By Shawne Wang
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“Jackie`s name is in the credits because he acted as our action choreographer for a day an action choreographer we couldn`t afford, but he volunteered for the job! Wang explains during the press conference for the film, held yesterday at the Arts/Science Museum of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel.
“He came to visit the set one day, and it was coincidentally during an action sequence that Ziyi and I were filming. He looked as if he really couldn`t quite accept [what we were doing]. He stayed with us throughout the night until 4am the next day, choreographing an entire fighting sequence for us!
Director Dennie Gordon, who`s known for her prolific work on American television and light-hearted cinematic fare like What A Girl Wants, chimes in, “The next day, we had his stunt coordinator and entire team for the rest of the movie… as a gift from Jackie! You can imagine why he`s the big brother to all film-makers in China. He was so generous. I`m grateful to Jackie for the safety of my cast and all the incredible action we were able to do in the film!
Finding a leading man
It is evident during the press conference that Zhang and Wang share a healthy mutual respect they are unstinting in their praise of each other, and clearly relish the opportunity to have worked together on My Lucky Star.
“Lee Hom and I have known each other for years, Zhang remembers. “The most recent interaction we had was five years ago, when we were both carrying the Olympic torch in Greece. At that point, I was already hopeful that I`d be able to make a movie with him. When we were in the final stages with the script [of My Lucky Star], the only candidate I had in mind for my leading man was Lee Hom.
On his part, Wang is thrilled to have had the opportunity to act opposite Zhang. “Doing that was quite exciting enough for me! I also played witness to her skill as a producer. She was very professional and very good at her job.
A different side of herself
Better known for playing stern, serious-minded young ladies, Zhang cheerfully admits that she loves playing Sophie simply because she`s far more like her character in real life. “Actually, I`m quite like Sophie myself. [After 2009`s Sophie`s Revenge,] I couldn`t get this character out of my mind, because she has so many characteristics that are specific to females: she`s a bit wilful, a bit silly, and sometimes she can be a little flighty. I hope girls who watch this film can see themselves in her too.
“Before I worked more closely with Ziyi, I didn`t really see this side of her myself, Wang confesses. “Because usually we see Ziyi on the red carpet or serving as a judge at prestigious film festivals, dressed to the nines. Here, you get to see that other side of her in which she`s adorable and goofy and has flights of fancy just like Sophie.
Picking a director
When asked why an American director had been chosen to helm the film, Zhang answers, “We chose Dennie, an American director, because we wanted to try a new way of doing things. We wanted this film to succeed by bringing in a lot of resources and elements from overseas. So many co-produced films these days already use foreign resources in The Grandmaster, our cameraman was from France. This manner of filming has existed for a while. But to bring it to a comedy with action, adventure and romance it`s a very varied movie. If this succeeds, we have more options in the future. To me, this is a really daring experiment.
Gordon is clearly thrilled to be on board. “I was extremely privileged to have the chance to develop this film with Ziyi, because she had created this character that she loved and it was really fun to take this material and go in a new direction.
Moreover, Gordon made history by taking up the megaphone for My Lucky Star. “I`m very honoured to have the distinction of being the first American woman to direct a film in China. You can imagine how thrilling it is for me to have that first film be with the brilliant and fabulous Zhang Ziyi and the incredibly multi-talented Wang Lee Hom. To have these two superstars come together in this film was something miraculous and very special.
Shooting in Singapore
“This is the first time I`ve shot a movie in Singapore, Zhang proclaims. “I`ve been here on holiday and for publicity tours. Filming in Singapore was like being on holiday it was very relaxing and enjoyable, which fits with the light-hearted theme of the movie. The air is good, the food tastes great: we were in such high spirits every day filming in such a wonderful environment!
Zhang even remembers taking in some of the sights with Wang as her self-appointed tour guide. “Lee Hom brought us to the iFly attraction on Sentosa. He told us what time to meet, and arranged for a bus to pick us up at the hotel! We were just reminiscing about it actually.
The only thing that irked Zhang somewhat were the crowds of people who gathered to watch them filming particularly the girls who would be arrayed on the other side of the camera who were clearly there to catch a glimpse of Wang.
“I particularly do not like having a lot of people watching me when I`m working, Zhang reveals. “I like to have just the camera in front of me; I`d even prefer to have as few crew members around as possible. When acting, I have to be very quiet within myself to be submerged within the character. It was not so bad with this film though, because it`s so light-hearted.
She even jokes that she might have been one of the girls lining up to watch Wang film a scene in which he emerges from a pool with his chest bare. “I wasn`t there the day they shot that scene! she laments cheekily. “Because no one informed me about it!
A few pivotal scenes took place in and around the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. As Gordon remembers it, “We did some historic things at the Marina Bay Sands that I don`t think they`ll let anybody do ever again! Pretty crazy stuff like jumping off the roof. We`re just very happy to be back in Singapore and we felt so supported here!
Theme song
Zhang is quite disarmingly honest in dismissing her attempts to sing a duet with Wang for the film`s theme tune, Love A Little. “It`s like a duck quacking! she insists, even though Wang tries to defend her as a multi-talented artiste who is now threatening to move from actor to producer and singer as well.
“If I went to a karaoke pub with people, I`d sing very enthusiastically, Zhang explains. “But to have me record a song in a studio it was as if my butt became really heavy and I had to sit down on the sofa and couldn`t move. The producer of the track had to counsel and console and cajole me with food before we started recording, because I really don`t have confidence in myself in singing.
Lady Luck
The Mandarin title of the film Very Lucky is one that Zhang identifies with in more ways than one. “It`s been true of me from the day I got my start in the industry, and it`s never left me in the fifteen years since. Every successful person has had the help of many benefactors. I still consider myself very lucky today I`m very grateful that there have been so many directors and producers who have trusted me and given me so many opportunities.
“Without Lee Hom, for instance, this movie might not exist, she points out. “I was lucky that he agreed to do the movie. When you`re working very hard on the career you wish to have, you really do need that bit of luck you never know when it`ll happen to you.
Wang is, once again, charmingly quick in defending his co-star from her own self-deprecation. “In English, they say that `Luck is when opportunity meets preparation`. I`ve watched Ziyi go through a lot she`s worked and prepared really hard.
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My Lucky Star opens on 19 September 2013.
Photos courtesy of Marina Bay Sands.