Tony Leung: the unforgettable cowboy leading man of Asian cinema shows his true grit to a legendary director and fellow frontiersman

Interview, Sept, 2005 by Wong Kar Wai

TL: In a way, the scene was a role reversal. I became kind of like Zhang Ziyi's character, expressing my real emotions. When Chow Mo Wen asked Gong Li's Su Li Zhen to leave with him, he became very weak with nowhere to turn and could be easily rejected. For my character, Gong Li's Su taught an important lesson to learn to deal with all other future women. Chow would never show his cards to anyone. He would say yes or no, and the other party provided the options.

WKW: Have you thought about what you'd do if you weren't an actor? What would be your ambition?

TL: Nothingness. I would most likely be engaged in nothingness. A state of nothingness and play!

WKW: If you must choose a profession, what would be your choice?

TL: [long pause] I'd still consider nothingness.