[2023.07.29] AARON KWOK INSISTS ON NOT USING A DOUBLE FOR EXPLOSION SCENES

Aaron Kwok, Louis Koo, Sean Lau
courtesy of on.cc

THE WHITE STORM 3 has many explosion scenes, Goo Jai, Sing Sing and Ching Wan all worry about accidents

In the film Sean Lau takes Aaron Kwok to the skies, but actually they never leave the ground

Aaron Kwok says the diving scenes are beyond difficult
courtesy of mingpao.com

Three Best Actors Louis Koo Tin Lok, Sean Lau Ching Wan and Aaron Kwok Fu Sing in the film THE WHITE STORM 3: HEAVEN OR HELL (SO DUK 3: YUN JOI TIN NGAI) worked together for the first time, they not only had fight scenes galore, they also had to go into the air and the sea. Sing Sing praised Ching Wan's flying skills to be close to Tom Cruise's. Sing Sing also said that he was the most afraid of fire, in particularly while shooting extremely dangerous explosion scenes. However as a professional he insisted again using a double and would try to personally finish the shoot as much as possible.

Lau Ching Wan, Koo Tin Lok, and Kwok Fu Sing in the film played respectively a drug lord, a cop and an undercover cop. Ching Wan in the film had to fly a plane, but he thought that the plane was small and the cockpit narrow. Would he need to make a 360 degree turn in the air, Ching Wan said that would depend on the director. "Flying (the plane) was real, but we just never left the ground. (Have you thought about getting a pilot license?) I have, but it required a lot of related books. I have to make movies and really don't have the time." Sing Sing praised Ching Wan's flying skills as close to that of Tom Cruise's.

As for Sing Sing he played undercover and had Goo Jai's cop in his pursuit. They would have fight scenes galore, but they both agreed that they have not been too difficult. However pain was inevitable. Sing Sing joked that Goo Jai had unique skeletal structure, in the film they traded blows. Although they rehearsed before hand and would wear protective gears, bumps and bruises were inevitable in physical combat. Actually they were rather painful, fortunately they were still able to hold on. Constantly working on action scenes, Sing Sing said, "Making movies is very tough." Aside from fight scenes, Sing Sing this time even had diving scenes. He said that he was a certified diver, but has not done so in a long while. He too worried about the danger. He remembered the difficult while shooting one scene. "During the shoot that had both wet and dry, the director kept comforting us and told us not to worry. The water scenes would not be a big deal, but I thought the studio shoot was worse than going into the real sea because of the wire work. I also had to carry a several dozen pound oxygen tank. If I was carrying it in water the load would have been lightened."

The film had several scenes that shot on location in the mountain region of Yunnan. Ching Wan pointed out that after every one or two hours rain would come, which made the roads wet and muddy. If they were not careful they could slip away. Sing Sing said that the mud was very deep, sometimes their legs would be stuck in it and they could not move. However they still had to act like they were able to freely move around, leading to repeated bad takes.

With few action scenes in the film, Ching wan praised Sing Sing and Goo Jai's fight scene. "One is very strong, the other is very agile." Frequently making action films, Goo Jai was asked whether he has already mastered the art. He pointed out that this time he and Sing Sing were fighting like "thugs", different in production methods from shooting kung fu scenes. It also required how long the fight needed to be. Earlier he shot fight scenes that took a dozen or so days in a row. These scenes would require rehearsals.

Sing Sing said that he was the most afraid of fire, especially when the explosion scenes. "Because the flames could change direction at anytime, the wind would also affect the fire's direction; sometimes the fire would also catch and follow the person. So for an explosion scene, everything would be to be fully prepared and try to be done in one take. However in one scene I was very close to the fire, after the first take the director thought that the fire wasn't big enough. In the end it was done in two takes." Has he thought about using a double? Sing Sing said, "I am a professional actor, we have to take such risks when we make movies in Hong Kong takes such risks, I hope the audience would support us."

Playing undercover for the first time, Sing Sing said that he had a lot of fun. When he got the script, after reading it he really wanted to play this role because he wanted to catch Ching Wan. Truly relationships and reality could not co-exist. However this time was a rare a male team, a "men's romance". Goo Jai joked, "Let's get some tofu roast pork belly rice."

Rarely playing roles like a drug lord, Ching Wan was completely in character during the shoot. He treated himself like a drug lord and even fell in love with his costume. Even Goo Jai and Sing Sing said that off camera he was still in character. Sing Sing said that if he played the drug lord, he would make himself very thin. "I would be down to skin and bones, I feel actors have to have transformation. I would be completely different from Ching Wan."