Hong Kong actor Shawn Yue is known for playing tough-guy roles in such movies as the Infernal Affairs trilogy, Dragon Tiger Gate and this summers The Guillotines. But hes recently revealed his feminine side, donning a wig and womens clothes in a video that has gone viral on social-media sites including Sina, Tudou and YouTube.
In his camped-up version of singer Linda Wongs 1990s hit Dont Ask Me Who I Am, Mr. Yue lip-syncs alongside Ms. Wongs original video, matching her outfits ─ and movements ─ scene by scene. In one, he wears a flowing white robe while sitting at a white grand piano. In another, he sports a red sweater and strokes his braided pigtails wistfully.
The video appears during the final credits of director Pang Ho-cheungs new romantic comedy, Love in the Buff, in which Mr. Yue teams with Miriam Yeung. Media Asia, the Hong Kong studio behind the movie, released the clip last week.
How did the director convince the actor to shed his rugged image for the video?
Through old-fashioned directors persuasion.
Shawn Yue is a handsome actor and fashion icon, Mr. Pang said, adding that he thought it would be very touching for girls to watch him appearing in drag in order to show off his caring and sincere qualities.
Buff is a sequel to 2010s Love in a Puff, and like its predecessor follows a Hong Kong couples on-again, off-again romance. This time, though, the setting shifts to Beijing. The film aims to appeal to audiences in both Hong Kong and mainland China, an often-elusive goal for Chinese-language movies.
It seems to be paying off. Buff has taken in 21.1 million Hong Kong dollars (US$2.7 million) since it opened on March 29, according to Media Asia, based on ticket-sales data it received over the weekend from Hong Kongs Motion Picture Industry Association. Thats a strong showing for a city of seven million people and more than triple the HK$6.4 million that Puff earned during its entire theatrical run two years ago, according to the MPIA.
Audience numbers were restricted for Puff, whose coarse language and excessive smoking earned the film a Category III rating, which prohibits admission to anyone under 18 years old. In contrast, Buff is rated Category IIB, which is open to all movie-goers but recommends parental guidance.
In China, Buff pulled in about 40.2 million yuan (US$6.4 million) during its first six days of release on March 30, compared with a total 1.95 million yuan for Puff during its entire run on the mainland, according to media-research firm EntGroup.
YouTube在一段恶搞歌手王馨平20世纪90年代热门歌曲《别问我是谁》的视频中，余文乐（左）伴随着王馨平原版视频对口形。
香港演员余文乐(Shawn Yue)以扮演硬汉角色而闻名，比如他在《无间道》三部曲、《龙虎门》和今夏《血滴子》中饰演的人物。但最近他也表现出了女性化的一面：余文乐头戴假发、身穿女人衣服的视频已在新浪、土豆和YouTube等社交网站疯传。
在一段恶搞歌手王馨平(Linda Wong)90年代热门歌曲《别问我是谁》的视频中，余文乐伴随着王馨平原版视频对口形，一幕一幕地模仿她的衣着和动作。其中一幕是他穿着飘逸的白色睡袍坐在一架白色的大钢琴前面。另一幕中，他又穿着红色毛衣，心事重重地抚摸着自己的麻花辫。
这段视频出现在导演彭浩翔(Pang Ho-cheung)最新爱情喜剧《春娇与志明》(Love in the Buff)杀青之时。该片由余文乐和杨千口(Miriam Yeung)联袂主演。制作方香港寰亚电影公司上周公布了这段视频。
导演是怎样说服演员，让他为这段视频牺牲硬汉形象的？
是通过导演劝说演员的老办法说服的。
彭浩翔说，余文乐是一位帅气的演员，是时尚的代表。他说，他觉得如果女孩们看到余文乐为了表现其关爱、真诚的品质而男扮女装，她们将会被深深地打动。
《春娇与志明》是2010年《志明与春娇》(Love in a Puff)一片的续集。和前一部一样，讲的都是一对香港恋人分分合合的故事。但新片的场景变成了北京。影片的目标受众既包括香港人也包括内地人，对于中文电影来说，两方面讨好常常是很难实现的。
这个策略似乎正在收到成效。据寰亚电影周末从香港影业协会(Motion Picture Industry Association)拿到的票房数据，从3月29日开映以来，《春娇与志明》已经取得2,110万港元（约270万美元）的收入。这对于一个700万人口的城市来说是一个不俗的数字，而据香港影业协会的数据，这相当于两年前《志明与春娇》整个上映期间所获票房640万港元的三倍以上。
《志明与春娇》因为包含粗俗语言和过量吸烟镜头被归为III级，任何年龄不足18岁的人都不得观看，所以它的观众数量受到了限制。相比之下，《春娇与志明》被归为IIB级，这类电影对所有观众开放，但建议青少年在父母指导下观看。
据媒介研究公司艺恩咨询(EntGroup)的数据，从3月30日在内地首映以来，《春娇与志明》用六天时间吸金约人民币4,020万元（约640万美元）。《志明与春娇》在内地整个上映期间的票房收入总共才195万元。 |
