[2025.01.11] GIGI LEUNG HAS CONFIDENCE IN HIT N FUN'S LUNAR NEW YEAR BOX OFFICE

Chrissie Chau, Gigi Leung and Louise Wong promote their Lunar New Year film HIT N FUN

Gigi Leung plays Louis Koo's wife and is responsible for the comedy in the film

Chrissie Chau and Louise Wong fight a fierce "fight of the century"
courtesy of mingpao.com

The 2025 Lunar New Year has three Hong Kong-made films HIT N FUN (LUM SI KUET DAU), MY BEST BET (CHEUNG DOH BIT YANG) and QUEEN OF MAHJONG (MA JEUK NUI WONG JUI NAM JAI). In the Albert Mak Kai Kwong directed, Louis Koo Tin Lok, Gigi Leung Wing Kei, Chrissie Chau Sau Na, Louise Wong Dan Nei and others starred Lunar New Year film HIT N FUN, Chau Sau Na played a boxing champion who stole Peter Chan Charm Man from advertising executive Wong Dan Nei. Wong Dan Nei went to Koo Tin Lok's gym to train and challenge her romantic rival, but ran into her professional rival Leung Wing Kei at the gym. Koo Tin Lok was responsible for training them to get into the ring. Gigi played Goo Jai's star wife, responsible for the comedy in the film.

The three female leads, Gigi, Chau Sau Na and Wong Dan Nei had boxing training at the gym to learn boxing before the filming started. Yet Gigi's lessons did not come in handy after learning, as in the film she only had one scene when Tony Wu Tsz Tung hit her. She also found that she was not suitable for fighting. In the film Chau Sau Na and Wong Dan Nei fought the most, did they think they have the talent to become action actresses? Sister Na joked, "Don't ever say that, I usually practice boxing to lose weight and meet guys. This time I practice Muay Thai for the film, without any stunt double or protective padding. I understand the attack power of Muay Thai. Muay Thai will really kill people." At the beginning of the shoot, she pointed out that everyone was afraid that they would hit each other if they did not know how to hold back. Later she felt that it was better to get it over with rather than just focusing on camera angles, so she just fought seriously.

Wong Dan Nei found that Muay Thai required speed, and then angles had to be accurate so that she would not have to shoot too many times due to bad takes. For example when filming a fight scene with Koo Tin Lok, she really confirmed that "long pain is better than short pain". Gigi smiled and pointed to the fact that she was also watching how Koo Tin Lok would fight Wong Dan Nei from the sideline. "Mr. Koo picked up Wong Dan Nei, spun and then slammed her on the ground, I felt the pain just from watching it!" Wong Dan Nei immediately said, "I was really in pain at that time, I was shocked when I was hit the ground. It took a few seconds to recover and get up again." Did Koo Tin Lok apologize immediately? Wong Dan Nei smiled bitterly and said, "Huh? No, as soon as I got up I already said I was fine, but when I landed I felt my internal organs tremble. It took some time for my internal organs to go back in place before I got up again. At that time everyone rushed up, and they were silence from the shock. However when they saw that I tried so hard to get up, everyone clapped their hands and also gave me an encouragement. Everyone was so enthusiastic." Wong Dan Nei was glad that she could still withstand it. Originally she wanted to shoot it again, but the staff said that it was okay. Wong Dan Nei recalled that she took the most beating in the entire film, from Leung Wing Kei, Goo Jai, Wu Tsz Tung and Chau Sau Na. She joked that after the shoot completed she finally understood she had to learn so many fancy styles at the gym before.

Chau Sau Na did not have an easy time either, as she was injured and had to go to the hospital for stitches. Sister Na pointed out that she had an accident on the first day of work, because the scene was not in the ring but a street fight over a guy. "During the shoot I originally had to kick a chair away, but I missed and cut my calf on the chair's metal leg. I was making cool poses in front of the camera, but I was already screaming in pain as soon as the director yelled cut. I saw the bleeding under the knee. At first I thought it was just a scratch. In addition it was the first day of the shoot, so I only briefly treated the would before I continued to shoot; but then as soon as I moved the wound burst open. I only went to the hospital the next day to get 5 stitches." Wong Dan Nei was also frightened by this scene, and immediately took the folding chair away. Yet she has already seen Sister Na bleeding. The two chuckled bitterly as they never thought that they would fight so hard in a Lunar New Year film. Even Gigi praised the two "action actresses" for being tough. Have they been scared away from filming action scenes anymore? Wong Dan Nei said with a smile, "I discover that I have a little 'M base' (masochist), and I am pretty tough. I can kick until my arms and legs were bruised, and I was okay. My husband (Sheldon) Lo Hau Yung jokes that it was time to try sparring with me and test my skills."

Gigi has made many Chinese New Year films. This time she is in charge of the comedy, so Chau Sau Na and Wong Dan Nei were very envious of her and Harriet Yeung Sze Man for not having to fight. Gigi said that she had the difference in age from the two. They would recover very quickly from their injuries; while if she was injured, she would have been admitted to the hospital for more than stitches. Gigi pointed out that in her previous Lunar New Year film CHILLI LAUGH STORY (HOP GA LAT), Ronald Cheng Chung Kei was responsible for being funny. She learned a lot from him, which also came in handy this time. In her Lunar New Year film FAT CHOI SPIRIT (LEK GU LEK GU SUN NIN CHOI) years ago, Gigi had classic scenes. She laughed and said, "This time HIT N FUN will be another classic. My biggest sacrifice would be wrinkles, because I laugh until the wrinkles come out. However I am a star in the film, many looks are very beautiful. I performed with everyone along the lines of the plot, when the emotions swell I naturally 'improvise', make gags, which have quite the chemical effect."

Last year, many Hong Kong films were successful at the box office. Gigi said that she was also confident in the box office of this year's Hong Kong Lunar New Year films. Ultimately the boxing subject and this combination were both fresh, especially the actresses fighting seriously would be entertaining. Gigi worked with Chau Sau Na and Wong Dan Nei for the first time, while Koo Tin Lok has been working with her since 20 years ago. Speaking of the sixth collaboration with Goo Jai, Gigi felt that Goo Jai was serious on the set, so he rarely conversed. At first they only communicates when they rehearsed scenes. "It wasn't until I filmed a crying scene that I felt that Mr. Koo, who played my husband, was also a warm man. He made me feel a warm current, then we studied the script together more." Gigi admitted that this time she had the most communication with Goo Jai. Goo Jai has to be a little funny in the film, but he was so serious in private.