Interview 

Master Carter Wong  - Interview ( 1 )

PUBLISHED : Sunday, 30 July, 2000, 12:00amUPDATED : Sunday, 30 July, 2000, 12:00amAmbrose Leung

An action-film actor and one-time friend of Bruce Lee, Wong runs martial-arts schools in 28 countries attended by 30,000 students. He also trains FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration agents in the United States, and is the chief martial-arts instructor for the Hungarian military police.

Where are you most likely to be at 10am on a Sunday? Every Sunday morning I go to the Baptist Church in Cameron Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, with my wife. I became a Christian when I was young.

Where are you most likely to be at 10pm on a Friday? I normally stay home and read science fiction. If I'm not reading, I will be going through my daily, two-hour martial-arts training routine.

Where do you live? I live in Tsuen Wan, but I stay in Hong Kong for only six months a year - I spend a lot of time travelling around the world inspecting my International Shaolin Chung Hop Kuen World Federation martial-arts schools. I also spend some time on the mainland doing business.

Where do you go to escape in Hong Kong? I love going to Cheung Chau for seafood - it's a lovely island and you have to go by ferry. Lantau was good as well, but now you can get there by car it has lost its island appeal.

Where do you go for dim sum? The Very Good Restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui. I used to go there a lot with my film-maker friends, and I still go there now.

Where does everyone know your name? Since I've starred in more than 100 films and have lots of students, I think many people know who I am.

What memberships do you have? I'm chairman of the International Shaolin Chung Hop Kuen World Federation. I'm also a director of the World Muay Thai [kick-boxing] Council, and the China representative of the World Kick-Boxing Association.

Whom in Hong Kong do you most admire? I don't admire anybody in Hong Kong; many people here care too much about themselves and nothing for others. I still admire Bruce Lee, whom I met while we were working for the same film company. He was such a good martial artist and took Chinese culture and martial arts to the world.

Where did you spend your last birthday? My birthday was in March, and I spent the entire week going to dinner parties which were thrown by hundreds of my students.

When did you last cross the harbour? I can't remember, but the last time I crossed by Star Ferry was a couple of years ago.

What do you love about Hong Kong after you've been away? I love the night view across the harbour. It's glorious, and I reckon not many places in the world can match it.

What do you hate about Hong Kong after you've been away? The people and the pollution. These days people have bad manners. And the air quality is getting worse.

Which type of kung fu do you think is best? All martial arts are good; your efforts and patience are what make them.

What is the most overrated thing about Hong Kong? The housing. People boast about what luxurious flats they are living in, but the environment is so bad and the price of housing is outrageous. Do you believe a flat of a few hundred square feet in a cramped street can be luxurious?

Whom do you tip? Mostly waiters, even though nearly all restaurants here put an extra 10 per cent on the bill.

Have you ever been refused entry to anywhere in Hong Kong? Not unless you're talking about restricted, government areas where a security pass is needed.

If you had to come up with an ad for the Hong Kong Tourist Association campaign, what words and images would you choose? I would use Hong Kong's freedom as promotion. We have free trade and low income tax, a society where you can talk about anything in public and do whatever you want as long as you are not breaking the law. You can criticise the Government and no harm will come to you. If you want freedom, Hong Kong is the place to be.

INTERVIEW WITH CARTER WONG ( 2 )

(Thunder)

I was born in Hong Kong. I am not married, but I do have a girlfriend now. I have no children.

What are you doing these days?

These days I am still active in Martial Arts. I am in the process of getting a film put together on martial arts.

How long have you practiced martial arts?

I started as a child and have been doing it ever since.

What have been your best experiences as a martial artist?

Being in martial arts competitions. For me, it wasn't about winning but getting the chance to see others skills. I met Darlene [Carter's girlfriend] at a competition and was impressed with her skill. We've been friends ever since.

How did you get started in acting?

It was one of those things I just fell into.

About BTLC: How did you first find out about the film?

My agent got a hold of the script for me to look at.

What were your experiences coming into the film?

I never go into a film expecting a lot, just that most things go smoothly, mainly between cast and crew.

How did filming go? Do you have any interesting stories about your work on and off the set?

Filming went well, I was happy with it.

What did you think of the costumes in the movie?

I thought the costumes were great.

What is you opinion of the fight sequences?

Most of the fight sequences were wonderful. I was pleased with the way they turned out.

What is your favorite part of the films?

All of my scenes [laughs] I enjoyed the entire film, through and through.

What do you think of the prospects of a BTLC sequel? Would you be interested in participating?

I'm not sure there will be a sequel. If there was, I'm sure it would have been done by now. With Thunder's demise in BTLC, I wouldn't expect to be in the sequel. If I am, it had better be something special.

About People In BTLC: What was it like working on a John Carpenter film? Was JC and easy director to get along with? Difficult?

I enjoyed working with Mr. Carpenter. He was an easy director to get along with, no difficulties. He's an actor's director. He was right in there getting his point across yet making you feel comfortable, his appreciation of actors, understanding. He doesn't make things difficult for you, he did everything to make things easier.

What was it like working with actor James Hong?

Working with Mr. Hong was fantastic. He was so appreciative, very nice. I found him very easy to talk to.

Was there a certain camaraderie between the actors playing the three storms in the film? [the other actors being James Pax and Peter Kwong]

They are both good actors. We got along fine both on and off the set. Both were friendly and funny.

How was it like, working with Kurt Russell? Did you establish a connection with actresses Kim Cattrall [Gracie Law] or Suzee Pai [Miao Yin]?

It was intersting working with Kurt Russell. He was very professional. Suzee Pai was very sweet, shy. I never made much of a connection with Kim Cattrall. I don't talk down on people so I'll stop there.

About The Role Of "Thunder": How would you describe the character "Thunder?"

Someone not to be messed with! [laughs] Thunder is loyal to David Lo Pan and would do what he could for him.

How did they do the "Exploding Thunder Sequence"? What did you think of it afterwards when you saw it on the screen?

"Exploding Thunder Sequence"? That was all me, years of training until one day on the set I just blew up! [laughs] With the help of an FX crew and something called Movie Magic. I thought it looked wonderful on screen and funny at the same time.

What do you think of the lines you were given? Many fans agree that they're some of the most popular lines in a film full of great ones.

I loved the character's lines. It's one of the things that attracted me to the character.

About Other Roles: You've been in quite a few martial arts films in the last 20-30 years. What have been your favorites?

My favorites were BTLC [of course] and Hardcase and Fist. Both were a joy to work on.

About Martial Arts Films Today: What do you think of the martial arts films today?

The ones these days aren't half as good as some of the ones a decade ago. Some seem a little far fetched. When Bruce Lee did Enter The Dragon, he hired a lot of martial artists instead of actors.

There are several big name martial artists in film today - Jackie Chan, Chow Yun-Fat, Chuck Norris. Do you think that they uphold the tradition of the great martial arts actors of the past?

Jackie Chan is more of a Bruce Lee meets Charlie Chaplin, but is talented in what he does, as many of the others these days.