[2011.08.26] HSU FENG SEEKS THE SIMPLE LIFE

courtesy of takungpao.com

On Cable this week, Wong Man Ling traveled to Shanghai to interview film producer, public company CEO and good friend Hsu Feng and talked about how she started in film and the pain of making FAREWELL MY CONCUBINE (BA WONG BIT GEI). Hsu Feng also regretted that she was unable to work with her mentor King Hu (Wu Kam Chuen) again; seeking a simple life, she honestly said that she had no interest in mansions. Her favorite job was still making movies.

An over night success with A TOUCH OF ZEN (HUP NUI), Hsu Feng considered herself getting into the business "by accident". Back then when Wu Kam Chuen made her A TOUCH OF ZEN's lead actress, she was more afraid than happy. Because Director Wu was serious about his production, she often was scolded. However she honestly said that working with him was a great honing. After retirement she opened a film company, investing in FAREWELL MY CONCUBINE she even won the Cannes Film Festival Palme d'or Prize that so many have dreamt of. Yet back then casting was quite a problem for her. "From the beginning I was certain about (Leslie) Cheung Kwok Wing, but he had many conditions that made me not waiting to spend the energy to serve others; John Lone told me that he really wanted to perform, but I still thought Cheung Kwok Wing's face was more tender and pretty. When I negotiated with John Lone, he was even harder to deal with. I was on the edge of a nervous breakdown. Later Cheung Kwok Wing said that he wanted to perform and dropped all of the previous conditions. I then immediately signed a contract with him." She also praised Cheung Kwok Wing's performance as great and was the most suitable to play Consort Yu. Yet because the Cannes jury was unfamiliar with him, he did not win the Best Actor award.

Hsu Feng's husband David Tong passed away in 2004, which had a heavy impact on her and even gave her depression. Wherever she went she had to bring medicine with her. However finally she was able to put away her sorrow and take over her husband's entire real estate business. She said, "I am a perfectionist, very intense with the business. I don't want to shame my husband." However she honestly said that mansions to me actually had no meaningful. The life that she was after was very simple, a bed and a television were enough. As for her son being linked to people in the industry, she did not mind at all that he was dating artists as long as he liked them.