In Marvel’s upcoming “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”, it’ll explore the family drama between Simu Liu (刘思慕)’s Shang-Chi and his criminal mastermind father Wenwu/The Mandarin, played by Tony Leung (梁朝偉).
Besides getting to see the real Mandarin this time around, the anticipated superhero flick will also be a proper introduction of the villainous Ten Rings organisation to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Although Shang-Chi and Wenwu have a complicated relationship in the film, offscreen, Simu and Tony became fast friends. Having starred in a handful of Wong Kar-wai movies such as “In the Mood for Love” and “Chungking Express”, Tony is already a legendary actor when it comes to Asian cinema.
“Imagine Leonardo Dicaprio, Brad Pitt, and George Clooney combined into one person – that’s who Tony Leung is in Asia. He’s got such a crazy resume of iconic films… And he was pretty intimidating, you know, having to step up onscreen with a legend like that,” the 32-year-old actor told Entertainment Weekly’s Devan Coggan.
“But he was so incredibly kind, humble, and gentle. He really made me feel like he was my actual dad. There’s just something so nurturing about his presence. He even invited me to go snowboarding with him. I don’t think a lot of people know that he’s a huge adrenaline junkie,” Simu continued, explaining that Tony is also into other active sports like water skiing.
In short, Simu summarised the legendary Tony Leung in one word – “badass”.
Director and co-writer Destin Daniel Cretton also had nothing but praise for the Hong Kong actor’s performance as the antagonist Wenwu. “A character like Wenwu could have easily been a one-dimensional villain with no heart,” the filmmaker told the publication. “Tony opened this character up [so] this is an antagonist who has a deep ability to love.”
Take a look at more photos below:
Do you reckon that is Michelle Yeoh in the green outfit?
Source: EW.
