[2022.07.22] CYA LIU PROCLAIMS HERSELF THE POOREST BEST ACTRESS

The fresh out of the oven Best Actress Cya Liu was once lost but still feels that she "really likes acting"

Cya Liu looks forward to working with Donnie Yen
courtesy of on.cc

The fresh out of the oven Best Actress Cya Liu left home in her teens, rose to fame from a Mainland music contest program then "changed jobs" to become an actor. Her background was similar to Zhou Xun's. She said that she was not the smartest of actors, in the past wasting too much time on waiting for opportunities. She might also be the "poorest Best Actress", but she insisted on not changing her original intention!

With 18 years in the business, Cya Liu with her starring role in the film LIMBO (JI CHI) won three Best Actress awards. At the just past 40th Hong Kong Film Awards she won Best Actress. She described that at the moment of the announcement her "eyes went dark, mind went blank'. The award felt like it weighed a ton in her hand, as she kept telling herself to work even harder from now on and not to disappoint everyone.

The first words that came out of Cya Liu's mouth after winning the award was to remind herself from now on she would "value quality over quantity and over money" with her roles. She admitted that she perhaps was the "poor Best Actress". "After making my first movie THIRTEEN PRINCESS TREES, which won the 19th Tokyo International Film Festival jury special prize. At the time I was rather popular, but gradually no more offers came. I was staying at a friend's home, luckily I didn't have to pay for food. I ended up wasting my time waiting for the next few years! Later I realized that I still liked acting, then I ran into the movie CAFE BY THE HIGHWAY, even though I took the role I still made very few. It couldn't even be called a salary. In the end after reading the scrip I still felt I had to fight for the role!" This film won her Shanxi's Pingyao International Film Festival Fei Mu Best Actress.

Looking back, she happily said, "I have only played the lead three time, but I won awards for all three. My instinct has been proven to be very accurate, but I am very poor. However now I can't say that anymore, because the Boss (Yeung Sau Sing) would feel very embarrassed, haha!" Of course after winning awards she had film offers galore. She admitted, "I still just wan to fight for roles that are challenging and have potentials. I don't want to make too many, otherwise I would be too exhausted."

She described that "a good company is rather important to an actor". In the past decade or so, she revealed that she offered to terminate the contract with her management company many times. "I won't say the reason, but I thank them for releasing me. It also proves that my initial decision wasn't wrong. Now I am full of confidence in Emperor, I might as well sign for life!" She revealed that actually before she first ran into her Emperor manager, a Beijing company wanted to sign and cultivate her. They just had to put it on paper. She said, "Later a friend recommended me to Emperor. They actually haven't seen a single film I have been in, but I turned down the Beijing company right away and signed with them. I feel now that I belong somewhere and I feel more secure."

Cya Liu felt that she was ordinary, and would not consider herself the smartest of actors. "When I made movies before I thought I wasn't important, even if I performed poorly the director wouldn't care. So I continued on without improving. This was a vicious cycle. Then when I made LIMBO (JI CHI), I finally understood that I was very important (referring to playing the female lead). So I took the initiative and communicated with director Cheang Pou Soi. It was the first time I was so brave. (How did lead actor Lam Ka Tung help you?) He is a great elder, from him I learned a lot, especially actor ethics. I know that with acting I can't just watching out for myself, I have to successfully focus on the exchange with co-stars." Next she would return to the Mainland and work with Donnie Yen Chi Tan on SAKRA (TIN LUNG BAK BO ji KIU FUNG JUEN). She said, "Working with Brother Chi Tan for the first time, I know that his demands are very strict. This is exactly what I like!"