Asia’s biggest actor-director pairing is back with their most challenging project to date.

Text: Tammi Tan
Photos: Lim Wen Ying and Louis Teo
Video: Fiona Lin and Tay Yi Xuan
Movie stills: Shaw Organisation

After over ten years of planning and producing, Director Wong Kar Wai's latest martial arts masterpiece The Grandmaster is finally hitting our shores. The acclaimed filmmaker was here in Singapore with Hong Kong superstar Tony Leung to promote their latest collaboration. They also attended the red carpet premiere at Marina Bay Sands' Grand Theatre later that evening.

"It's been nearly a decade since I last came," Tony said at Wednesday afternoon's press conference, held at the Artscience Museum. "I'm very glad to have the chance to come back." Wong, whose previous visit was also a long time ago, marveled at Singapore's dramatic changes.

As this is the seventh partnership between auteur and A-lister, the esteemed director admitted that it gets harder with each project, "Every time we start something, we aim to experiment with new challenges."

Challenges that, according to the filmmaker, Tony has never failed to rise up to and conquer. "Our next venture will be even more difficult - perhaps we'll have to hire a rock band and try something completely different!" said Wong.

The Grandmaster is a stunning visual feast based on the life story of Wing Chun teacher and Bruce Lee's mentor Ip Man, brought to life with great finesse by Tony in his first-ever kung fu role. The journey, however, was not a bed of roses for the 50-year-old actor. Tony suffered a broken arm twice - once during his intensive two-year training period, and another while filming - and contracted chronic bronchitis from a fight scene in the rain. Nevertheless, he brushed these mishaps off as "part and parcel of the job".

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