On September 2, local time, 61-year-old Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai received his Lifetime Achievement Golden Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival. Chinese-speaking filmmakers including his wife Carina Lau, Shu Qi who served as the judge of this year's main competition, and director Ang Lee who worked with him on "Lust | Caution" witnessed this historic moment on the spot. Ang Lee also gave a speech on stage as a guest, which made Tony Leung burst into tears and burst into tears.
On September 2, 2023 local time, Venice, Italy, at the 80th Venice International Film Festival, director Ang Lee and Venice Biennale Chairman Roberto Scuto presented actor Tony Leung with the Golden Lion Award for Lifetime Achievement. Visual China Map
At the media meeting held earlier than the award ceremony, Tony Leung talked about the many roles he has taken on in his acting career, from "City of Sadness", which he participated in the Venice Film Festival for the first time in 1989, to the upcoming filming of Hungarian director Irtiko Yin Yedi's new film "Silent Friend" (Silent Friend).
Tony Leung said that the reason why he embarked on the road of acting is because he was shy since he was a child, used to keep all his feelings in his heart, and was not good at expressing them in front of others. However, after taking acting classes, he finally found a way to not be shy in front of others, which was to make the other person think he was playing a role.
He also admitted that he would spend a lot of time preparing for his role. For example, he plans to spend eight months in Europe for the filming of "Silent Friend" directed by Irtiko Inyedi, because he plays a scientist in the film, and he has no previous knowledge of neuroscience. . Therefore, he read a lot of related books and went to university to learn from it. He told the director that he had to explore the character bit by bit like this. And he always devotes himself to the role so wholeheartedly that after a while, he will unconsciously become one with the role.
Talking about the diversification of the types of works, Tony Leung explained that because he started his career as an actor by appearing in various types of TV dramas, he will be able to act in comedies, dramas or action movies in the future. This is due to the fact that Hong Kong ushered in the golden age of film after the golden age of television. In the 1990s, he had the opportunity to cooperate with various directors. His early experience in TV dramas helped him transform from comedies to dramas. Then he turned to literary films.
Tony Leung also said that he can only challenge one role at a time; and for his career, he has never had any specific plans, preferring to believe that encounters between people are dictated by fate. Some media specifically mentioned his cooperation with Wong Kar-wai. Tony Leung revealed that he had never received a complete script from Wong Kar-wai, so he never knew what to prepare before filming. In his opinion, Wong Kar Wai's filming method is very experimental, so sometimes he wears winter clothes in the previous scene, and then changes to summer clothes in the next scene; ; And this is why Wong Kar-wai's movies take many years to make.
Tony Leung cried with joy. Visual China Map
At the awards ceremony held later, Director Ang Lee first took the stage to deliver a speech. He said: "Mr. Tony Leung has won many awards and honors, and they are all well-deserved, because he can bring improvement to every movie. From my personal perspective From his experience, he is a director’s dream.” Later, when Tony Leung took the stage to receive the award, he couldn’t help crying with joy and said excitedly: “This is the best honor!” After stabilizing his emotions, Tony Leung paid tribute to the Venice Film Festival I expressed my gratitude to my family and friends, including my wife Carina Lau, and also said: "Thank you to the Hong Kong film industry for cultivating me. I want to share this award with all the people who have worked with me over the past 41 years, and It’s dedicated to Hong Kong cinema.”
Tony Leung has always had a close relationship with the Venice Film Festival. His starring roles in "Sad City", "Tricycle Driver" and "Lust | Caution" have won the highest honor of the Golden Lion Award in Venice three times. He is also the third Chinese-language filmmaker in history to win the Golden Lion Award for Lifetime Achievement. The first two are John Woo (2010) and Ann Hui (2020).
On September 2, 2023 local time, Venice, Italy, at the 80th Venice International Film Festival, festival artistic director Alberto Barbera, director Ang Lee, actors Carina Lau and Tony Leung attended the Golden Lion Lifetime Achievement Award Ceremony. Visual China Map
