[2026.10.11] JOSIE HO CRIES POVERTY AS SHE HELPLESSLY BECOMES THE "QUEEN OF FANTASY FILMS"

Josie Ho (left) teaches Iman (right) set etiquette so he would not panic and be afraid when he takes his mark

Josie Ho says works among the trash is very hard to take, as the location is full of foul stench

Iman plays a cop in the film. With his first step into the film industry he immediately becomes interested

Josie Ho (left) praises co-star Carlos Chan (right) for his professionalism, rolling on the ground in the garbage dump for fight scenes
courtesy of mingpao.com

The Josie Ho Chiu Yi starred film THE MAGE (SUP FONG FAT SI), is her husband Conroy Chan Chi Chung produced and her protege Iman Taheri starred. The new film has attracted significant attention at multiple international film festivals. She said that playing a scavenger was tough, but without the need to play a refined beauty her concerns was reduced. Crowned as the queen of Hong Kong fantasy films, Ho Chiu Yi felt overwhelmed and lamented that due to a tight budget, she could not compare to big commercial films and chose to cut down a big tree with a knife. A newcomer to the film industry, Iman remembered that Ho Chiu Yi sprayed his face with water on his first day at work. Fortunately they got the shot in one take. Ho Chiu Yi revealed that the sequel, THE MAGE 2, would be released next year with a brand-new story that would only retain her character. Iman would leap to the male lead and play a new role.

Ho Chiu Yi revealed that her protege Iman as a police inspector in THE MAGE was not part of the plan. She did not strongly recommend him to directors Oxide Pang Chun and Danny Pang Fat. The directors thought Iman was suitable and even said that he was so handsome that not acting would be a waste for him, so she helped explain the meaning of the Chinese lines for Iman. "At the time he just arrived, I told the directors not to force him to speak so much Cantonese; so most of his lines were in English. I believe the audience will find his Cantonese to be very cute after watching. What I can teach him is set etiquette: not being nervous and timid when taking his mark like 'a rice ball.' I've been through all these situations before and didn't want Iman to make the same mistake, because he's very reserved." Iman admitted he was very interested in acting. Learning Cantonese has not been easy, so he had to listen and talk more. His most unforgettable moment was the first day at work, when Ho Chiu Yi sprayed water to "wash my face." Fortunately the shot was done in one take.

Playing the scavenger, Ho Chiu Yi admitted that every day at work was really tough. "I have to push the trash cart in the garbage room and also pick up trash. The team is really nice. They have me in gloves; but they had holes, so I spend the whole day touching the trash." She said that changing into costumes and filming at these locations helped her get into character, making her feel more comfortable as the shoot went on since she did not have to worry about playing a refined beauty. However, the environment was indeed very dirty and disgusting. "The garbage dump scenes were just dangerous. I was afraid of getting hurt and getting infected by germs. Filming in the slippery woods was truly the hardest to endure, and it was filled with the smell of urine. The only benefit of this sacrifice was being close to my home; I didn't have to worry about being late and I got off work very quickly." She also had to film fight scenes in the garbage dump filled with nails and broken glass. Ho Chiu Yi praised her co- stars Carlos Chan Ka Lok and German Cheung Man Kit for their professionalism, saying, "They're really crazy, able to fight so hard that they can roll around on the ground. I really respect them."

In most of her action scenes Ho Chiu Yi had stunt doubles, but she was very confident with just wire stunts and chose to do them herself. "When I was very young, filming 'PURPLE STORM' already had lots of wire stunts; so I was confident. Yet because I was afraid of the swinging, in one scene where, without any communication, I chose to fly over, wrap my leg around Cheung Man Kit's neck and then hit hard. That move was really dangerous for him too, and I thought, I hope I can get it done in one take. Luckily, the director accepted it. I'm really sorry to Cheung Man Kit and so thankful for his understanding." She laughed and said that even the weather helped during that scene. They have prepared a water truck for rain effects but suddenly there was a thunderstorm, so they immediately turned off the water truck to save production costs.

Before THE MAGE was released in Hong Kong, Ho Chiu Yi first brought the film to the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival in Korea, the Bangkok International Film Festival in Thailand, the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival in Spain, and the Hawaii International Film Festival. The new film was very well received everywhere. She emphasized that she never deliberately wanted to become the queen of Hong Kong fantasy films. "I didn't intentionally want to. The world just pushed me there. Actually, due to tight budgets, we can't compare with big commercial film companies; so we can only fight against the giants with small means. After doing this for so many years, I also want to make art films but they cost a lot. Now with AI (artificial intelligence)'s help, I hope I can manage it." She revealed that she immediately clicked with the Pang Brothers this time, filming two movies in a row, and hinted that THE MAGE 2 is set to release next year with a completely new story, keeping only her character. Iman will be promoted to the male lead in a new role, and Gardner Tse Kwan Ho will join as the ultimate Big Boss.