From Stuntman Jackie Chan to Hong Kong Film Awards Best Actor, Tai Bo Tells His Story

“To be considered in the same category is very humbling,” he says. “When I started at 17, I never imagined I would find myself in this position.”

Born Cheung Ka-nin in Hong Kong in 1950, Tai Bo started out in the film industry as a screenwriter. He gradually worked his way up to assistant director and even directed his own independent feature film.

“What I learned during that time was how to protect my body,” he says with a laugh. “I saw a lot of action behind the camera, so I had a good idea of ​​how it was all staged. When Jackie’s team was practicing, I would just join them.”

It would literally take five days on one set, five days on another, he said.

Tai Bo quotes the 1984s Two-phase law as a major role at first. His portrayal of a drug addict earned him his first nominations for acting awards. But he was still positioned in the film industry as a character actor.

“I was a working actor,” he says. “I didn't have time to prepare for roles because I was moving on so quickly. I think directors cast me because I didn't want to cause drama or have a particular attitude.”

“By entering this world, I was exposed to a different kind of cinema than what I was used to in Hong Kong,” he says. “All of a sudden, I was working in world cinema.”

While continuing to appear in big-budget films, Tai Bo also starred in smaller, more original films. In 2000, he won a Golden Horse Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the Taiwanese film The taxi driver.

The script was based on a book of short stories about men in their twilight years trying to find happiness, Tai Bo says. I spent months thinking about whether to take the role. My biggest worry was: How would I play a gay role? My family was so supportive that I finally agreed.

I then asked Ray how explicit the film would be. He said, “Well, we're not making porn, so it should be fine.”

Tai Bo developed his character in Suk-Suk by studying men of the same age, taking in their appearance, the way they move. Unusually for an actor, he never looks at the monitors after takes. As long as Ray says, OK, we're good.

The actor followed Suk-Suk with a series of performances that demonstrated both his depth and versatility.

Tai Bo laughs at his character in Hand rolled cigarette“I’ve known a few gangsters from Taiwan,” he says. “They don’t talk much, but they have an energy or a presence that’s scary. I needed to express that same threat very quickly.”

In his latest film, For AliceWhich received its world premiere at the New York Film Festival, Tai Bo plays an ex-convict trying to reconcile with his daughter.

His character, Chen Shuang, has just been released from prison after serving a long sentence. Cell phones and chargers are mysteries. His only remaining friend wants him to return to crime.

At first, Chen observes his new world without a word. Tai Bo conveys his characters' emotions through the way he holds a cigarette, his hunched posture on a park bench, his narrowed eyes as he watches his neighbors in the historic Mirador Mansion in Tsim Sha Tsui.

Chen has been in prison for 20 or 30 years, he said. He wants to reconnect with his daughter. [Alice, played by Kuku So Tsz-yan]but he's been gone so long that he's afraid to explain himself. He has to be careful, silent. That's why I gave a kind of silent performance.

In Chinese society, people can become selfish after a death in the family, he says. Ray really understands this society, he is part of these communities himself. He does not want to judge these people, he wants the public to approach them as equals.

The choices Shing makes in this film are based on his family, the actor says. They make sense to him. Ray didn't give me specific directions on how to play him. He let me make my own way.

Tai Bo clearly still enjoys his work and has no intention of stopping. His recent films demonstrate his desire to work with new talent.

Some of these new directors saw me in films when they were young, he says. What I like is that many of them write their own stories. They bring a new perspective to cinema.

I am honored that they ask me to accompany them on these trips.