ET Online's The Corruptor/CYF Interview
Courtesy of ET Online

Check out Entertainment Tonight Online for more info on "The Corruptor" as well as a Mark Wahlberg interview. Here's the CYF interview:

 
Entertainment Tonight Online: I have read that this movie was designed as a vehicle for you.

Chow Yun-Fat: Right.

ETO: And, also that you helped them with some of the nuances of the Chinese culture. What were some of the suggestions that you gave them?

Chow: Something like in the Asian gang unit, I pay respect on one of the gods' shrine, which in the script, they don't have. This is quite traditional for the Chinese cop that he must have this shrine in the office. Every time they walk in the door, they have to pay respect to him. They would burn some incense and put it in front of urns. This kind of holy thing would chase away all the spirits. The Asian gang unit, even in Hong Kong, they think the shrine is the master of the god -- to get away all the devils.

ETO: This was [director] JAMES FOLEY's first action direction attempt, and you've obviously had a lot of experience. How did he do?

Chow: Actually, he paid a lot more attention to the two characters -- MARK [WAHLBERG]'s character and my character -- than to the action. The action, they had a 2nd unit crew, or 3rd unit to shoot it. James doesn't care because he concentrates on the performance and his directing. Editing, too, is very important in this movie and you don't see Mr. Foley have the storyboard on the set -- everything is already in his mind. He knows how to edit the movie later on. He knows how to tell you the cuts, cuts, cuts. He understands very, very much what he wants.

ETO: They designed this movie for you, and obviously they wanted you because you're a big star. But what was it about the project that attracted you to it?

Chow: Of course, the character itself. And all of the experienced and very professional talented people in Hollywood.

ETO: Mark Wahlberg said that he learned a lot from you, just kind of following whatever you did. Did you get anything from working with him?

Chow: Oh, a lot. I can feel that he is a very active energy -- full of energy boy, and he is very talented. You know he is a very famous rap singer and you can get rhythm from him. He's very energized on the set. He gives you a lot of optimism. Spend time with him and you feel younger and younger everyday. After we finished the movie, I think I'm still 18 or 17. (laughs)

ETO: How did it turn out, from when you first read the script to the finished product? How did it rate in your mind?

Chow: First time I saw this script, it was very complicated for the American audience to get the different Tongs/gang members is very, very complicated. When we finished and I saw the movie, the director had good ways of trimming down all the Tong and tribes, to make it very simple now. It was easy for the audience to understand what is going on underneath the Chinatown.

ETO: Thank you very much!

Chow: Thank you.