The Juno Mak Chun Lung directed new film RIGOR MORTIS (GEUNG SI) asked 80s Vampire film representative Chin Siu HO to play as the story of a down on his luck middle aged man. In the film Siu Ho was famous for playing the vampire hunter in MR. VAMPIRE (GEUNG SI SIN SUN) but as time passed him by he tried to hang himself to end his life. Off screen, he too along with the decline of vampire films went to work in the Mainland. Occasionally he returned to Hong Kong to guest star, but he absolutely knew to enjoy life unlike his tragic character.
Chin Siu Ho and Kara Hui (Wai Ying Hung) promoted their new film RIGOR MORTIS. They have been friends for years. Siu Hung admitted that the reason that she took this film was mainly Siu Ho, because the film was Siu Ho's "semi-autobiographical" story. "We are used to being action actors, switching to become the acting type is very hard. At our age, how much longer can w fight? Thus we have to tell people with our acting, we can act without fighting." Siu Ho said that in the beginning he was not the blue print for the story. Actually Juno wanted to tell the changes of the MR. VAMPIRE Master Disciple Trio of Lam Ching Ying, Ricky Hui Koon Ying and Chin Siu Ho. Yet Lam Ching Ying and Hui Koon Ying both passed away and it became his semi-autobiography. "The director wanted to say, back then I was very famous. Yet after the vampire film fever passed I had no work. He was very interested in this psychological journey."
Actually the story was also similar to Siu Hung's real life. Back then she was was Hong Kong's most popular actress overseas. "I was offered a paper bag full of money to make a movie, but it didn't even have a script." Unfortunately as the fever cooled, leads became extras. Even if you were the best fighter in the world, once typecast no one would feel that you know how to act." Siu Hung stated that for awhile she was very lost and wanted to die. Luckily with her friends' support she transformed into today's Wai Ying Hung. In the film Siu Ho chose suicide, off screen the 50 years old said that he already has seen through life. "Everyone has a low point, no one should mind anything too much. Although both success and failure are due to vampires, after the low point should I still mind everything?"
When action actors transitions into actors, directors would always arranged for a lot of action scenes to "benefit" them. Siu Hung said that the toughest was the market scene at the end. "I fought with a vampire and was dragged all over the market with both dirty water and blood all over me. Because of additional shoots, I didn't dare to move. I had to wait for two hours before someone notified me of the make up change. At the time I was so mad that I almost cursed. Later I had to hos off in a public bathroom without a door, without a towel or any soap. At my age it was the first time I bathed in a market, at the time I really wanted to cry." Siu Hung stated that she had arguments with the director. "In a vampire duel scene, I had to push away a rushing vampire. The double charged in, if I didn't have any kung fu background and knew how to adjust I really would have dislocated something. Yet the director actually that the charge had to result in bones breaking out. I argued with him and said that it could be done in post production. I was so mad that I told him to give me his hand for me to demonstrate. He really stuck out his hand. Later the assistant director intervened and the director gave in." Siu Ho also complained that in one scene he and Richard Ng Yiu Han fought in the mud. "With mud all over, after the shoot I didn't dare to sit. I was afraid that I would be stuck to the chair. I was all stiff in the make up room for over 20 hours. Those four months were like an out of body experience, everyday I had to console myself." Yet when they saw the results, they both said that they was worth all the hard work.
Source: Singtao, on.cc
Translated by: hktopten
