Tony Leung and Andy Lau reunite on the big screen in “The Goldfinger" after 20 years

The Star

Hong Kong movie stars Tony Leung Chiu Wai and Andy Lau reunited on screen again, twenty years after they last shared the big screen in the Infernal Affairs trilogy (2002-2003).  The pair will square off once again in the riveting crime thriller, The Goldfinger,  opens at cinemas nationwide on Dec 30.   Read more at http://tinyurl.com/yc7kws94  WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar LIKE: https://fb.com/TheStarOnline

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00:00 I'm not going back to Hong Kong! I'm afraid to die!

00:03 20 years was how long it took for Hong Kong movie stars Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Andy Lau to reunite on screen.

00:10 The pair, who last shared the big screen in the Infernal Affairs trilogy,

00:18 will square off once again in the riveting crime thriller The Goldfinger.

00:22 At the press conference in Kuala Lumpur on December 22, the 61-year-old mega star said,

00:29 the prospect of working alongside 62-year-old Lau influenced his decision to join the movie.

00:55 Leung added that there was a sense of security that came with starring alongside someone he's

01:01 familiar with, allowing him to feel bolder to try new things. The actor previously told Lau

01:08 that they should share the screen as partners rather than enemies in future projects.

01:14 Markets are built on trust.

01:16 And we don't need to communicate much on set to do it.

01:23 I don't know why he's always there for me.

01:26 Set in the 1980s, The Goldfinger depicts the rise and fall of a massive conglomerate,

01:33 led by the arrogant yet charismatic Henry Ching, played by Leung,

01:37 relentlessly pursued by senior investigator Lau Kai-yuan, played by Lau.

01:43 The movie also stars Charlene Choi, Simon Yam, Alex Fong and Philip Keong.

01:49 While the film draws inspiration from the real-life financial fraud of the now-defunct

01:55 Kareem Group, director Felix Chong clarified that all characters are fictional and the story of the

02:01 main character and his conglomerate are different. With a reported budget of HK$350 million or over

02:10 200 million ringgit, The Goldfinger stands out as one of the most expensive films in Hong Kong cinema.

02:17 Despite the substantial budget, producer Ronald Wong was confident the pairing of Leung and Lau

02:23 would attract moviegoers. Chong, who worked on the script for Infernal Affairs, said Leung was

02:30 his sole choice for the role of the manipulative Ching. Meanwhile, Leung said he welcomes the

02:37 challenge of playing an antagonist in the movie.

02:41 First of all, I think the story is very interesting.

02:45 It's not just about what happened in Hong Kong in the 70s and 80s.

02:49 There are still similar incidents happening now.

02:51 And my character is very different from my previous roles.

02:56 I think in my acting career, I have been asked to play more than five villains.

03:05 I think every time I play a villain, I feel fresh.

03:13 He also found delivering some lines in Hokkien in the movie very challenging.

03:18 It's really difficult.

03:21 I learned it on the spot, so I don't think I can say it right.

03:27 I don't know what I'm saying.

03:31 I was laughing when I said it.

03:33 I tried many times, but it didn't work.

03:35 So we had to dub it.

03:37 Another challenging scene for Leung was one that required fellow actress Catherine Chow to slap him.

03:45 At first, it didn't hurt much because he didn't dare to hit me.

03:49 I kept encouraging him, "Don't be afraid.

03:51 Hit me hard, or you'll get a lot of scars."

03:55 But he hit me once, and it was painful.

04:01 Leung's resilience in the face of adversity and dedication to his craft have certainly paid off.

04:07 He was awarded the Golden Lion Lifetime Achievement Award at the Venice Film Festival in September

04:14 and became the first actor to sweep the top acting prizes at Taiwan's Golden Horse Awards,

04:21 the Hong Kong Film Awards and China's Golden Rooster Awards.

04:26 I'm happy to be awarded the Golden Lion Lifetime Achievement Award.

04:30 I feel like I've been rewarded for my hard work for the past few decades.

04:38 I'm happy to be recognized by the public.

04:42 Even after 40 years of acting, Leung expressed no desire to retire anytime soon

04:48 and is working to diversify his acting portfolio by working with different directors globally.

04:54 The movie star, who made his Hollywood debut in Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings,

05:01 will be heading to Germany in March to shoot Hungarian director Iudiko Enyeti's upcoming film Silent Friend.

05:09 I've never thought about how many films I can make in the future.

05:20 I've always hoped to work with filmmakers from different countries,

05:31 and see how many films I can make in the next few years.

05:37 One person Leung won't be collaborating with in the future, though,

05:41 is his wife, Hong Kong actress Karina Lau.

05:45 I felt strange acting with my wife after I worked with her.

05:53 It felt really strange.

05:55 So I never thought we'd work together again.

06:01 The Goldfinger opens on December 30 at cinemas nationwide.

06:08 Pardon me?

06:10 You're rich, but you're not smart.

06:12 You didn't make the decision.

06:14 Of course I didn't.

06:17 The Goldfinger opens on December 30 at cinemas nationwide.

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