Playing the movie character Captain Cool has opened many doors for Hong Kong artiste Chilam Cheung, writes Loong Wai Ting
AFTER the successful run of TVB drama series Triumph In The Skies 2, Chilam Cheung’s career has been on a steady rise.
The Hong Kong actor and singer plays the charming Captain Cool in the series. He was here recently for his first solo concert. While the success of the TV series came unexpectedly, it opened many doors of opportunity for Cheung, whose 2013 action-fantasy film The Fox Lover premieres this Sunday on Astro’s channel 322.
Directed by Niu Chaoyang, the movie is based on Pu Songling’s classic supernatural short story, Liaozhai Zhiyi.
In Niu’s version, Cheung plays the naive Wang Yuanfeng, whom the white fox spirit Xiaochui (Gillian Chung) is attracted to. When a sea demon terrorises the village, Wang has to gather his courage to save the people. Xiaochui finds herself torn between her love for Wang and her duty to the demon, forcing her to make the ultimate sacrifice.
It also stars Kara Hui as Madame Yu, Gao Hu, You Benchang, Kenny Kwan and Gong Xinliang.
Below, Cheung tells us about his role in The Fox Lover and his plan to reprise Captain Cool for the silver screen.
Tell us about your character.
Wang Yuanfeng is the main protagonist in the story. Initially, he seems dim-witted but later, he is transformed into a more charismatic and courageous person.
The earlier part of this film required me to play Wang as a person with physical challenges. Then he becomes more assured of himself. Playing such conflicting personalities was a major challenge for me.
You share a lot of screen time with Gillian Chung. What is it like working with her?
It was great to work together with her in this. Gillian is very professional. We share many emotional scenes in The Fox Lover. We can relate and interact well so it didn’t take long for us to internalise the characters. I hope there will be more collaborations for us.
The movie is based on Pu Songling’s Strange Stories From A Chinese Studio (Liaozhai Zhiyi). Had you read the story prior to filming?
Before I accepted the role of Wang Yuanfeng, I had watched other adaptations of the story to better comprehend the role. I cried twice when I finally read the script prior to filming.
Did you experience any setback during filming?
It was extremely cold and that was the hardest part. Shooting was done at night, in low temperatures.
What are some of the most memorable experiences while making the film?
This is my first experience filming a period movie in 3D. It was a totally new experience.
Triumph In The Skies 2 got unexpected good ratings. Are you excited about reprising your role as Captain Cool again?
Taking on the role of Captain Cool for the second time gives me a feeling of familiarity, and wherever I go, people either call me Chilam or the Cool Beast. I reckon many have taken a liking to this character and I think that the role of Captain Cool has opened many doors for me.
Can you share some insights into Triumph In The Skies 2? I understand that some of the cast will be leaving for England for shooting.
I will be flying to England to film the movie version soon. To be honest, there isn’t much to talk about at this time. I have yet to shoot any scene. I will keep everyone in the loop if there are any inside stories once I’m done filming. Of course, I’m really looking forward to have the audience see it.
You’ve been in many TV series and films. What do you think of the TV and film industry in Asia?
I hope the industry will continue to grow globally because this ensures audiences have a wide choice in movie genres. I would also love to collaborate with new production teams and directors in my upcoming movie projects.
The Fox Lover premieres onSept 14 at 9pm on Celestial Movies (Astro channel 322).