漫威的香奇和十个戒指的传说opens in ten days. This is a big movie, Marvel’s first theatrical release since the pandemic began and its first blockbuster with an East Asian lead superhero. So, of course, casting Shang-Chi and finding the actor best-suited to carry this responsibility was of paramount importance. When you see the movie, though, you will realise that casting Shang-Chi’s antagonist might have been just as vital. Shang-Chi was not written specifically for Simu Liu. But I wonder…was the script’s villain written specifically for Tony Leung?
一旦您观看了它，您就会知道我的意思 - 我不确定其他人是否会带给Tony Leung所扮演的角色。Which is why “villain” isn’t even the right word for it, but if we have to use it, in this context, being that we’re talking about Marvel, Tony Leung’s Wenwu, aka The Mandarin, is one of the MCU’s best villains. Since I’m biased, I’ll go ahead and say that, for me, he is the MCU’s BEST VILLAIN. Because he’s not really a villain. He is part of Shang-Chi. He is the origin. There would be no Shang-Chi without Wenwu and The Mandarin, like there would be no Luke Skywalker without Anakin and Darth Vader. So in order to make this work, in order to elevate Wenwu, The Mandarin, above all its historical controversy, the xenophobia, you need one of the greatest actors in the world. An actor who for the first time in his near 40-year career is making his first Hollywood movie.
That tells you something about the character, how special it is, and why Tony Leung – who, trust me, does not need the money, not even Marvel money, considering how successful he is in Asia and his previous disinterest in doing projects outside of Asia – finally said yes.
The review embargo onShang-Chilifted yesterday and while the movie is being very well-received, critics are overwhelmingly unanimous on one performance: Tony Leung’s. He will make you swoon. He will make you fist-pump. He will make you angry. He will make you cry. He is at once hot and cool in this movie, so f-cking stylish, so slick, so menacing, so hurt, and so complicated. And he’s not here to collect a paycheque, he’s giving the same commitment to this role as he did in为了爱的心情，这部电影是西方观众最著名的电影，他为此获得了全球赞誉。
So should we start the campaign? Marvel movies don’t really get considered for awards in the non-tech categories. And certainly not in the acting categories. Michael B Jordan, in my opinion, should have been Oscar nominated for his work inBlack Panther.And Tony Leung should definitely be nominated for his work onShang-Chi.鉴于到目前为止的反应已经发生了什么，如果电影在票房上表现出色，我想知道Marvel是否会为他付出一些努力和金钱。如果是，托尼甚至在乎。
正如我们上周看到的,托尼和米歇尔·杨h showed up for the Hollywood premiere. Tony has a really low-key reputation. It’s been this way for years, and those of us who follow East Asian and particularly Hong Kong entertainment news are familiar with his approach to fame – he’s reclusive by western standards. And even when he does make himself available, he’s not all that verbose. I interviewed him at TIFF in 2007 forLust, Caution, and he was lovely and sweet, but not all that talkative. And it isn’t so much that he’s wary of the media, it’s more that he’s an internal person, and quite shy. Many of his co-stars said the same last week when I spoke to them on theShang-Chijunket. Tony operates on a contained energy – his generosity and grace is demonstrated not through words but through presence: he does not retreat to his trailer between takes, he doesn’t have his phone with him on set, he’s THERE, and he’s observing and absorbing, he’s curious, he’s collaborative, and he’s sharing in the experience, but quietly. This is not a person, then, who’s after any awards. But if, by chance, he’s open to it, that campaign would be an easy sell, even to the still-white Oscar Academy. Especially if, after the movie comes out, mainstream audiences finally meet him and see what they’ve been missing.
And in that sense, maybe it’s best that he’s doing virtually no western press. Because their introduction to him will be the way he perhaps is intending it to be – on the screen, in香奇和十个戒指的传说. For those in the East though, Tony covers the first issue of ELLE Men Singapore.
Flip through this carousel to appreciate the beauty of this man, now 59 years old.
I’ve been watching Tony Leung since I was eleven years old, renting cassette tapes of Hong Kong drama series from the Chinese malls. He is as gorgeous now as he was then. Those shots of him in the turtleneck, MY GOD.
这也值得品尝，因为它很少见。就像我说的那样，他不经常这样做。而且也有采访。无论您是第一次来托尼，还是像我一样几乎像我一样成为粉丝，都值得一读。例如，由于本文，我意识到Wenwu是他第一次扮演“邪恶的角色”。并不是说托尼·李（Tony Leung）永远是“好人”，而是他几乎所有的角色都无法用黑白术语来定义。扮演他的角色Lust, Caution– there is no way you would call him a hero, he does some f-cked up sh-t, and yet there’s humanity in the performance that makes it a lot more nuanced that someone you simply root for or against.
Also? Apparently his experience withShang-Chiopened him up to considering more English-language opportunities. He mentions a television series in his interview with ELLE Men Singapore:
“Perhaps because I started out with TV, and with the wonderful experience of working with Marvel this time, the idea for such a production seems interesting,” he says. If it all goes well, filming will commence sometime next year in Vancouver. “Think of all that room for creativity!” Leung adds, his face lighting up.
Not surprisingly, none of the Hollywood trades have even mentioned whatever project it is that Tony Leung could possibly be looking at to shoot in Vancouver next year. Can someone please get on this?!
To read the full article on Tony Leung,head to ELLE Singapore. Highly recommend.
