The emotional blockbuster "Red River" will be released nationwide. It has been warmly received by audiences and the media in its premieres across various regions. Moreover, an American producer expressed that "Red River" could participate in awards like the "Golden Globe" and "Oscar" in the United States. In response, Nicholas Tse stated that he hopes the performances in "Red River" would be recognized by the audience. Regarding his nomination for Best Actor at this year's Hong Kong Film Awards, Nicholas Tse mentioned that he would vote for himself.
The annual Hong Kong Film Awards will grandly take place next Sunday (April 9th). Although there is still suspense about who will win the Best Actor award, many industry insiders have come out to support Nicholas Tse for his outstanding performance in "Witness." This includes nominee Tony Leung Chiu-Wai and the chairman of the Hong Kong Film Awards, Stephen Chow. As a hot favorite, Nicholas Tse expressed during the promotional event for the premiere of "Red River": "The hardest thing in the world is waiting. Since the nominations were announced, I've already waited for two months, so I don't dare to think about it now."
Winning isn't important; performing is more important.
On April 0th, the emotional blockbuster "Red River" was released nationwide. Prior to its release, it received widespread acclaim during its tour screenings. The premieres in Beijing, Dalian, Shanghai, Chengdu, Wuhan, and other places were all sold out. Even in Shanghai's Grand Cinema, 500 tickets were snapped up instantly. Audience feedback on "Red River" was that it brought tears with laughter, and "excitement" was the most direct experience. This enthusiastic reception made director Zhang Jiarui and lead actor Nicholas Tse very happy. Regarding the topic of extensive editing for the version being released, Nicholas Tse introduced: After re-editing, the final screening version was reduced from 120 minutes to 100 minutes. Fortunately, the deleted scenes did not affect the storytelling but instead made the movie's rhythm faster and the plot more intense. In this regard, director Zhang Jiarui expressed that the adjustments in film editing were more about accepting the opinions of American investors, following the Hollywood narrative structure, and not due to the requirements of the censorship board.
With American investment involved and previous statements from the American producer and renowned screenwriter Bruce indicating that this film has potential to participate in next year's "Golden Globe" and "Oscar," the international prospects of "Red River" seem promising. However, Nicholas Tse stated that he accepted this role not for awards or to compete with Anthony Wong's character in "Lovers." He said: "Previously, I mainly shot commercial films. The characters in this movie deeply moved me and were quite different from my previous roles. For me, whether or not I win an award, or if I can make a name overseas, are distant matters. I care more about whether, as a Hongkonger, I can portray a man from that small town in the movie."
Interestingly, Nicholas Tse really likes China's sixth-generation directors and hopes to have the opportunity to collaborate with them: "I think it doesn't necessarily have to be Feng Xiaogang or Zhang Yimou. I really like Wang Xiaoshuai, Jia Zhangke, and even Ning Hao from 'Crazy Stone.' I hope to have the chance to collaborate with them once—marry me, I'll love you more, you help promote me."
Awaiting the Golden Horse Awards, awaiting is difficult.
Regarding the ambiguous pursuit of international awards, Nicholas Tse, while promoting "Red River," also revealed his complex feelings about being nominated for the Hong Kong Film Awards. On the day the nominations were announced, he was invited by the organizing committee as a guest to announce the list of nominees. He said: "At that time, I was wondering, wouldn't inviting me as a guest mean I wouldn't win? Unexpectedly, the second guest announced my nomination."
Nicholas Tse was really nervous: "This has been going on for two months. The hardest thing in the world is waiting. From the announcement of the nominations until now, I've already waited for two months, so I don't dare to think about it now. I'm afraid that when the camera pans to me during the award ceremony, I won't know what expression to make."
As an artist from TVB, Nicholas Tse became familiar to audiences through TV series like "Heaven and Earth Passion" and "Four Beauties." Later, Nicholas Tse was nominated for the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for "Gambler 1999" and starred in many films such as "King of Kings 2000," "Battle of Purple Forbidden City," "Exile," "Witness," "Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes," etc. Especially last year, his villainous role in "Witness" was highly praised. His glass eye and scarred face startled the audience, and his emotional scenes with his wife were handled very touchingly. His beast-like acting style was very impactful. Chairman of the Hong Kong Film Awards, Stephen Chow, including competitor Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, publicly expressed that they would vote for Nicholas Tse and look forward to him winning his first Golden Horse Award for Best Actor. After hearing this, Nicholas Tse shyly smiled: "Tony Leung is a five-time Golden Horse Best Actor and a Cannes Best Actor. He stands in a good position, able to see beyond today's competition, and I thank him for encouraging me." Nicholas Tse laughed, saying recently that many friends in the film industry had cast their votes for him, making him somewhat apprehensive about mentioning the Golden Horse Awards: "I don't dare to hear too much about it. Thinking too much adds pressure. Just treat the Golden Horse Awards as an annual gathering among industry professionals."
However, when asked if he had watched the films of other Best Actor nominees, Nicholas Tse immediately nodded and stated that everyone has their own strengths, but he would still vote for himself. If his wife Guan Yonghe has time, they would both attend together. Under media questioning, Nicholas Tse indicated that if he wins, he wouldn't throw a big celebration party, possibly just dining with a few close friends.
Additionally, the film "Red River" has been fully released on the 0th day. Given its optimistic market prospects, the number of prints has been increased from the initial 300 to 600.