Chapter 119: The Star-Making Factory

As the son of Wang Tin-lam and a well-known Shaw Brothers director, Wong Jing frequently came and went from the Shaw Brothers studio. It could be said that hardly anyone there failed to recognize him.

“I remember you. Your name is Lau Ching-wan, isn’t it? You’ve been appearing on television quite often lately.” Wong Jing studied the two men. He had some impression of the dark-skinned one. Lau could be considered a third-tier actor with TVB, having appeared in quite a few television dramas over the past two years. Although he was not especially famous, he had become a familiar face—and had even reached the point where people could remember his name.

“And you… you seem to be from the production of The Heaven Sword and the Dragon Saber.” Even with his excellent memory, Wong Jing could not recognize the other man as anything more than a minor extra. After all, several hundred extras made a living at the Shaw Brothers studio every day. Add to that the students from the training classes and the TVB staff members interested in acting, and the number became enormous.

“Yes, yes, that’s right. My name is Lai Yiu-cheung. I play General Ha in The Heaven Sword and the Dragon Saber.” Although Wong Jing had not called him by name, Lai Yiu-cheung was delighted that the director clearly had some impression of him.

Yan Xu knew that the Shaw Brothers studio was crowded with stars, but he had never expected to encounter two future kings of the industry the moment he entered: one would become a film emperor, and the other a television emperor.

Lau Ching-wan had achieved fame at a young age, but had always remained lukewarm in popularity. His image was often criticized, and it was not until The Greed of Man that his fortunes finally changed. Even then, his Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor came very late.

Compared with his friend Lau Ching-wan, Lai Yiu-cheung was even more of a late bloomer. During his more than ten years with TVB, he had appeared in countless television dramas and had given some excellent performances, yet he had never received the attention he deserved. He entered the film and television world during a period of economic decline and could only play minor characters in low-budget productions. It was not until he was forty-four, after more than twenty years in the business, that he finally took the lead role in a TVB drama. The following year, he shot to fame and became the first actor in TVB history to win three Best Actor awards.

“Did you write what’s in this script?” While the two men were speaking with Wong Jing, Yan Xu picked up the script they had been discussing. General Ha had only a few brief scenes, and there was not much dialogue. Yet the notes written beside the lines filled page after page—dozens of times longer than the dialogue itself.

“I did.” Lai Yiu-cheung nodded. Although he did not know Yan Xu, anyone whom Wong Jing accompanied was certainly no ordinary person.

“Very good. Would you be interested in working somewhere else?” Yan Xu handed the script back to him. Lai Yiu-cheung was still inexperienced and rough around the edges, but his seriousness and willingness to study made him unquestionably worth cultivating.

“What?” Lai Yiu-cheung stared at Yan Xu in astonishment. Yan Xu’s words left him completely bewildered. A stranger had suddenly asked him whether he wanted to change jobs. Anyone would have been unable to react properly in such circumstances.

“You’ve struck it lucky, boy. Young Master Yan has taken a liking to you. This is Yan Xu. You’ve been in the industry long enough to have heard of him, haven’t you?” Seeing Lai Yiu-cheung’s foolish expression, Wong Jing spoke up. He was puzzled as well. Why had Yan Xu taken an interest in an extra the moment he arrived? Given Yan Xu’s current status, even second- or third-tier actors—and perhaps some of television’s leading stars—would eagerly accept an invitation from him.

“Yan Xu?” Lai Yiu-cheung pondered for a moment. The name was strangely familiar.

“You’re that famous director Yan Xu? I’ve seen all your films. I can’t believe I failed to recognize you right away.” While Lai Yiu-cheung was still thinking, Lau Ching-wan suddenly widened his eyes.

To minor actors like them, Yan Xu was an enormous figure. Not only did he own two highly renowned companies, but nearly every film he had directed could be called a classic. His latest release, Mansion No. 1, was still in theaters, and its box office had already surpassed twenty million. Although it would be taken off the screen in a few days, predictions suggested that its final gross might exceed twenty-five million.

What did it mean for a film made on an investment of barely one million to earn twenty-five million at the Hong Kong box office alone? In the history of Hong Kong cinema, only seven films had surpassed twenty-five million: three entries in the Aces Go Places series, two films from the Lucky Stars series, Police Story from that year, and Merry Christmas from the previous year. Aside from Merry Christmas, every one of those films had cost at least five million to make—and even Merry Christmas, the least expensive of them, had cost more than three or four times as much as Mansion No. 1.

With this film, Yan Xu’s position as a major director had become even more secure. It had also proved that he was not a flash in the pan.

“This is my telephone number. If either of you is interested in working somewhere else, give me a call. You can also go directly to my management company.” Yan Xu took several cards from his card case. They were printed in an extremely simple style, bearing only his handwritten signature and a string of telephone numbers.

He had two kinds of calling cards. One was handed out casually. The other was the kind he was offering now, reserved for people he considered important. The number printed on these was his private line.

