Scouted for the part, ‘Malaysia’s Andy Lau’ is thrilled to be making his debut in a Hong Kong movie, writes Loong Wai Ting
WHEN Hong Kong-based film director Wilson Chin and producer Charlie Wong began scouting for an actor in their high-octane film Special Female Force, they had two criteria in mind: The actor must be someone famous and good looking.
Eventually, Aaron Aziz’s name came up and both agreed that the Singapore-born, Malaysia-based actor fit the requirements. Coincidentally, Chin is also a big fan of KL Gangster (2011), in which Aaron starred.
Chin is best known for helming Lan Kwai Fong, a three-part film depicting the lives of three young men and their promiscuous lifestyles.
“Chin emailed me some time in 2014 and I did a double take thinking maybe it was a prank. But the director managed to convince me to be in his film,” said Aaron, when met at the film’s Press conference in The Majestic Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.
While making the film, in which he plays the villain. Aaron earned the nickname “Malaysia’s Andy Lau”.
“Before filming started, I was told that the female leads were very curious about who would play the main antagonist. I’m thankful for the opportunity and the trust that the director had in me,” said Aaron, who was dressed in a blue jacket with matching blue slacks. To complete the look, his hair had been dyed ash blue.
“Special Female Force is about a group of elite female police officers. I only play a small role in the film,” said the 40-year-old.
“Charlie asked if it was okay for me to make a special appearance in the film and my initial response was ‘why not?’. However, the problem was not being able to converse in or understand Cantonese,” said Aaron, who has appeared in numerous TV series and films, including Evolusi KL Drift (2008), Garisan Takdir (2003) and Ombak Rindu (2011).
“But being called Malaysia’s Andy Lau is awesome!,” quipped the actor.
He shared that during filming, he would be given his script in English every day and was told to say a few choice Cantonese words to make his character be realistic.
“I memorised the intonation of each word. I had little dialogue to begin with, so it wasn’t too hard to memorise the lines,” said the actor, who used to be the Hong Kong Tourism Board’s ambassador.
OTHER HK PROJECT
Special Female Force marks Aaron’s debut in a Hong Kong film. The actor will soon star in another Cantonese film titled Undercover Punch And Gun, opposite martial arts stars Philip Ng and Andy On, singer and actor Vanness Wu (from the now-disbanded Mandopop group F4) and Jia, a former member of South Korean pop group Miss A.
In the movie, Aaron’s character wears a mask to cover up his real identity. The mask took three hours to put on each time. “It was made from latex. It was uncomfortable especially when we were filming outdoors because it stuck to my skin, making it hard to peel off afterwards,” he said.
The actor also expressed his admiration for the female stars in the film, particularly Eliza Sam.
“Eliza and I were filming a scene at the Putrajaya lake, where we had to jump into the water, which was filthy and full of barnacles. She had cuts and bruises everywhere but she continued filming anyway. I have high respect for her and the rest of the female stars who did their own stunts and never once complained about the difficulties,” he said.
Apart from Undercover Punch And Gun, Aaron is due to star in an Osman Ali-directed romantic film, tentatively titled Kau Yang Satu, opposite actress Izara Aishah.
He will also be directing his own film, Sayu Yang Syukur, which features Nora Danish in a lead role. Aaron will then head back to Singapore to film a 13-episode English sitcom titled Meet The MP.
SAM’S MOST PHYSICAL ROLE
Special Female Force marks TVB actress Sam’s film debut.
After winning the Miss Chinese Vancouver Pageant in 2010 and subsequently Miss Chinese International Pageant, the 31-year-old first made an impression on the small screen, starring in various series including The Hippocratic Crush, Sniper Standoff, Never Dance Alone and the recently-ended Inspector Gourmet.
The Vancouver-born actress won the hearts of many viewers with her bubbly personality and girl-next-door image. In Special Female Force, Sam trades her sweet looks for guns and fist fights.
“Most of the roles that I’ve had before were tame in comparison. This is my first time taking on a more physical role. I treasured every moment I spent onset, including learning how to fight and handling firearms. Given the opportunity, I’d do it all over again,” said the actress, who also took kickboxing as part of her preparation.
There were reports of disagreements between Sam and the other female stars but the former was quick to brush it off as just rumours.
“All of us had expectations of our characters and the film. We came together to make the film a success. Until today, we still keep in close contact. I’ve made a lot of friends since filming ended and that’s my biggest reward of working on the film,” she said.
Like Aaron, the former English teacher had problems with her dialogue. The native English-speaker had to rely on pinyin (romanised system), which is often used in the teaching and writing of Chinese characters.
“There were English words written all over my script to help me memorise it. I even translated some of the words into English so that I understand it better. I’ve improved a lot since,” said the actress, with a laugh.
Special Female Force is a remake of the cult classic, The Inspector Wears Skirts (1988), which starred Sibelle Hu, Kara Hui and Sandra Ng.
This remake follows a group of elite agents sent to stop a terrorist group from starting a global biological war. It also stars Mandy Ho, Chris Tong, Joyce Cheng, Jeana Ho, Anita Chui and Jade Leung.
Special Female Force is now showing in cinemas.