Favorite Roles: Wong Kar-wai’s Regulars

I love it when directors have a regular staple of actors that they work with time and again, and after doing one of these for Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s favorite actors, I wanted to cover Wong Kar-wai’s as well.  This doesn’t even cover everyone who’s made multiple appearances in Wong films, but I picked my top twelve(!) Wong regulars and my favorite role for each one.  (Role, not necessarily performance – for instance, I’d say Brigitte Lin is better in Ashes of Time than Chungking Express, but her character in the latter is cooler – and favorite, as in my personal favorite, not necessarily the objective best.)

Chang Chen:  Chang (Happy Together)

Chang (the actor) appears so briefly in 2046 and The Grandmaster that Happy Together is the natural choice.  Regardless, though, I love Chang (the character.)  After Fai’s tumultuous tug-and-pull with Ho Po-wing, it’s such a relief for him to meet someone who’s so amiable and low-drama.  Chang is just so kind and observant; I still can’t tell if he and Fai could end up together, but my head canon is totally that they do, somehow, someday.

Jacky Cheung:  Zeb (Days of Being Wild)

I think this role stands out to me because it’s not as amped as Cheung’s roles in As Tears Go By and Ashes of Time.  Zeb is a really understated character, and he doesn’t have a ton of screentime, but I like him.  The weirdness of him climbing in Yuddy’s window (because he’s intimidated by Yuddy’s doorman) is fun, and I enjoy the gentleness of his affection for Lulu.

Leslie Cheung:  Ou-yang Feng (Ashes of Time)

I’m in a similar boat with Cheung.  His magnetic, mercurial performances in Days of Being Wild and Happy Together are both excellent, but this one impresses me for how different it is.  There’s a stillness about Ou-yang Feng, a steadiness that makes him a perfect fit to stand at the center of the narrative.  He plays beautifully off of everyone he comes up against.

Maggie Cheung:  Su Li-zhen – Mrs. Chan (In the Mood for Love)

Seriously, how could I not go for this character (and this film?)  Cheung has had some wonderful collaborations with Wong, but her portrayal here is so beautiful, so honest, and so quietly-heartbreaking.  Cheung is masterfully restrained as Mrs. Chan silently shoulders her husband’s unfaithfulness in a time and place where all she can do is wear a smile, pretend that nothing’s wrong, and deny herself what happiness she might be able to find elsewhere.  Sheer perfection.

Takeshi Kaneshiro:  He Zhiwu (Fallen Angels)

Kaneshiro played wildly different versions of (sort-of) the same character in two films, but this one is far and away my favorite.  I like how bizarre and cheerful He Zhiwu is, how optimistic.  From his off-putting and technically-criminal business ventures to the wholehearted way he loves, even when he can’t communicate it, I like how thoroughly his vision of the world is his own.

Andy Lau:  Tide (Days of Being Wild)

I like Wah from As Tears Go By, too, but come on – Tide is too wonderful.  He’s the perfect confidante for Su Li-zhen:  quiet, kind, nonjudgmental but very earnest in his entreaties for her to move on.  The scene with him outside the phone booth is such a classic Wong Kar-wai Scene of Understated Romantic Yearning.  Gets me every time!

Carina Lau:  Lulu (Days of Being Wild)

This is an easy one, since Lau’s roles in Ashes of Time and 2046 are so small, but even if they weren’t it’d still be Lulu.  I love her – her lust for life, her outspokenness, the attitude and posturing that masks her vulnerability.  Though I haven’t seen much of Lau’s work outside of Wong Kar-wai films, this performance makes me want to check out more.

Tony Leung Chiu-wai:  Chow Mo-wan (In the Mood for Love)

It’s unfair to Leung’s other films with Wong that this one exists, but it’s lucky for me – otherwise, I don’t know how long it would have taken me to decide between Ashes of Time, Happy Together, and Chungking Express.  But as it is, it has to be Chow Mo-wan, and it has to be this version of him.  What a beautiful, soulful performance from Leung of a man falling slowly but inexorably in love with a friend who is quiet and kind like he is.  I love it so much.

Brigitte Lin:  The Woman in the Blonde Wig (Chungking Express)

Although I’d say that Lin’s dual role in Ashes of Time is more complex, you really can’t go wrong with the woman in the blonde wig.  I like her calm, business-like approach to her criminal enterprises and her cool pragmatism.  He Zhiwu (the Chungking Express version) doesn’t stand a chance when he lays eyes on her.

Faye Wong:  Wang Jie-wen (2046)

Wong is perfectly adorable in Chungking Express, but I think 2046 gives her a more interesting character to work with.  For me, the two most memorable scenes from 2046 both involve her – 1) Wang Jie-wen practicing Japanese in the empty room, and 2) the novel sequence featuring the android with the delayed reaction.  When I think of 2046, those are always the moments that come to mind first.

Charlie Yeung:  Charlie (Fallen Angels)

She’s a mess, and she totally uses He Zhiwu, but she’s a pretty entertaining user/mess.  Her completely deluded phone calls are great, and I weirdly like how oblivious she is to He Zhiwu’s rapturous looks as she pushes him around.

Ziyi Zhang:  Gong Er (The Grandmaster)

I debated over this one for quite a while, because Zhang is so great in 2046, too, but in the end, I had to go with Gong Er.  She’s such a rich character for Zhang to play – I love her sober dedication to kung fu and her father’s legacy, and her deep connection with Ip Man is stunning.  This is a really mature performance from Zhang that reminds me how great she is as an actress.