Hong Kong movie star Chow Yun-fat, who is 70 years old, recently served as a presenter at the Singapore “Star Awards 2025”. The award-winning actor jokingly mentioned during an interview that every actor in their seventies or eighties would receive a “Lifetime Achievement Award”, which essentially means they are “retired”. He expressed that he is the one actor who does not want to receive this award and hopes to accomplish something before turning 80.
Chow Yun-fat, who debuted in 1974, has had a successful career spanning over 50 years, winning numerous awards for his roles in films such as “A Better Tomorrow”, “City on Fire”, and “An Autumn’s Tale”. He has won three Hong Kong Film Awards for Best Actor and two Taiwan Golden Horse Awards for Best Actor. In 2000, he portrayed Li Mu-bai in Ang Lee’s “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, which became the only Chinese-language film to win an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
When asked about what has fueled his success in the film industry for half a century, Chow Yun-fat humbly stated that acting is largely based on luck. Some actors become famous within a few years while others may take decades to break through, depending on timing and opportunities.
He advised aspiring actors to endure hardships and exercise patience, emphasizing that the acting profession is tough and filled with uncertainties. Chow Yun-fat, who only started running at the age of 60 for health reasons, revealed that running has helped improve his posture and even increased his height by 2 centimeters. He integrated running into his lifestyle and founded the “Hong Kong Running Group”, where he serves as the captain and massage therapist, leading many celebrities on mountain hikes and teaching them post-run massage techniques.
To maintain vitality, Chow Yun-fat emphasized the importance of leading a simple lifestyle and daily exercise. He believes that discipline is crucial for actors, regardless of age, to have the physical strength needed to continue acting.