[2026.10.24] CARLOS CHAN TEASES KATHY YUEN ON HER TRUE TO SELF SULLEN PERFORMANCE

Carlos Chan, Kathy Yuen, German Cheung and Sabrina Ng talk about working on THE MAGE
courtesy of mingpao.com

Carlos Chan Ka Lok, Kathy Yuen (Tong Yee), German Cheung Man Kit, and Sabrina Ng Bing each faced challenges starring in the film THE MAGE (SUP FONG FAT SI). Asides dealing with profanity, Chan Ka Lok was the most worried about bringing bacteria home and affecting the daughter, who was still in his wife's womb. He also testified that Tong Yee, who played his girlfriend, had a sour face and was definitely playing herself. Cheung Man Kit said that dangerous stunts were not as hard to endure as the dirty environment; playing a female ghost, Ng Bing said the hardest part was holding back laughter.

Chan Ka Lok often used profanity in the film, and he joked that might be the most he has used in his acting career. "Director (Danny) Pang Fat asked for some, and the dialogue itself had some too. The director also likes to use profanity to express himself. That's the atmosphere of the production. Many of my performances come from the director. Besides swearing, I often wipe sweat with a handkerchief and copy the director's gestures exactly. He asked me to try imitating him a little, trying to convey that my character has a feeling of being uneasy -- sweating whether it was hot or cold."

The filming environment was harsh. At that time Chan Ka Lok's daughter was about to be born. He said that indeed he was a bit nervous, worried that bringing home bacteria that might affect his pregnant wife Shiga Lin and their unborn daughter. "Filming in remote mountains and wilderness, the ruins, dumps, and sewage drains were all very filthy. I often thought I was done for! After work would I bring some dirty stuff home and affect the soon-to-be-born daughter. When I got home, I was terrified and hoped everything was okay. Even I was disgusted with myself. As soon as I walked through the door, I rushed to shower. Only after showering would I dare to interact with my wife."

Chan Ka Lok's character was impulsive, relying solely on intuition and believing in supernatural phenomena without any evidence. He had many conflicts with Tong Yee, who played his forensic doctor girlfriend; the Tong Yee played character was determined to have an abortion for her boyfriend. Already a mother during the shoot, she expressed conflicted feelings. "I must have empathized with this pain of being a mother when I performed." The two have played couples before. Tong Yee joked that what was different this time was that she could face Chan Ka Lok with a sharp tongue, but he often teased her for being her true self. She explained that she was just cooler from not smiling. "Playing a couple before was sweeter; this time was okay too, very smooth. The character however really fit my personality more, with both mean and not mean sides being pretty much the same." Chan Ka Lok laughed and said, "She usually has a sullen face. I've known her for nearly 20 years, and I only saw her smile when she was about 30. I once tried telling jokes to tease her but she completely ignored me, which made me wonder if I had offended her."

In the film Chan Ka Lok had many fight scenes with the highly skilled Cheung Man Kit. Did he injure him? Chan Ka Lok said, "Actually I'm really strong! My skills aren't too bad either." He said many action scenes were very dangerous. While filming the sewer, continuous heavy rain made the water waist-deep and made stand steadily hard like in a rushing current. The bottom had rocks and glass. Fortunately he was very close with Cheung Man Kit, and everyone trusted each other. Any issues were discussed immediately, and the shoot was always fine. Cheung Man Kit said that te most dangerous action scene was having Josie Ho Chiu Yi riding on his shoulder. Did he hurt his neck? He said, "Luckily No! It's OK, I can handle it; but the filming environment was a bit dirty. After each shoot I had to shower three times." Ng Bing tried playing a female ghost for the first time, saying that wearing white makeup helped her get into character. Usually cheerful, she admitted she almost could not hold back her laughter during filming. "The hardest part of filming was holding back laughter. I'm not sure if I ever laughed out loud! However everyone was so professional, I don't think I did."