[2024.12.17] DIRECTOR PHILIP YUNG IS WILLING TO WAIT 3 FULL YEARS FOR SEAN LAU

Sean Lau pursues natural acting, lifelike and without any trace; but he feels he has yet to accomplished that completely.

Sean Lau and Amy Kwok decide against having children and are very happy with the two of them.

Director Philip Yung says Sean Lau is worth waiting for 3 full years

Sean Lau says that the young actors who play his children have minds of their own and know how to "improvise"

PAPA was based on a real case from 20 years ago
courtesy of mingpao.com

Director Philip Yung Tsz Kwong wrote and directed the movie PAPA was based on a real case. He pointed out that Best Actor Sean Lau Ching Wan was the only choice for the lead role, and he was willing to wait for him for 3 full years. Lau Ching Wan's acting pursued having no traces. This time he partnered with a young actor and a cat to act, which inspired him. He also revealed that he and his wife Amy Kwok Oi Ming have discussed fertility issues, and finally decided that the world of two was already very happy. PAPA was released on December 5th, from the story to Lau Ching Wan's god-level acting skills it has been hotly discussed on the Internet. The day before yesterday, director Yung Tsz Kwong revealed on social platforms that the box office has exceeded HK$ 13 million and wrote, "I like Lau Ching Wan's line 'each has its own cause so don't envy others', and I hope that with word-of-mouth the film would trickle on. Affected audience will continue to help us spread the word-of-mouth, and I am speechless and grateful."

PAPA is based on the 2010 Tsuen Wan Heung Wo Street Mother and Sister Murder Case, and the story focuses on the father's mentality after the murder, which is not as bloody as Yung Tsz Kwong's previous self-written and directed PORT OF CALL (DAP HUET CHUM MUI) and produced THE SPARRING PARTNER (JING YI WUI KONG).

Yung Tsz Kwong said that because he liked Japanese writer Matsumoto Kiyohari, he has watched the movies he wrote. There was a kind of social reasoning, reflecting reality and human nature. When writing the script for PAPA, he was exposed to a lot of information and decided to use the method of family ethics drama, and the case was just a background and false proposition. He said, "The film includes the Hong Kong nuclear family, the relationship between a family of four, the father-son relationship, and how to find a way out for families with psychosis, and then pushes these elements to the extreme. The father-son relationship played by Lau Ching Wan and So Man To exists in many families; but there is a case of mother and sister murders, and the special relationship is magnified. Actually it is about ordinary people's families."

Speaking of asking Lau Ching Wan to be the lead actor, Yung Tsz Kwong said that he waited for 3 fully years. In the process some investors proposed to switch to other actors, but he was unswerving because Lau Ching Wan was an actor he really wanted to work with. Finally they cooperated with sincerity. "Lau Ching Wan's performances in THOU SHALT NOT SWEAR (CHUT YUET SUP SEI) and C'EST LA VIE, MON CHERI (SUN BUT LIU CHING) are very life-like, and in FAT CHOI SPIRIT (LEK GU LEK GU SUN NIN CHOI) he is very lively, the most impressive thing is when he bites a piece of cloth and risks his life for loyalty in ALL MEN ARE BROTHERS BLOOD OF THE LEOPARD (SHUI FU JUEN JI YING HUNG BOON SIK), this actor can always give the character a little character. I will rest assured to ask him to act. His own character and life wisdom have deepened the feelings of the role of the father."

Lau Ching Wan was praised for his impeccable acting skills, and the best performance in his film career. He believed that they was just polite word, even promotional techniques. He had difficulty with evaluating himself. He has always pursued natural acting skills, life-like and without traces; but he might not be able to fully do it. He said, "I mainly act with the script. The script is well prepared, a lot of material is hidden. The power is shockingly great. I have read the script many times and still have different feelings. Working with Kok Cho Lam, Chan Lai Wun, So Man To and Hung Lok Yee, we collect the feelings of the family. The biggest impact on me is really the dialogue with the children in the film. I sat and lay around the main scenery home, slowly cultivating the atmosphere to build the character."

During filming the most difficult to control were children and animals. Lau Ching Wan said that he has already been mentally prepared, and as a result he enjoyed working with children. The feeling was very simple and sincere. In addition the director's handling method was very gentle, allowing the actors to relax and act. He smiled and said, "The two children have a lot of ideas, and during filming they would 'improvise'. The girl went to talk to the director closely, and then took her mark with a smile and said, 'Papa, Has anyone told you you look like Mr. Bean?' The boy suddenly added the line "I dreamed I saw Mommy last night", so I responded to them and went along with the act." Yung Tsz Kwong praised So Man To, who was in his first movie, as very talented, and handled the role in an organized and thoughtful manner.

In reality, Lau Ching Wan has a sweet relationship with his wife Amy Kwok Oi Ming and has been married for many years. Has he ever wanted to be a parent? He said, "We are not traditional, we don't have the idea of having to have children, we all do what we want to do after marriage. Later when we got older, we have talked about how our lives would be in the future. Everyone feel that the current life is good, and it is decided. Of course, some people think that having no child may lose a valuable life experience; but to be honest, I don't think so . Since I choose this path, I won't think about the scenery of that road. There will be gains and losses in life."

PAPA's Lau Ching Wan and THE LAST DANCE (POR. DEI YUK)'s Michael Hui Koon Man and Dayo Wong Tze Wah performed outstandingly and were the favorites to become the Best Actor at the Hong Kong Film Awards. Lau Ching Wan planned to watch their performance. As for winning the award, he believed that it was necessary to maintain a good attitude, "Winning of course would be happy, but it the happiness won't last for more than one night. Even if you are unhappy about having no award, it does not matter because it will not exceed one night."