AL: Since I got the award, I had been doing the promotion for A World without Thieves, there wasn’t any special feeling. Its only upon reaching Hong Kong yesterday, I felt excited suddenly.
Just now, before this press interview, I had an interview and the reporter asked me, “Which is my best film to date?"
I told him "Love on a Diet". And the reporter was shock and the reporter replied his favourite Andy Lau’s film is A World without Thieves. It’s was as if the reporter was doing promotion for this film instead of me

RL: Its true, late last night after the promotion, I was still receiving phone calls from friends, telling me how good Andy Lau was in "A World without Thieves". Friends like Lin Yi Hua (a playwright) and Silvia Chang. Spoiler~ Silvia Chang even said that she cried when Andy Lau’s character died. So personally I felt that it was Andy Lau’s best film too

DJ: In this film, we can see although both Andy and Rene have the same kind of jobs but have very different personalities. Since this film basically deals with human nature, can Andy and Rene talk about the characters you played in the film?

AL: I think the biggest difference between the two characters would be that Rene’s character, Wang Li does not submit to faith, she wanted to change over a new leaf and do more good things to repay all the evils that she had committed. Meanwhile my character Wang Bo already submitted to fate and have a sad view of the world and they will forever be thieves

RL: I feel that Wang Li was trying to wash away the sins that she had committed.

DJ: Andy Lau, since you mention about doing many commercial films in the past. Any regrets of doing so many commercial films?
I asked this question because you mentioned during the Golden Horse Award that it’s hard to convince people that you could really act. Could it be due to your past commercial films that created such a reputation? Would you do more films that have lesser commercial value in order for the audience to have a different view of you in future?

AL: I don’t know about the rest but I am an “no character type” of actor. I do all sort of films and maybe recently I am performing lesser so the industry is currently having a shortage of my type of commercialize films.
Even Chow Yun Fat, Stephen Chow, all these commercial films stars are doing lesser films nowadays. I feel that if there are lesser commercial movies in the film industry, people will feel that the standard is dropping. So it’s quite funny that it’s still very important to have this type of commercialize actors and film around.
Even though the audience could accept the artistic films, they would also need commercial films. It’s just like an art drawing and a roll of toilet paper. They both serve different purposes but both items are just as important.
I feel that both artistic films and commercial films are just as important to the film industry. So if you ask if I ever regret doing so many commercial films before, I can tell you that I never had such regrets before.



DJ: Rene Liu, I think you are Andy Lau’s envy, he had to wait 3 years to win the best actor award and you won the Asia film award on your first try.

RL: I was hopping that you ask me if I would regret starring in so many artistic films instead of commercialize ones.
Actually I share the same sentiments as him, both types of films are just as important and both of them have their values and potential. It’s getting important that to have a well balance of both types.
For example an artistic film normally do not have that many viewers and only film fans, critics, film award judges and directors would go view those artistic films is not enough. I felt that we need to draw in more viewers back into the cinema and at this point, I felt that Andy Lau had succeeded.

DJ:A World without Thieves will definitely draw in the crowds, just by looking at the cast, beside Andy Lau and Rene Liu, the film cast are filled with the best actors and actress from China, Taiwan and Hong Kong such as Ge You and director Fang Xiao Gang. Now we let the others to interview Andy Lau and Rene Liu, please raise your hand.

Media: If you are like the thief that you portray in the film, what would you like to steal?

AL: I had already answer this question many times and come to think of it, I don’t really have anything that I want to steal right now. I will get back to you when there is anything that I want to steal.

RL: Almost the same as Andy. The thing that I really want to steal is really impossible to steal as I would like to steal back my youth

<Laughter>

AL: You still have your youth so don’t worry.

<more laughter>

RL: I would like to steal some more youth to keep and use slowly.

DJ: Normally thieves work together and each have its own task. For example, Andy Lau who is so handsome, he might use his looks and while the victim is distracted, his accomplice might the chance to steal. So how do you two separated your duties to achieve the thief?

RL: On the first day, when I met him on the set, I had a shock and I thought he was fooling around. I really felt that he was really ugly looking. Someone on the set actually said he look very dashing. I kept my views to myself until mid production of the film and when I had the chance to review the film again and I thought it was the right hairstyle for him.
It was because he was so ugly that people will focus on his acting instead of his look. It used to be with his good looks in a film, people tend to forget he could act too. So I felt that was the director’s intention to give Andy Lau such an ugly presentation in this film.

Media: Any offers to act in Hollywood?

AL: Currently, It’s all action movies that they offered me. So I am still waiting for a good script or I will not go there.

Media: Now that Andy Lau have won the best Actor Award, would you be more selective in your future projects?

AL: I won’t. In the past, there weren’t many films that were offered to me. I used to act as triad members, comedy or wuxia. These few years, I been acting in films with more substance and people thought that I am more selective of the movies that I act in.
Actually that’s not the case, it’s only now that people come and look for me. I wanted to work with Rene in the past but there was not a single chance at all then.

DJ:“What draws you to the production of A World without Thieves?

AL: Its really because of Rene. To put Rene Liu and Andy Lau together into a film, it’s a very special blend, and if I don’t do this film now, I don’t know when will I ever get a chance to film with Rene.

RL: Same here, it’s because there a chance for me to act with Andy Lau. I even lost weight just to act with him.

DJ: What about acting with Ge You?

AL: He is a very special person. He doesn’t really give interviews and he doesn’t read much about what was written about him. So he won’t really know if you had said good or bad things about him.
I felt that his methods of acting are of high standard. His acting skills and style had already achieved a certain level of greatness. For a certain roles, he could be especially funny. He knows what the audience wants and could accurately portray his role.

RL: Other actors would adapt or adjust to other people acting methods but Ge You would never do that. Once, Andy was telling Ge You on his view on a certain scene and after Andy finish, Ge You nodded his head and walk away. He had a very firm believe in what he wanted and won’t change his mind.

AL: Ge You is quite similar to the director Feng Xiao Gang. Actually Feng Xiao Gang is worse. He would make you feel that he had accepted your suggestions and would be carrying out your suggestions. However once you are not alert, he would mention a couple of things to mess up everyone’s thoughts and we would end up doing exactly what he wanted in the first place



Media: Wasn’t it very dangerous when filming the “ducking the tunnel” scene and did you perform the stunt by yourself?

AL: I actually didn’t duck the tunnel scene myself. In fact, it wasn’t as dangerous as it looked because it was enhanced with computer graphic using the blue screen effects.

Media: Do you think that the film might send the wrong message to the public?

AL: Not at all, I feel that we use the theme to encourage people to achieve their dreams and another aspect of the film is about the love story between the two lead characters.

Media: What do you think of the Hollywood take on Infernal Affairs?