The Heavenly King plays an action hero in his 40s in the new movie 'Customs Frontline'. Photo: Handout
Hong Kong singer-actor Jacky Cheung may be 62, but the Heavenly King plays an action hero in his 40s in the new movie Customs Frontline.
Too far-fetched? Not quite, said Hong Kong filmmaker Herman Yau, speaking to Singapore media in a Zoom interview on July 2.
It revolves around a team of Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department officers who encounter a mysterious container ship carrying the bodies of dead crew members and a huge cache of arms. That puts them on a dangerous collision course with a ruthless arms dealer.
The director said that Cheung’s Customs officer character is supposed to be 45 years old. Given that Customs Frontline was shot from March to June 2022, the leading man was a few months shy of 61 at the time.
“Can Jacky Cheung play the character’s age? I think he can. Technology is very advanced nowadays,” hinted Yau, 62, who stopped short of mentioning the use of digital de-ageing, a visual effects technique commonly used in films.
“Anyone can easily find out Jacky’s real age online. But if you ask me, I do not think he looks 62.
“Does he look 49? I can believe that. In movies, what matters is what age you look like.”
Yau added: “Actually, Jacky’s action scenes can be very good. He is not the sort who goes one, two, three, fight. But he has a lot of experience with action films, and he is very humble.”
Cheung’s last lead role was eight years ago, as a disgraced pastor in the drama film Heaven In The Dark (2016). It earned him a Golden Horse Award nomination for Best Leading Actor.
He has worked with Yau on at least four other films, including Best Of The Best (1992) and No More Love, No More Death (1993). The filmmaker credits these past collaborations for convincing Cheung to make his acting comeback.
Yau said: “I must have left a good impression during the times we worked together.” – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
