‘Cold War 1994’: Best Actress Fish Liew and Wu Kang-ren join league of the famous Hong Kong film IP

Tatler: Fish, your character Rosa deals with a lot of internal conflict; she often wants to save her husband from the kidnapper but seems controlled by the family patriarch. How did you master her struggle?
Liew: I found Rosa very difficult to play, but it was through thoroughly studying her character. As Kang-ren said, the situation feels far removed from us. Rosa is a woman who is often trapped within the family—she is the youngest of ten siblings and is actually an adopted daughter with no blood relation. She has been very clear about her status in the family since she was young. She is used to reading people’s faces and following rules. Her older brother is like a father to her; she listens to him regarding what subjects to study, what to do, and even her love life—who she should marry and what kind of person she should become.

Tatler: Hong Kong films of the 1990s had unique cinematography. Did that inspire a different approach to your acting?
Wu: Not much, I simply try to do what the director needs me to do.

Liew: I tried adjusting my acting based on the film's style, but I don’t know if I succeeded. I grew up watching 90s Hong Kong films and TV dramas. Women then were different from now. In workplace dramas, office ladies had a very vivid image. Not everyone was the same, but everyone was strong. There were fragile characters and unrestrained characters. As a child, I wanted to be like that. Since I had this opportunity of Cold War 1994, I hoped to showcase a 90s woman who had a voice in society, especially when she held financial power. However, my own energy is quite introverted. I don’t know if I achieved that “openness”.

Wu: She will have some emotionally explosive scenes in the next one, which is Cold War 1995.

Tatler: The director mentioned that Cold War 1994 is a landmark for the IP. Since you are both part of it, do you feel any pressure?
Liew: My pressure was immense. As I kept filming, I kept losing weight. I had a stomach ache every day because the scale of the project is so big and every senior actor is so prominent. I hoped to do a good job and not drag others down. Every time I saw Kang-ren, my cortisol spiked. I hoped I could keep up with him as a competent partner.

Tatler: Why specifically Kang-ren?
Liew: He’s my main partner in the story. Also, because in a promotional interview for another film prior to Cold War 1994, I let the word out that I wanted to work with Kang-ren, and so I manifested it this time, and I hope I didn’t disappoint him.

Read more: Wu Kang-ren’s new erotic film ‘The Chronicles of Libidoists’ comes with a deeper message about love and human fragility

Wu: After I watched the first two movies, I have been very curious about the backstory of this wealthy family. For my part, I’ve been trying to understand the family relationships between my character, the son of the patriarch, and Fish’s, who is my aunt in the movie. We grew up together and are of a similar age in this movie. What you see in Cold War 1994 is only the result of 20, 30 years of their journey. You can expect to see more of our scenes together in Cold War 1995. I remember the filming two years ago being very striking because the chemistry of our scenes was very tense. That tension isn’t about falling in love; our love is a bit twisted, like a braid or a piece of twisted paper. There is love inside, but also the family relationship and many moral issues.

Tatler: Yes, in one scene, Fish’s character, Rosa, has lost her husband to a kidnap and you grab her hand while she is resting in bed—it felt very poignant.
Wu: We had a lot of discussions about whether Rosa is aware of someone coming, whether she needs to open her eyes, or chat. What you see now is the final result after Fish discussed her character with the director, who felt this was the best among all the possible variations.

Tatler: What was the most challenging scene to film in Cold War 1994?
Wu: Definitely the scene where I got slapped by Kwan-ho for being a terrible son. It hurt! When I finished work, the staff gave me two ice packs, saying, “Oh, your cheeks are red.”

Tatler: I hope it was a one-take.
Wu: It took three takes.

Tatler: Fish, how did your previous roles as resilient and complex women, such as in Limbo and Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In, help you meet the requirements of Cold War 1994?
Liew: Instead of these two, the main influence was from Mrs Chung in A Guilty Conscience, because that was the first time I played a wealthy person; Cold War 1994 is the second. But Mrs Chung didn’t have much to do; she was just “cool”. This character, Rosa, takes the wealthy persona to another level. Despite her social status, Rosa has less freedom within the family. Mrs Chung could do whatever she wanted in court, but Rosa has many shackles.

I also look to my personal experience as an actor. Sometimes, I have my own limitations and areas where I am cautious; I applied that cautiousness to this character.

Tatler: Kang-ren, you previously filmed Fly Me to the Moon and Abang Adik. Did your previous roles help with this Cold War character?
Wu: Not really. I think the main thing that helped was the experience of coming to Hong Kong to film. It’s a matter of sentiment rather than the city’s specific features. Being able to act in Hong Kong films or TV shows and speak Cantonese makes me happy because I grew up watching Hong Kong movies and TVB. Fish and I didn’t enter the industry early enough to experience the 1990s and 2000s, and yet today, we are still following the “glory” and legacies of those predecessors. Being able to participate in a prequel to what they once performed is an honour, regardless of the role.

Tatler: You mentioned seeing the “glory” of predecessors. As actors of this generation, are there legacies you want to pass on through your work?
Wu: No, because I don’t want to control other people’s thoughts. The era is so open now, and stars aren’t as mysterious as they used to be. I don’t think about my legacies to the industry, which sounds quite removed from the audience.

Liew: Well said. I haven’t thought about it either. I just want to act. Being able to perform on the big screen for others is so interesting. Perhaps I am the kind of actor who wants to do her best in this lifetime, instead of leaving a legacy behind.

Tatler: Finally, are there any roles you want to play in the future or new challenges?
Liew: I want to take on characters that aren’t human: goddesses, spirits and monsters. I’ve done zombies before, but I thought it would be fun to play non-human characters again.

Wu: I haven’t thought too much about this. Sometimes actors just wait for a great script—or even a terrible one. A mediocre script can become great, depending on how you interpret the role. You always look forward to the next time you act, meeting different partners or different directors.

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