[2024.10.26] KAREN MOK IS ITCHING TO MAKE MORE MOVIES

Karen Mok declines to solicit Stephen Chow about a role in WOMEN'S SOCCER.
courtesy of singtao.com

Louis Cheung and Charlene Choi enter the shop for the shoot that day. At first the atmosphere was peaceful, only when the shoot went into the night did problems occur.

Karen Mok has not made a movie in almost 10 years; when Andy Lau asks her to make CESIUM FALLOUT, she agrees right away.

Jeffrey Ngai and Dee Ho play firefighters in the movie and say that it is worth all the hardship.

Bowie Lam was a firefighter before joining the industry. Playing the fire chief this time, he jokes that he finally has a "promotion" after all those years.

Karen Mok slaps Michael Chow in the movie. He tells her not to hold back at all before hand.
courtesy of mingpao.com

Karen Mok Man Wai, Gardner Tse Kwan Ho, Bowie Lam Bo Yi, Jeffrey Ngai Chun Sun, Dee Ho Kai Wa, Michael Chow Man Kin and Louise Wong Dan Nei attended the premiere of the movie CESIUM FALLOUT (FUN SING) the night before, and the lead actor Andy Lau Tak Wa was unable to attend because of his concert tour. Mok Man Wai returned to film after 10 years, and she even dedicated her first time to CESIUM FALLOUT. Her acting bug got its fill, which made her want to make more movies. However she would resist sexy performances.

Mok Man Wai said that she has not made a Hong Kong film for nearly 10 years, but this time because of the invitation of the boss Bill Kong Chi Keung and Lau Tak Wa. In addition it was a disaster movie, the subject was more special and the message behind it was very meaningful. "If I don't make it this time, I don't know whether I would have another chance to."

In the film she and Michael Chow Man Kin played husband and wife, and even she had to slap him. She smiled and said that she gave her first time to the movie. "Although it was just a slap in the film, but it was actually five or six slaps. Chow Man Kit is great. He told me to really hit and not hold back, but I was so cowardly because I have never tried to slap a boy before. I was raised well so I would feel sorry. Finally his face was red from me hitting him, and I really feel sorry. (Did you practice with your husband beforehand?) No." She also pointed out that working with Wa Jai was great, and he was able to bring her into the role. Every scenes between them were like powder kegs. She even had to smack the table and quarrel. Although it was exhausting, it was also very enjoyable. She was grateful to him for helping her getting into character. She said that this production has brought back a lot of memories for her. She wanted to make more movies when she would have the opportunity, but not sexy performances because she has done them before and her stage performances have been rather wild as well.

Speaking of Stephen Chow Sing Chi preparing for the new film WOMEN'S SOCCER, Mok Man Wai bluntly said that if he would invite her she would glady agree. However she would not call him. "If he has needs he would find me, I would gladly play any role. Sing Jai's movies are a lot of fun, let's see what fate has in store for us." However they made fewer contacts, and she would not solicit him herself.

Jeffrey and Dee both played firefighters in the film. The most memorable for them was wearing the "golden armor" firefighter uniform into the fire for the shoot, which exhausted a lot of energy, hot and so stuffy that they were covered in sweat. They said, "This armor was 30 to 40 pounds. For every shoot we were sweating like crazy all over like we were in THE HOUSE OF DANCING WATER, the dehydration level was stronger than drinking black coffee." Dee said that actually before the shoot he wanted to lose weight, but during the shoot he no longer needed to. Ngai Chun Sun would not eat during previous productions, but this time he could not help but have a rice box; otherwise he would feel faint. He also said that he almost had a heat stroke. He said that his face was red like a roast pig. He was so hot that he needed to drink electrolyzed water and down water like mad to reduce the temperature.

Lam Bo Yee played the fire chief. Although he did not need to shoot in the fire, the set had no air conditioning so he could feel how hot it was. Before getting into the business he was a firefighter, so he joked that years later he finally got a "promotion". Earlier when he had dinner with his firefighter friends, he also showed them his fire chief stills. Earlier he finished the new TVB drama CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION 12, a role that he has never played before. He described it as being tortured by producer Chung Shu Kai, because he wanted him to be able to perform thoroughly without following the script. After every shot he kept the cameras rolling until he yelled for help.

Recently, the Louis Cheung Kai Chung and Charlene Choi Cheuk Yin starred Lunar New Year film caused a location rental storm. The production team broke into the store to shoot without the consent of the owner. With years of acting experience, Lam Bo Yi said that he has not taken notice of the matter, but when he was shooting on location for TVB, security would always drive them away even when they were shooting on the streets and tell them to go further to shoot. He said that in the past when film productions would shoot inside a shop they would apply for it first. Earlier shot in the mainland, the drama "Criminal Investigation 12" applied for all the venues full. He hoped that no one would be a bad boy, if the director did not follow the rules, even if he was called he would refuse. "The director isn't all powerful, I wouldn't. Of course not. If they ask me they might want to die. (Will it be awkward for the actors?) Of course, everybody wants to make things better; but I believe it won't affect the image of Hong Kong films."

Running a restaurant business, Ho Kai Wa said that an online movie has also rented the restaurant for a location shoot. When asked if he charged a venue rental fee? He said, "If it overlap with business hours, of course you have to, it is well within reason. However if it was during the break, or just take a photo, then of course it doesn't matter." When asked if he had ever encountered someone forcibly conducting a "commercial shoot" in the restaurant? He said, "Our restaurant is upstairs, and you have to go through security guards when you go upstairs. Outside the restaurant entrance it is very narrow, you don't get to force your way in." He also said that after getting into the industry, film companies have the arrangements, and the actor would not know whether the film has applied in advance.