strike, Super Cop and Rumble in the Bronx which launched Chan's career in the States. He made his Hollywood directorial debut in 1997 with Disney's Mr. Magoo starring Leslie Nielson. Since then, he's also produced and directed episodes of the popular TV series Martial Law for CBS. China Strike Force is his first Asian project since 1996.
In China Strike Force, Aaron Kwok plays a Chinese Public Security officer who joins forces with the vivacious Norika Fujiwara, an undercover Interpol agent from Japan, to battle an international drug ring backed by corrupt government officials.
Following Ang Lee’s triumphant return to Asian cinema with the epic Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - a potential Best Foreign Film winner at next year's Oscars - hopes are high for China Strike Force to succeed at the box office in Asia and beyond. Stanley Tong, Wang Lee Hom, Norika Fujiwara and Ruby Lin were in Singapore for a press conference at the newly opened Fullerton Hotel on December 18 and we were there to bring you the pictures and their answers.
Lee Hom, what was it like to work with Ruby Lin Xiang Ru and Norika Fujiwara?
Wang Lee Hom: This is my first film and it's definitely left a very strong impression on me. I've been singing for five years and I'm always interested to make a movie. So when this opportunity came about, I told myself I definitely can't miss it. Furthermore, there's such a strong cast in this movie. As for Ruby and Norika, they're both good actresses. Both have their strengths. We worked very well on and off screen as we spent four months together making this film, working from day to night. Unlike recording for an album, there're so many people involved in filmmaking, and in the process, I've made a lot of friends. And now, after the movie is completed, I get to travel around Asia to promote it. It's very refreshing and I've learnt a lot, from the basic of how to react to the camera to reading your lines. I've also learnt a lot from director Stanley Tong. It's a good learning environment.
Why did you choose to make your first movie with Stanley Tong?
Lee Hom: There are many reasons. The first reason is that I really like Stanley's movies. I think this is the main reason as I know the end result will be of good quality. He's very good in both action and dramatic films. Also, I think he's a very creative person. Though he's a filmmaker and I'm a music producer, I've picked up some skills from him that I think I can use in my music in future.
The next reason will be the cast for this film. There's Aaron Kwok, Ruby and Norika. And there's Coolio who's my idol. I was very excited when I heard that he's going to be in this movie. He's one of my favorite rap singers, someone whom I listen to a lot. He's so well known worldwide. We got to know each other quite well when we were filming in Shanghai. Furthermore, we came up with many songs. He wrote the lyrics, and I composed the music. It's really a rare opportunity.
Norika, there were some rumors that both you and Aaron Kwok got a little carried away in your romantic scenes. How was it to work with Aaron?
Norika Fujiwara: I've a good working relationship with Aaron. He's an enjoyable person to work with but the rumors are purely rumors. There's nothing going on between us.
Were there any dangerous or frightening things that occurred during the making of China Strike Force?
Norika: Yes, definitely. There was this scene where I had to hang off the 44th floor of a building. I was so scared and I kept crying. I wanted to give up. But after watching the playback, I was very impressed by it. I'm very thankful for Stanley for giving me this opportunity to make this movie.
Stanley, a few years ago, you did Mr Magoo and several American films. Now you've gone back to action and adventure in Hong Kong. Do you plan to make more American films?
Stanley Tong: Actually, there are two American projects that I was preparing for next year before I started on this China Strike Force promotion tour. One is with Norika with some American actors and the other one is a purely American movie.
I decided to go to Hollywood five years ago when I made Rumble in the Bronx not because I wanted to be a Hollywood director. I've been making Hong Kong movies in the last sixteen years, and I feel that there're limitations to what I can do with Hong Kong styled movies. And because of the market, we can only generate that much at the box office.
There's this big gap between Hong Kong movies and Hollywood films. The budget for one Hollywood movie is about US$47 million, and you'll be very happy if you have US$4 million for a Hong Kong movie. And to me, I want to learn Hollywood's system; the way they construct the script, the way they structure each character and their technology and film distribution. To me, making a movie is not just directing it; you have to be responsible to the investors. You make sure that you don't just spend the money and don't care if the movie makes money or not.
Secondly, the reason why most Asian or European movies can't break into the international market because they make it as a local film. Every country has their unique culture. Like for example, in an Indian movie, the love scene is portrayed by singing and dancing. But if you make it into an American film, the movie will become a musical. It's very different. It's hard to ask the other countries to accept our culture, as they don't understand it.
