[2015.04.18] CHARLENE CHOI IS THE BEST ACTRESS FAVORITE

Despite being the Best Actress favorite, Charlene Choi has no pressure

Ah Sa admits that she might not have accepted the SARA role before

Ah Sa and Simon Yam's love scenes are outstanding

Charlene Choi hopes to try even more different characters

Sandra Ng calls in favors for her film

Zhou Xun (WOMEN WHO FLIRT)
courtesy of on.cc

The 34th Hong Kong FIlm Award will be unveiled in two days. Getting most of the attention is the Best Actress battle, which more or less contains domestic consciousness as the Hong Kong film SARA (CHOR GEI) nominee Charlene Choi Cheuk Yin (Ah Sa) clashes with the DEAREST Hong Kong Film Critic Society Award Best Actress Vicki Zhao Wei. Earlier in a film industry and street poll, most supported Ah Sa. Ah Sa thanked everyone for their support, but Zhao Wei cannot lose in terms of acting. Earlier she said that she could bet on winning this Best Actress award.

Foul language is not acting, but being able to break through the existing image and getting into the character is acting! Aside from Ah Sa's line "I let you X me!" and bed scenes in SARA, she received the Hong Kong Film Award Best Actress nomination because of her performance that exceeded herself. However, in terms of layers, Ah Sa was long ago considered exceeding her reach in her challenge of DEAREST's Zhao Wei. What chance of winning did Ah Sa feel she had? She admitted, "Honestly I don't really dare to think about it, hahaha, it's not that I am not confident in myself, I have a lot of confidence in the entire film. At this moment with so many friends, elders and colleagues giving me encouragement, it's already more than enough. I haven't been praised like this in so many years."

"Good Enough To Be Nominated"

To know her enemies, Ah Sa after being nominated watched other Best Actress nominees' films. She said, "I feel that Zhao Wei's DEAREST truly earns people's tears. I almost cry from the beginning to the end. Actually every actor is very strong. I really like WOMEN WHO FLIRT too, and Sister Kwan Yu and Tang Wei. This time all five characters are very different. I feel I am good enough to be nominated, even if I am not right for the taste of this year's jury it doesn't mean that the film is bad."

SARA and GOLDEN CHICKEN SSS (GUM GAI SSS) are both domestic films, as a Hong Kong actress would Ah Sa have an advantage? She said, "Don't think that being local has an advantage. It's the same, no matter which actress wins I would be happy. If you don't win it doesn't mean that you are bad. Personally I of course want Sister Kwan Yu. Sister Kwan Yu is always giving me advice. She really is great, like teaching me an actor has to make sacrifices. Before I feel sacrifice is quality control, don't take anything that you don't like, quality over quantity; but in recent years I realize that isn't called sacrifice, sacrifice is turning down some that you like."

"Suppressed Depression From Being Too Heavy"

Because the character in SARA is too heavy, she not only went through being raped by her step father but also a flesh exchange with Simon Yam Tat Wa. During the shoot Ah Sa had huge mood swings. "When I made this film I spent too much time suppressing my emotions. Everyday I worked for a dozen hours or so. When I got home I slept for a few hours, then I went to work again for another dozen hours. I basically had no time to return to the real world. In addition at the time my dog just passed away, I was suffering double! I really remember March 19, last year on that date I was working on SARA, that day my dog passed away. I finished the entire film's first scene, the scene of being violated by the step father. The director gave me half a day to rest. Originally the director said that he wouldn't shoot it today, but the other actors were present. I felt the mood was just right so I finished it."

Ah Sa was the most pleased with the final scene with Yam Tat Wa. "In the entire film I think the most about this scene, before the shoot I already thought for a long time. During the official shoot I was very pleased." As for Brother Wa squeezing her chest, she said, "He was just feeling the pad, just like I was feeling his pad, hahaha, it's just acting."

If Ah Sa truly wins Best Actress, which three people would she thank? Ah Sa said after thinking for awhile, "I think three groups of people, the first group is my parents, thanking them for always supporting me. The second group is the cast and the crew, especially the director and Brother Wa, they helped me a lot. The third group is my boss, manager Mani, all my friends, completely because they have always supported me."