After bidding farewell to the two men, Wong Jing finally could not contain his curiosity.

“Young Master Yan, why did you take a liking to those two? One is a minor actor who has only just gained a little recognition and looks like a lump of charcoal. The other is nothing more than an extra. Neither of them is particularly handsome, and they’re not even as good-looking as me. There must be eight hundred people like that at the Shaw Brothers studio alone.”

“I have a feeling that both of them will establish themselves in this industry one day,” Yan Xu said solemnly. “I can’t guarantee how far they’ll go, but they will certainly achieve a certain level of fame and influence.”

“How can you be so sure? Those two look rather slow-witted. They should consider themselves lucky if they manage to become third-tier actors.”

“You didn’t look closely at that script. There were only a few lines of dialogue, yet the notes ran to more than a thousand words. The industry isn’t short of handsome men and beautiful women. What it lacks are people who remain grounded and continue working hard. Once diligent people like them complete the accumulation of experience in their early years and seize a single opportunity, they can soar to the heavens. Both of them are worth investing in.”

They entered the soundstage. Since filming was in progress and it would have been inappropriate to interrupt, Yan Xu did not approach. He merely stood to one side, watching the television production with considerable interest.

The first person Yan Xu noticed on set was Tony Leung, whose eyes seemed almost electrically charged. He did not yet possess the many Best Actor titles he would later win, but he was already one of TVB’s undisputed leading young actors.

The Five Tigers had already begun to follow different paths. Felix Wong and Tony Leung still belonged to TVB’s first rank of leading men. Because of his tangled relationship with Barbara Yung, Kent Tong had not been reviled as viciously as in his previous life, but his situation was hardly much better. The new drama TVB had given him suffered poor ratings because of the scandal, and the response to his work had been mediocre. The company had already decided not to renew his contract, leaving him with no choice but to accept film roles as a supporting actor.

Michael Miu, meanwhile, had a smooth romantic life and a sharp business mind. He was preparing to establish what would eventually become the Vision Optical Group. Before long, he would leave the entertainment industry with his beloved wife and become a successful businessman.

Of the Five Tigers, the one doing worst at present was Andy Lau, who had taken the lead in trying to jump ship to Cinema City. When they had planned to enter the film world, TVB had divided them one by one. Andy was still in the middle of a period of enforced inactivity. Not only did he have no work, but the dramas he had already filmed had also suffered extensive cuts.

Yan Xu had set his sights on this future Best Actor from the moment he began preparing to establish his company. Once everything was ready, he would extend an invitation at the earliest opportunity and sign Andy Lau as soon as his contract expired the following year.

Tony Leung was young, but his acting already possessed considerable polish. Although he had not yet reached the effortless mastery he would later display, he was still far ahead of many actors his age.

The actress appearing opposite him, Kitty Lai, had only made her debut that year and was one of the female stars TVB was heavily promoting. She had just begun to gain some recognition after appearing in The Legend of Di Qing. Before long, this delicate-featured young woman would rise to become one of TVB’s five great beauties. Through her role in The Heaven Sword and the Dragon Saber, she would become immensely popular, establish herself as the leading actress in historical dramas, and earn the title of the most beautiful woman in period costume. She would also begin a romance with Tony Leung during the production.

She was currently playing Zhao Min, disguised as a man. Her cross-dressed appearance was one of the drama’s greatest highlights. In Yan Xu’s eyes, she had far more charm in men’s clothing than in women’s attire.

Besides the two of them, Yan Xu also spotted Sheren Tang and Maggie Siu on the set. Both were still inexperienced young women, though they were already popular actresses. Sheren Tang had not yet developed the capable, sophisticated, and sensual presence she would later possess. Her youthful appearance bore a faint resemblance to that of Michelle Yim. Maggie Siu, meanwhile, had none of her later polish and was slightly baby-faced. She was not as beautiful as Yan Xu remembered her.

Naturally, in addition to the beautiful actresses, there were also Tsang Kong, Lee Heung-kam, Bao Fang, Hui Siu-hung, Wong Wan-choi, and many others—familiar faces whose names Yan Xu could easily recall. In the future, they would all become celebrated supporting actors in Hong Kong film and television.

The fair-faced young man laughing and chatting with several actresses nearby was none other than Michael Tao, who would later become TVB’s famous heartthrob among married women. His life was destined to rise and fall dramatically. It would take at least another ten years before he became famous through crime investigation dramas. After enjoying more than a decade of popularity, he would fall into a personal crisis because of emotional problems and find himself with no acting work, forced to make a living from variety appearances and promotional events.

Looking at all these leading stars and dependable supporting actors, Yan Xu could only feel envious.

Although Shaw Brothers had declined, TVB was about to rise with overwhelming force. Within a few years, it would become the dominant power in Hong Kong. Countless stars would emerge from this star-making factory, and more than half of Hong Kong’s celebrities would come from there.