To be making China Strike Force from in-between making Hollywood movies and TV series is a change, and I'm doing this movie with an international audience in mind. It can now go to Japan, Europe, America. I think that's the difference. When you do an international movie, first of all, you've got to have an international well-known cast. And that's why for this movie, I've invited actors from America, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan and mainland China. And each one of them is a star in their own territory.
And I made two versions of this movie. For the international market, there's the English version. And the Mandarin version is for the Asian market. And this is the first time I'm doing it this way. What I learnt in Hollywood is that the audience is not used to watching dubbed films. They feel the movie is cheap when the lip-sync is not right. And if we go for subtitles, we tend to miss out one or two lines as we speak Chinese so fast. And it also takes a long time to explain the details. So, it's sometimes hard for them to understand the movie. When you look at the subtitles, you lose out on the performance. When you look at the performance, you don't know what happen. So it's difficult to distribute the movie. We can't ask them to change the system. In this way, we can bring this movie to Hollywood and other countries.
Ruby, what is your next project after you're done with China Strike Force's promotion?
Ruby Lin: I'm busy with the promotion tour now. So after this, I'll be preparing for my next album. And there'll also be another of my TV series that will be broadcast in March next year.
Lee Hom, how's this filming debut going to influence your singing career?
Lee Hom: Definitely in the positive way. I think it's very important for a musician to be able to have fun in other areas beside music. I've been doing music in school ever since I was a kid. And being an actor is something that's inspiring to musicians. I think it's the whole aspect that attracts acting to musicians. I'm singing the English version of China Strike Force's theme song call 'China White.' It's a song that I wrote after we finished the movie. I've got the inspiration from the movie, and from Stanley's style. It's a song that's rather different from what I've done.
Will you be concentrating more on filming in future?
Lee Hom: I think by taking part in this movie, it has expanded my music scope. I've made my first soundtrack and it's also in English. I'm sure my fans can see a different side of Wang Lee Hom, and I think this is very important to a performer. Of course, I'm looking forward to future movie opportunities. But my main focus is still on my music career. I'll be returning to the recording studios next month after this promotion tour ends.
There were some reports earlier that there has been some dispute between Aaron and Lee Hom about who's to sing the theme song.
Stanley: There's nothing for them to fight about. From the start, I've already asked Lee Hom to write the English theme song, simply because Coolio and Lee Hom are musicians. The English soundtrack is for the Europe and America market. The theme song for the Chinese soundtrack is, of course, sung by Aaron. I actually wanted Norika to sing the theme song and also do a duet with Lee Hom. But we wanted to release the movie during this Christmas season and by the time we sort out the legal rights to distribute the music worldwide, it'll take too long. There isn't enough time.
Norika, what's the difference between filming in Japan and Hong Kong?
Norika: The culture is very different, of course. There's also the language barrier. This is my first time communicating in English. The food in Hong Kong is very different too. I like Chinese food, but I'm so used to eating Japanese food everyday, so it took a while to get used to. It's a great experience to film in Hong Kong.
How do you solve your language problem?
Norika: I listen to more English music, and I email in English now. I'm also taking up English lessons and will try to speak more English now. Hopefully, I'll be able to speak more fluent English.
Can you share with us your beauty secrets?
Norika: I work out occasionally, and I do not take oily food. I also soak myself in a bathtub half-filled with water and sake for 45 minutes everyday. It's good for the blood circulation. I strongly believe that beauty is beyond skin deep. That's why I'm always trying to improve on my character.
Stanley: You know why you put sake in the bathtub? So that you can walk like a drunk person, sexy! (laughs)
Ruby, you've several romantic scenes with Takeshi Kaneshiro (Aniki Jin), Nicholas Tse and now Wang Lee Hom in your movies. How did both you and Lee Hom feel about filming the kissing scenes?
Ruby: Actually, the first kissing scene on the big screen is with Lee Hom. And among my other male co-stars, I felt that it's the easiest working with Lee Hom because we're both Taiwanese. There's an instant rapport between us. And we got to know each one very well.
Lee Hom: This is not my first kissing scene. I think my first one was on a stage play when I was in the States. And maybe because I've grown up in the States, I wasn't nervous at all. It's part of work.
Stanley: I've some things to add. (laughs) Their kissing scene was an exceptionally long one! They're on a balcony and I'm inside the room. They didn't stop kissing after I said "Cut!" several times. I was wondering what was going on between them, and then I realized I didn't turn on the walkie-talkie to tell my cameraman outside to stop!
From asiaeonline.com
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