STRICTLY NO COPYING

Milk Magazine issue 98 interview with Daniel Wu & Miriam Yeung

Milk: The box office record for Love Undercover was not bad. How did you feel about filming the sequel?

Miriam: Very happy of course. I wished the sequel would turn out better because people put their expectations higher for sequels & I can assure that it will not disappoint any of you.

Daniel: I am also very happy to work with Miriam and the crew again. This time, we became more cooperative and the filming process was pleasant. Even though Miriam still can't resist laughing but she became more mature.

Miriam: Really? Mayb because 'Fong Lai Kuen' is already married!

Daniel: Maybe! Everyone will see 'Fong Lai Kuen' going to the fruit markets, cooking and taking care of her husband. Surprising hey? Miss Dumb can be observant and caring sometimes!

Miriam: Ai ya, don't scare them! You should say this is an ever-after type romantic love story. Its very sweet. You guys would be happy watching it.

Milk: This movie was named Love Mission (Beautiful Mission in Chinese), so what do u guys truly think it's the most beautiful?

Miriam: Beautiful should be regardless of appearance, the most important is what's inside. Of course it would be better to have both! Just like 'Fong Lai Kuen', no comments on her appearance though, despite of her being dumb and thick but for the safety of her husband, the discipline and security of Hong Kong, she would risk her life to safe them. I reckon this kind of selflessness is the most beautiful.

Daniel: I totally agree! The beauty in appearance is very short and often biased. If ur heart is beautiful when doing something then everything would turn out beautiful.

Milk: Can u give me details on this beautiful mission?

Miriam: Fong Lai Kuen is a dumb and thick person, she received a  job promotion and married a rich guy but her characteristics havent changed. She still makes a lot of mistakes in her work. Surprisingly, she has degraded from a police officer with 3 stars on her shoulders to a policewoman who was in charge of keeping records of the usage of police vehicles. Out of the blue, she is offered to be undercover again into a genuine robbery cooperation. The whole investigation is stimulating and dangerous. She experiences gunfight, explosive scenes and also has to spy from a high position. Its definitely not an easy job. During the mission, her husband is kidnapped; its just full of obstacles.

Milk: Its like a heroine saving a hot guy.

Miriam: Of course.

Daniel: Actually, the theme of the story is very positive. It develops the brave image of the police force, despite of your gender. After all, they would put the responsibility of protecting our citizens first. Theres equal rights. Its a rather educational topic.

Miriam: Talk about Love Mission, I think its quite ironic that Fong Lai Kuen met Au Hoi Man through being undercover in the previous film. Whereas, this time, she was mistaken by her husband and he thought that she had an affair with another guy for being undercover. So he decided to spy back on her. Oh, you just cant understand how difficult it is!

Daniel: They are all actions you take out to show your love.

Miriam: But this action of love gave me a sore waist and back in return! I know the martial arts director was already being generous by giving me easy action tasks to perform but getting hurt is just vital. It was real hard at the start but I got used to it quickly.

Milk: From what Ive heard, Miriam constantly cant resist her laughter, leading to a large amount of NGs. Daniel, is this true?

Daniel: Not too much laughter, she cant resist laughing quite often . My Cantonese is not good either, so we are even!

Milk: Apart from action scenes, were there other difficult performances?

Miriam: Yes! There was a scenario talking about us getting into a Russian restaurant wearing their traditional clothing and started dancing. It was quite challenging. The most annoying thing is the heavy hat with heaps of feathers on it.

Daniel: My job is simpler. I only had to speak in French and Russian. I am quite gifted in learning languages, so I learnt them straightaway. The director said I sounded professional.

Miriam: And its really hard to keep in pace with the Mainland China actors because we spoke in Cantonese while they talked in Mandarin. It was very hilarious. Luckily we managed slowly at last.

Milk: A lot of people think that you guys are just acting as your normal self in the movie, not much acting skills were involved. Its like wiping all your efforts away, is it frustrating?

Miriam: Maybe because I always laugh and Fong Lai Kun is a funny character herself, so everyone thinks that I am acting as my true self. Just keep in mind, Fong Lai Kun is an imaginary/fictional character. The hard bits come in when I had to get myself into and involved in the characters life. Everyone thinks this movie is funny. To tell the truth its no simple thing at all.

Daniel: Maybe because of my image and language skills, people think that I am only limited to highly-educated-rich-guy roles. But I really do not mind to act as a messy guy, even villains. What a pity that I never had the opportunity. I will be motivated to practice my Cantonese. My assistant only talks in Cantonese with me, forcing me to learn it. Comparing to the past, I have made major improvements. Let's hope that I can spread my acting roles widely as my Chinese improves.

Milk: Are there still rooms for improvement since Fong Lai Kun has became a funny icon already?

Miriam: Yes of course. Apart from the Fongs couple, we can add more storylines to the movie. Just like the 007 series, we can film 10-20 films.

Daniel: And I will be just like James Bond being the male lead of Love Undercover forever, haha!

Milk: Chin Wah (Miriam), since you entered the acting industry, youve only filmed comedies, are you tired of them?

Miriam: To tell the truth, I really want to film an ancient dramatic/artistic movie. At least my image will be prettier but the economy of Hong Kong is rather bad for the past 2 years, there is a lot of pressure on peoples mind. So movie production companies would only invest in comedies, hoping that people will b happier. Therefore, comedies had taken over the majority of the market.

Milk: Daniel, youve entered the showbiz for 6 years, filming over 20 movies. What is the most desireed type of movie you want to take part in?

Daniel: I really want to film a Kung Fu movie! Everyone just judges me by my appearance and mistake me as a polite gentleman. Actually, Ive  learnt Kung Fu since I was 11. I even had apprentices at my school. I wish to act as a hero who mastered in the art of sword because he is fit and cool. However, Hong Kong doesnt usually film this kind of martial arts movie.

Milk: Chin Wah, youve been away a lot for the past 6 months. Are you afraid that your fans might like another artist?

Miriam: I was away most of time because of the production of Love Mission in Shanghai and also the promotion of my Mandarin album. At first I was scared but I found out they are very long-loving. Every time I arrive or depart Hong Kong, they would come farewell or welcome me at the airport when they received any info. I was touched by their actions! I believe I will b spending more time with everyone when promoting my new album. I would like to tell you guys, my new album is named MAKEUP.

Milk: Daniel, you are starting to work in other areas of art and wanted to work behind the scenes right?

Daniel: I think my career is developing well this year. I reckon an actor should widen their sights by working in different areas. Through participating in the stage play Happy prince early this year, I had gained some precious experiences. After all, the rehearsal for stage play usually takes around 3 months ,different from movie production. About DJ Tommys short video, its only a little experiment. My aim is to become a director. I hope to expand my skills by studying in different layers of art and treasure experiences gradually. Hopefully, it will be beneficial to my future goal as a director.

Translated mainly by Water.

For more Info on Love Undercover 2 go to the Link on the menu.

Lydia talk show interview (Behind the Fame) with Miriam Yeurng & Louis Koo last month (May).

Louis Koo

These are some of the questions & answers, which Ive translated.