Zhao Wei Bets On Winning With The Nomination

Over the past decade, eight of the Film Critic Society Best Actress winners also won the Hong Kong Film award Best Actress. So the chance for Zhao Wei's DEAREST farm woman character to win absolutely has the numbers for proof. She has already forgotten that she was nominated for Best Actress in 2010 with MULAN. This moment is of course different from then, this time her chances are extremely high. "Basically I feel the nomination relies on substance. With this substance wining requires luck. Like last year at the Chinese Film Award I didn't have any confidence, I didn't dare to attend the award show." As for Sunday's Hong Kong Film Awards, Zhao Wei has already hinted that she would definitely attend. She said, "This time I will come because I happen to be working on (Johnnie) To Kei Fung's film in Guangzhou. It's would very convenient to come over. I have a little confidence, but not absolutely confident. Luck really is in it. In addition I have only seen GOLDEN ERA among the other films, after watching this film I felt like I finished several books."

"Answer To Myself"

Lately Hong Kong domestic consciousness rose. The local films and actors' chances to win rose, Zhao Wei felt that it was rational to face this atmosphere. "I feel this is even better, it's not related. If you feel the locals should be supported, everyone has his or her own angle and it is rational. So even if that day the winner wouldn't be me, I would be happy for the winner. To an actor, answering to yourself is more important. I feel that I can get past myself, so I am more settled."

Many actors before the race would prepare a thank you speech. Zhao Wei said that she did not dare to even think. She said, "Oh, I really don't dare to think about the thank you speech. I feel I won't know until the Hong Kong Film Awards, it really depends on then. Sometimes an award is like type of bet, I feel like I have a gambler's mentality. Of course I hope I win."

Put An Effort Into Imitating Bodily Movements

Zhao Wei in the film played the kidnapper's wife. Because both of her children were discovered as abducted, she faced the crisis of losing both children at the police station. Her on the brink of collapse won nothing but praises. Zhao Wei revealed that before the shoot she studied many documentaries and tried to get into the characters. " I spent the most effort instead on the bodily movement imitation. The emotion of being arrested was more complicated. To a farm village woman without much knowledge or experience, it was very horrifying. In addition both of the children were about to be taken away, the emotion was not so simple."

Zhao Wei in the film performed without any make up because she wanted to truly reflect the character's mental state. She did not expect the surprise. She said, "I never thought that after over a week without make up, my skin got better."

Kwan Yu Has Been Nominated For GOLDEN CHICKEN All Three Times

This year's Hong Kong Film Award Best Actress nominations have long ago been divided up into the domestic and the foreign camps. Three words names represented domestic and two word names represented Mainland. Aside from Choi Cheuk Yin's SARA Best Actress nomination, the other domestic star who was nominated was GOLDEN CHICKEN SSS' Sandra Ng Kwan Yu. This was Kwan Yu's third nomination with the character of Ah Kam, which was also a Hong Kong Film Award record. Winning Best Actress with PORTLAND STREET BLUES in 1999, Kwan Yu this time in GOLDEN CHIKCEN SSS had another layered performance. Only because of its Lunar New Year film nature and the character had superficial and exaggerated costumes, many people did not pay attention to her real acting. Actually she and Nick Cheung Ka Fai's relationship also had its detailed side.

Among this year's Best Actress nominees, the most experienced had to be WOMEN WHO FLIRT's Zhou Xun. She like Kwan Yu has been nominated for Best Actress six times. In 2006 she even with PERHAPS LOVE (YU GOR OI) won Best Actress. This time she was nominated with a light romantic comedy. Her performance was wild and a pleasant surprise. Two years ago Zhou Xun received two Best Actress nominations but Miriam Yeung Chin Wa with LOVE IN THE BUFF (CHUN GIU YU JI MING) defeated her. This time Zhou Xun again was nominated with a similar character, the difficulty seemed to be high.

Tang Wei in recent years has been a frequent guest to Best Actress nominations, but they only brushed her by. This time with GOLDEN ERA she played the legendary writer Xiao Hong. Earlier she won the Directors' Guild Best Actress, who knows if it will be the opportunity for her to surprise. Biography films have always been to jury liking, in addition director Ann Hui On Wa has already sent many female stars to the Best Actress throne. No wonder Tang Wei was the Best Actress dark horse.