Chow Yun Fat baffled by Cold War 2's plot

Actor Chow Yun Fat went through the script several times to fully understand Cold War 2

Actors of Cold War 2 (from far left) Eddie Peng, Chow Yun Fat and Aaron Kwok at the press conference on Tuesday.
Actors of Cold War 2 (from far left) Eddie Peng, Chow Yun Fat and Aaron Kwok at the press conference on Tuesday. PHOTO: DANIEL NEO FOR THE STRAITS TIMES

If Cold War 2's complex plot confuses you, rest assured that you are not alone - the stars of the new police thriller say they were equally puzzled over the storyline.

Hong Kong superstar Chow Yun Fat, who joins the sequel as a legislator, told Singapore media at a press conference here for the film on Tuesday that he had to go through the script "several times" with the film's co-directors Longman Leung and Sunny Luk to fully understand what it was all about.

The 61-year-old veteran star said in Mandarin: "I had to keep asking them, 'What about this part? What does it mean?' This is such a layered and complex film. But I'm glad that I finally understand the story now."

Chow then turned to ask his Hong Kong co-star Aaron Kwok, who was also at the press conference, whether he understood the script.

Kwok, who reprises his Cold War (2012) character of the Hong Kong commissioner of police in the sequel, said half-jokingly with a laugh: "I, too, didn't really understand anything in this film."

To this, Taiwanese hottie Eddie Peng, who plays a villainous ex-policeman in the film, piped in: "That's why you have to watch this, and then watch Cold War 3 in the future to figure things out."

Cold War 2, which opens in cinemas tomorrow, picks up from where the first movie left off, with Peng's villainous ex-cop character behind bars for kidnapping police officers. However, Kwok's character receives a mysterious telephone call demanding that he release Peng's character, or his wife and daughter will suffer the consequences.

While Chow admitted to being confused by the plot, he proved to be on more solid ground when it came to taking selfies during the press conference.

In fact, he took the art of the celebrity selfie to a new level, hopping off the stage to take pictures with each of the 50 or so members of the press at the event, one at a time.

"I'm very quick at taking selfies - I'll show you," he said breezily, after a reporter asked him about his reputation as the "king of selfies".

He also shared selfie tips, such as how one has to hold the camera up high to reduce the appearance of a double chin and how, in group photographs, one should stand in the middle to look the thinnest.

"I'm also lucky that I have longer arms because that means I can move the camera further away and make my face look less like a bun," he said.

"I'm scared when other people take pictures of me because I always end up looking fat or ugly. Selfies are better."

His goofy demeanour at the press conference was testament to how charming and down-to-earth the actor is, even after having starred in major films such as classic Hong Kong gangster movie A Better Tomorrow (1986) and Hollywood's Anna And The King (1999).

It is no surprise then to hear Kwok and Peng gush incessantly about Chow.

Peng, 34, said: "Chow talks to everyone like they are his friends. He's always very nice and very polite. There's so much I can learn from him."

Kwok, 50, added with a laugh: "I've been a fan of Chow since I was a little boy. Whenever I'm around him, my heart palpitates. Even now, my heart is going pitter-patter."

• Follow Yip Wai Yee on Twitter @STyipwaiyee

• Cold War 2 opens in cinemas tomorrow. Look out for interviews with Cold War 2 stars Aaron Kwok and Eddie Peng on Saturday.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on July 07, 2016, with the headline Chow Yun Fat baffled by Cold War 2's plot. Subscribe