Archives
All articles are translated exclusively by Ho@multistars.com
Please do not copy and paste onto any other website.
Jay Chou: Please call me brother
by kelvin@multistars - 21st January 2012Source: Beijing News
Talking to Jay Chou is never boring, he admits that "being funny is more important than being cool for a man", even though being cool is very important to him; he's very honest, he told us that he has never "cried for real" in acting; even though he is called "Director Chou", but the words "business operation" never appear in his mind, frankly he "doesn't know what is called an A stock", he also revealed his own antique store has already closed down...the only regret during this interview was, when we asked about topics related to love, Director Chou was already about to open up but he was cut off by his assistant.
Another of Jay Chou's interesting points is his "fear of age", he said: "Please call me brother, don't call me uncle!" He's 33 today, so lets wish a happy birthday to "brother"!
Beijing News: Being cool is your signature, but this time you had to basically give it up, was this hard for you?
Jay Chou: The director requested that I don't act cool, the pressure was big, so this time I didn't act cool, to me you could say it was quite a breakthrough (smile). I think being funny is more important than being cool, in "The Green Hornet" I showed off my humorous side and was very successful, but in "The Viral Factor" I can't be cool or funny, it was hard to play, because privately I like to be fun. During filming in Jordan it was actually very dull, up until my beard came back, I only felt then that I had turned back into Jay Chou (smile).
B: The movies Dante Lam directs make the male cast cry in pain, this time you also had dangerous scenes like jumping off buildings, were you scared?
J: I was scared, because I have to continue singing (smile). That scene where I jump off a building, I filmed it 3 times, originally the director wanted to film it again, I said to the director, it's about there, it should be enough (smile). Dante Lam is after realism, actually it's a movie everyone risked their life to film. I think, just take it as a sort of challenge in life, at the time I went on with the thought of "after passing this level, everything else will be great", so I also hope this movie can break the box office records of the previous Chinese movies I've been in.
B: Every film you've been in the topic has been different, no matter who you play, everyone always remember you as Jay Chou and not the character you are playing. How do you see this?
J: It's just like how everyone is already used to my music being diverse, no matter how I change, everyone will think this is Jay Chou. There's good and there's bad, the bad thing is, no matter how you change, everyone will think you are acting as yourself. But, I've indeed let you all see a different Jay Chou in each movie, so don't say I don't change (smile).
B: There are some reports that say you hope "Love In Fantasy [sic]" KTV will be opening soon, that you hope within 5 years for it to go to the Mainland China A stock market, you've got other businesses like restaurants, antique stores and more, everyone thinks you are really good at business and that you are the real "Director Chou".
J: I've never thought about going to market or not, I don't run the business, I didn't put money in either, just the design creative work, the words "business operations" do not appear in my mind. At the time people asked me if I wanted to enter the A stock market, actually I don't even know what an A stock is (smile).
My side businesses are related to music, my interests and my dreams, now I'm only missing a cinema and an amusement park, but I don't go in thinking if I will earn money or not. For example I opened a restaurant all because I like eating, when I want to go I'll have a free space and won't be photographed by the paparazzi; I want to build a "J building" and it's because when I'm with my friends I don't want to be disturbed by the outside world; as for opening a trend brand store it was because I wanted my own stlye clothes; I want to open a chain of KTV in Beijing, Shanghai and more, because I often to go to these cities - the first one is opened in Shaanxi and it's all because the major shareholder is there, Vincent Fang likes Shaanxi, plus Beijing and Shanghai are quite pricey (smile).
I'm actually not a very good businessman, just look at my antique store and you'll know, I sold things like furniture, who still buys these antiques nowadays, it was all because I myself liked antiques, I wanted to find a place to show them off, so my antique store has already closed down (smile).
B: Besides antiques, the other businesses have made money right?
J: The other businesses have been all right, each is opening a branch. I think, what my make artist said was very right: if you invest money, then it's not called a career, investing in creativity is called a career. In my heart "business" should be the combination of commercial and art, just like the filming of a movie.
B: Nicholas Tse filmed this movie during his divorce saga, how's his mood right now?
J: If it was me I definitely wouldn't be able to take it, I wouldn't continue filming (smile). He's very professional, he wasn't affected by it at all. I even asked him, are you feeling well? He said, OK. He doesn't like passing his mood onto his character, he has high EQ, he can control his emotions, he doesn't care what the outside world are saying - having no care for the way the outside world talks is a point that is very similar to me (smile). For him to have the energy to take it, it might be because he is already a father.
B: The outside world say you two didn't get along during filming?
J: During the filming of this movie the two of us had already become good buddies, from this point onwards in the entertainment circle Will Liu is not the only one to be my "body", now there's Nicholas Tse too.
I'm not good at making friends, I don't have many, in the past 10 years it's been those few people. This time I become friends with Nic, not because of filming the movie, but because privately we talk about music, I discovered in terms of music we have a lot of common views, even though now he's a professional actor, but he still has a passion for music. Now he hardly ever shows off his views in music, so I invited him to my concert to be the opening guest, he went on even earlier than me. I hope I can the Nicholas Tse that used to hold an electric guitar onstage with that feeling.
My evaluation of him is - an artist. He's got a heart of newborn baby, he's got a lot of things similar to me, for example he likes playing video games, he likes kids, he's quite childish (smile).
B: Why do you rarely make friends? Your personality is very good, you say funny things, you should be very popular.
J: I'm still more inclined to be with old friends, having known them for many years, there's a bit more feeling of security. Plus to make friends you have to get on, my friends came with me through the era of being students or had helped me like Will Liu.
I don't like crying scenes. In "The Viral Factor" there's a scene where my father dies in front of me, the director wanted me to cry, I felt the pressure was huge, because I was worried about my own image. I asked the director, do I have to cry till I have snot in my nose? (smile) The director said it doesn't matter, if you cried in an ugly way I will cut it. So I thought, how I can cry so it looks good, this is very hard.
Actually from my debut till now, I've never really cried in any of the crying scenes in movies I've done, because when acting I'm the type that can't cry, I always think, I'm a man, how can I cry? Privately I cry when I watch movies, but I try my best not to.
There was a 4-5 year old kid who called me "uncle Jay", actually he was right calling me that, but in my heart I was thinking, why are you calling me uncle, call me brother. I need to persuade you all to call me brother from now on, just like how Alan Tam is forever 25.
I'm OK with being 33, I will only feel the danger when I reach 37-38, when I get past 40 I will start worrying. 40 is a scary figure.
Discuss and comment on this article
Loading comments...