Recently, Stephen Chow (Xing Ye), the renowned filmmaker, was promoting his self-directed movie “Kung Fu Women’s Soccer” in Hong Kong. He along with Hong Kong actors like Carol Liu, Lam Tze Chung, Joyce Chao, and Zhang Jichong, appeared on the TV show “Star of the Week” hosted by Li Zhishan to share some interesting anecdotes from behind the scenes of the movie.
Stephen Chow and Li Zhishan had a previous connection from their early days of hosting the classic children’s program “430 Shuttle Machine.” This time, he made an exception to be interviewed solely based on the face of their long-time friendship. Li Zhishan humorously mentioned, “The TV station originally thought to send me (for the interview), thinking the success rate would be higher, but unexpectedly, it actually worked. Maybe because he (Stephen Chow) saw a familiar face, so he readily agreed.”
Recalling the first encounter with Stephen Chow, Li Zhishan described the scene as “weird.” One day, while shooting on the beach, the director was introducing the new host Li Zhishan, but Stephen Chow completely ignored her and went off to crouch by the sea, playing with a jellyfish washed ashore. Li Zhishan mentioned that Stephen Chow’s “nonsense” left a lasting impression on her.
Some netizens imagined Li Zhishan’s initial impression of Stephen Chow as a young man who, instead of engaging in socializing, was absorbed in studying a jellyfish. They believed that this was not “weird” but rather an instinct of a creator, showcasing his curiosity for the jellyfish in front of him, surpassing the need to socialize.
In Li Zhishan’s eyes, Stephen Chow had a creative talent from a young age, always dramatizing mundane life matters. She revealed that she served as Stephen Chow’s “official joke tester” in the past. Whenever Stephen Chow came up with some outlandish ideas, he would come to her, share the idea, and judge its success based on her reaction. In other words, almost 40 years ago, Stephen Chow began refining his jokes through “user testing.”
During the show, Carol Liu became Li Zhishan’s “strongest assist.” Whenever Stephen Chow tried to avoid answering questions like “Why aren’t you acting anymore,” and wanted to change the topic, Li Zhishan joked that she would “remain silent,” but Carol Liu would persistently “continue to ask.” The two engaged in a playful banter, with Carol Liu teasing Stephen Chow for being late, to which he retorted by saying, “I’m not late, you came early,” leading to laughter on set.
After the laughter subsided, the lingering question remained: “Why would someone who has been in the film industry for over 30 years no longer appear in front of the camera?” Although Stephen Chow did not provide a direct answer, faced with the formidable attacks from Li Zhishan and Carol Liu, he made an unprecedented promise. However, the organizers and Li Zhishan deliberately kept it a secret, choosing not to disclose the specific details of this “innovation” in the press release, saving it for the broadcast of the show.