And Hung says he has no plans to retire in the future. Instead, he intends to “retire from work but not from society.”
“If God has given you this opportunity and desire, why would you want to retire when you can still act, dream and “scold people”?
“Unless you really feel like you're out of ideas and you're out of energy and you don't know anything anymore, then yeah, you should retire,” he said.
Hung's love for the craft is also evident in the high standards he sets for himself, sharing an anecdote about how he once had to reshoot a scene in a movie he was filming 108 times. It was given to me.
“When you shoot a movie, you have a vision of how you want the framing to look. It's only natural that you have ideas and principles. You can't settle for any level of standards.”
When asked what advice he would give to young filmmakers, director Hoon answered, “Patience.”
He explained that the current film production environment is not the same as it was in the past, making it more difficult for filmmakers to make films.
“If you like movies, you have to have patience,” he said during a 20-minute Q&A with the media. “Be patient, try your best, and learn. This is the most important thing.”
In addition to working in the Hong Kong film industry, Hung is also trying his hand at acting in the United States. Hung starred in CBS's Martial Law in the late '90s, playing Sammo Lo, a Chinese detective in Los Angeles.
Other than not being able to speak English, Hung didn't have any difficulties filming in Hollywood.
He said time management is important when shooting in Hollywood compared to filming in Hong Kong, where filming times can be long.
“When they say (they're) filming for nine hours, that means they're filming for nine hours… They really respect the mental health of the actors.”
However, even though the situation in Hollywood has become more relaxed, Hung said he has no plans to film in Hollywood again.
“My English skills are declining and I don't want to be under any more stress,” he said.
But if you're asked to say your lines in Mandarin or Cantonese, “no problem.”
Age discrimination against older actors
Last month, Mr Hung defended fellow action movie star Jackie Chan from online comments that belittled his “aged” appearance. Zhang, who turned 70 in April, appeared at an event in China with a completely white head, gray hair and beard.
When asked if there is a problem of age discrimination in Hong Kong's entertainment industry, Mr Fung said it does not come from within the circle, but rather from “outsiders”.
“I was very perplexed[by this]but have they never seen an old man before?” Is it so strange that people grow old?
“I feel that people who write such comments have no respect for others,” Hung said. “[For them]it’s as if people never get old.
“So I think these people are either not getting older or haven't had a chance to feel what it's like to get older yet.”
When asked what genre of film he would like to be a part of, he answered that he would be happy to shoot “any kind of film”, including romance and horror films.
“I love comedy because I think everyone likes to laugh. I think the most important thing is to feel happy when you're watching a movie.”
