Hong Kong actor and singer Gigi Leung on horror, Japanese artists and resilience

To prepare, Leung got in touch with fellow Hong Kong actor Louisa So Yuk Wa who has appeared in several sombre productions over her career, such as the 2022 parricide thriller The Sparring Partner and the 2024 drama Valley of the Shadow of Death. “She helped me to discover my own dark side and dig into my character’s psyche,” says Leung. She describes her character as a “control freak”, a trait she does not possess.

“The way she shows her love for her daughter is through strictly controlling her every move. I don’t necessarily think you need to have the same experience in your life to play a certain character; there are a lot of characters whose experiences we have not and would never go through. I think it’s a matter of freeing your mind and putting down your prejudices.”

That’s not to say she and her character don’t have anything in common—their shared state of motherhood was a powerful connection. “One of the scariest scenes—one that still haunts me, long after we finished filming—sees me frantically opening door after door to look for my daughter, but she is nowhere to be found,” she recalls. “It’s a mother’s unique fear of losing her daughter. It was very tough to channel that emotion— you’re always on the brink of breaking down.”

Leung believes the enduring magic of Japanese horror manga is how artists like Ito bring to light repressed fears and compulsions. “You’d think a lot of these concepts of fears would be visualised onscreen—and they are—but what’s scarier is what you imagine,” she says. Unlike western horror, which is known for jump scares and supernatural elements, Ito’s horror is deeply psychological; the creeping, inescapable sense of dread mirrors the mental decay, anxiety, paranoia and obsession that anyone can experience in real life.

“Japanese artists like Ito were ahead of their time when they presented these emotions and issues in stories set at school, or told from the perspective of young people. Even though the comics were released decades ago, neither the plot nor the drawing style feel dated,” says Leung. “This is why I find Japanese artists so creative, and why so many Hongkongers are influenced by Japanese culture.”

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As well as returning to our screens, Leung will also be releasing new music this year; 2026 marks the 30th anniversary of the singer’s debut album Love Myself. “My close friends have heard some samples; they’ve remarked how they aren’t like my usual sound at all,” she says, adding how people may expect nothing new from her comeback. “But I don’t want to limit my [styles]. I want to give my fans a little surprise and thank them for their support over the past 30 years.”

Years in the film and music industries have made her realise that the best art is usually created when there’s a genuine sense of enjoyment. Some years ago, the actor started making porcelain art for fun; then in 2013, during a particularly low period, she was invited to put on an exhibition of her work. The pieces she created were flowers in different stages of their lives, meant as representations of life and death; the creative process proved therapeutic.

“I focused on making the porcelain pieces, which was very peaceful. At one point, I also unexpectedly felt that these flowers were a metaphor for the things I was experiencing: just as the clay is difficult to mould and fire [and the result uncertain], I realised I cannot control everything in life,” she says. “It was an exercise in letting go and learning to accept your vulnerability.”

And while she admits that her hobby doesn’t qualify her as a visual artist, she says, “That doesn’t mean I have to stay away from art ... The key thing is injecting your life and stories into what you create. That way, your work has meaning and feelings.”

It’s a lesson that many in the film industry might benefit from. Leung observes that, unlike in the 1990s, when she started her film career, there are more actors than projects—actors need to be open to experiences beyond the expected. “The industry has had its ups and downs. I’ve witnessed the era when piracy was rampant, and now cinemas are closing,” she says. “As an actor, sometimes it’s hard to control your fate. All you can do is to cherish and grab each opportunity that comes your way and do your best.”

And Leung does do her best to live life to the fullest. As well as her success in film and music in both the Cantonese and Mandarin markets, she has been running a children’s fashion business, Mibonbon, since 2019, inspired by the birth of her daughter.

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In July, she will add another string to her bow, heading to Shanghai to make her theatrical debut. Kim Ji-young: Born 1982 is a stage adaption of the 2019 film based on the popular 2016 novel of the same name by South Korean writer Cho Nam-ju. Leung plays the titular character, a stay-at-home mother who is possessed by the ghosts of family members and people she crossed paths with.

“She needs to borrow other people’s identities to express herself, which reflects some women’s experience of the more traditional and misogynistic elements of South Korean society,” she says.

“It’s yet another good challenge, for me to play this complicated role in a story that I love. “That’s what I love about acting. You can be whoever you want.”

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