The 82nd Venice Film Festival will be held from August 27 to September 6. On July 22, the festival announced the list of 21 films competing for the prestigious Golden Lion award, including “Silent Friend” starring Tony Leung after reading for 8 months. This marks Tony Leung’s chance to compete for the Best Actor award again, following his Lifetime Achievement Award at the 80th edition.
After starring in the Marvel superhero film “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” Tony Leung confirmed in 2023 that his next foreign film would be “Silent Friend.” The film is written and directed by Ildiko Enyedi, a Golden Bear winner at the Berlin Film Festival. Set in the medieval university town of Marburg in Germany, the movie tells three stories spanning over a hundred years all related to a tree. It showcases the significant changes in human perception of plants, animals, and other living organisms, revealing the characteristic of “uncertainty” in reality. Tony Leung plays a prominent neuroscientist from Hong Kong in this film.
Last year, when Tony Leung received the Venice Lifetime Achievement Award, he revealed the filming plans for “Silent Friend” at the festival. He mentioned that while he had worked on many films in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Hollywood, he had never ventured into European cinema until now. After thorough communication and understanding with the director and team, the collaboration was established.
Director Ildiko Enyedi has long admired Tony Leung’s performances and tailored the role in the new film specifically for him. She highly praised Tony Leung’s contribution to the movie, stating, “From the first reading of the script, he has been an excellent partner, not only considering his own role but also the entire film.”
To portray the role of a neuroscientist convincingly, Tony Leung spent 8 months reading books on neuroscience before filming. Sometimes, when he did not understand certain aspects, he consulted experts from several universities in Hong Kong specializing in neurology. Just like when he prepared for his role as “Nanjing” in the film “In the Mood for Love,” practicing the piano for at least 8 hours a day, initially disliking it but eventually falling in love with it, and finally portraying the piano playing scenes authentically in the movie, which required playing three pieces including one exceptionally difficult piano piece.
Tony Leung’s portrayal of the character “Wenwu” in the Marvel film “Shang-Chi” was highly acclaimed, and he made thorough preparations before filming. There are reports that his salary for this role far exceeded the fees of many other Marvel stars for their first films. Prior to “Shang-Chi,” Tony Leung had won the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor five times, received the Taiwan Golden Horse Award for Best Actor three times, and won the Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival, all acknowledging his outstanding acting skills.