Thursday, July 19, 2007

Hong Kong: Nicholas Tse the Next Jackie Chan?


Hong Kong: Nicholas Tse the Next Jackie Chan?


18/07/2007 In: News Buzz

Nicholas Tse was known for his wild child image when he first burst into the scene when he was only 17. Now, 10 years down the showbusiness road, Nicholas Tse has shed that bad boy image and made a name for himself as an action star.

His efforts have not gone unnoticed: his new director, Benny Chan, has even reportedly gone so far as to say that Nicholas may well become the next action superhero. The famous Hong Kong director added that among the actors in his new action flick, Invisible Target, the 27-year-old, who played a cop in the movie, was the one who best handled the action scenes.

Nicholas Tse

But ask Nicholas and he'll tell you he thinks it's too late for him to be an action star.

'The action stars like Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and Bruce Lee all started practicing martial arts from young. Jackie has been 'whacked' since he was 3 while I started only when I was 20-years-old.

'I'm too old now, my body is not as flexible as before, and I've sustained too many injuries.

'I am able to perform the required action stunts because I like them and I practice it (the art of Wing Chun),' he told reporters over the phone from Hong Kong last evening.

While his father Patrick is known for his playboy image and suave roles in drama serials, the son has carved out an entirely different path for himself.

Since Nicholas made his big screen debut in ‘Young And Dangerous: The Prequel’ in 1998 (which won him the Best New Performer award in the Hong Kong Film Awards in 1999), he has continued to show off his flying kicks and nasty chops in action flicks such as ‘Gen-X Cops’, ‘New Police Story’ and ‘Dragon Tiger Gate’.

Even though he declines the action superhero tag, his passion for the film genre is evident.

Making films are also about leaving a legacy for his son, who is expected to be born early next month, to his wife actress Cecilia Cheung, 27.

'I feel I am writing something in my history book for my son. I am not a blank sheet of paper,' he said.

Having shown more interest in music-making when he first entered showbiz, Nicholas had said 10 years ago that he would not go into acting.

'I won't head towards an acting career, like my dad. I'm not very much into acting and music's still my love,' he had told The New Paper then.

So it is ironic how his career has panned out, with a focus on action flicks.

'It's quite amazing but it's something I enjoy and I hope action movies can also become the pride of Hong Kong.'

Indeed, Nicholas has a lofty dream - that Hong Kong action movies will flourish and continue to leave foot prints all over the world.

He said: 'I think Hong Kong's music scene is no big deal and it has never conquered the world. But our action films have done so.'

He hopes there will be some actors who would be willing to sacrifice and work hard for action movies, and thinks Gillian Chung from Hong Kong pop duo Twins has the potential because she has the guts.

He also favors the good old way of movie-making, where 'lots of blood and sweat were in them'.

'In recent years, there has been too much reliance on post-production work and using computers to fix scenes.'

Nicholas has certainly suffered his fair share of injuries.

His worst experience was hitting his back against the edge of the table on the set of ‘Gen-X Cop’ in 1999, hurting his spinal cord.

'I thought I'd be handicapped but luckily I wasn't. I've seen the doctor for over 150 times since and have become 'half a doctor' myself.'

On his impending fatherhood, he seemed calm and collected, although he is protective of his wife and said he has disallowed her from attending the gala premiere of ‘Invisible Target’ in Hong Kong last night.

His only wish for his son is that he can retain his privacy and sanity.

He said: 'I hope he won't be subject to public scrutiny. Like my sister, Ting Ting, is not in showbusiness but because I'm her brother and her parents are Deborah Lai and Patrick Tse, she's been under a lot of pressure.

'For my son, since his grandparents and parents are all from showbusiness, wouldn't it be even worse for him?'

Maybe his son will have to count on his action superhero dad to save his day.

Source: Electric

Hong Kong Actor Close Up: Nicholas Tse

Cool info on Nicholas Tse, including pictures, videos, news, biography, photos, stats, and pics.

Date of Birth:29 August 1980
Birthplace: Hong Kong, China
Birth Name: Ting-Fung Tse Nicholas
Chinese Name: 谢霆锋
Nickname: Nic or Lemon
Height: 5' 9" (1.75 m)
Spouse: Cecilia Cheung (18 September 2006 - present)

Movies

Invisible Target (2007)
Rob-B-Hood (2006)
Dragon Tiger Gate (2006)
The Promise (2005)
New Police Story (2004)
Enter the Phoenix (2004)

'Invisible Target' trailer with Chinese and English subttitles

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