Movie Network News (Photos/Money Jia Yi, Text/Xie Ya Wei, Yang Liu) On July 27th, the premiere of the martial arts comedy "Chasing Shadows" was held in Beijing. Director Louis Koo appeared alongside the main cast including Ruby Lin, Shawn Dou, Na Xie, and Dang Yan. When asked about his expectations for box office success, Louis Koo joked that "Chasing Shadows" aims to match "The Founding of a Republic," and once again responded to Tsui Hark's previous "grand statements." Speaking about the numerous "A-version stars" featured in "Chasing Shadows," he expressed his support for "knockoff celebrities." The film will be released nationwide on July 30th.
All creators gathered to "hit" Louis Koo. Ruby Lin was publicly touched by Louis Koo. Ruby Lin showcased her beautiful chest and legs. Na Xie wore a large flower to draw attention. On the day, Ruby Lin, known as the "nine-head beauty," changed into three outfits within just three hours: she wore a green sleeveless short dress at the press conference, looking playful and adorable. At the red carpet event, she appeared in a floor-length red gown, exuding elegance. During the audience meet-and-greet, she switched to a sophisticated black mini-dress. Displaying her beautiful legs and chest, Ruby Lin captivated everyone with her S-curve figure, so much so that even Louis Koo couldn't resist, reaching out to touch her calf in public, shocking Ruby Lin.
Ruby Lin changed into three sets of formal wear. Na Xie maintained her comedic nature as usual, wearing a peach-colored gown but adorning her head with a large red flower, creating a very striking look. Meanwhile, Shawn Dou appeared quite playful, smiling throughout and bouncing onto the red carpet, drawing loud cheers from the audience. While waiting backstage, he continuously hummed songs and danced along to the melody, causing Na Xie to burst into uncontrollable laughter. Louis Koo couldn't stay idle either, touching things here and there, and showing great interest in the prop boxes, trying hard to open them but failing in the end. It seems like these lead actors behave like children who never grow up in their daily lives.
Na Xie, Ruby Lin, Louis Koo openly scolded "big names" during the event while Shawn Dou frequently got "startled."
"Chasing Shadows" features many "knockoff celebrities" resembling Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Andy Lau, Jay Chou, and more, which has become one of the highlights of this movie. When asked why he chose to have "celebrity look-alikes" cameo as characters in the film, Louis Koo explained his unique idea, "Celebrity look-alikes can fool foreigners. This 'knockoff' phenomenon only exists in China, making it an interesting thing. In fact, being a 'celebrity look-alike' requires skill; just looking alike isn't enough. They need more encouragement and support." Louis Koo had strict requirements for these A-version big names, "I asked them to tell themselves every night before going to bed a hundred times 'I am Jackie Chan,' 'I am Jet Li,' 'I am Andy Lau,' to fully immerse themselves in their roles. I also thank them; although many are not professional actors, their performances met my expectations."
At the event, Louis Koo directly called out the big names when referring to these "imposters," candidly admitting, "This opportunity doesn't come often. When giving them directions, I directly call out the names Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Andy Lau, yelling at 'big shots' feels really good, something you don't get to do normally." This action by the director "tormented" Shawn Dou, "Every time I hear someone shouting 'Jackie Chan,' I nervously look around, thinking my dad is here. The first few days were especially awkward, but I gradually got used to it."
Louis Koo doesn't mind Tsui Hark's "grand statements," aiming for box office success akin to "The Founding of a Republic."
At a recent press conference for "Royal Tramp," Tsui Hark made a bold statement, claiming that in the summer 2009 season, only his film was a true comedy, and the top two box office spots would undoubtedly belong to "Royal Tramp" and "Mechanik." Clearly, he didn't consider "Chasing Shadows" and "Very Perfect" worth mentioning. In response to this claim, Louis Koo said he wasn't concerned, "Everyone says their 'child' is good, so the words spoken have certain intentions. Director Tsui Hark is a senior, and I hope his movie gets good box office results. Even if my movie doesn't perform well at the box office, I believe it is certainly a film of value."
Though he spoke like this, Louis Koo's subsequent words seemed somewhat contradictory, "I don't mind him saying that, but I do mind if 'Chasing Shadows' doesn't perform as well as others. I want to win." Louis Koo then jokingly stated that the target for "Chasing Shadows" is "The Founding of a Republic," though it was a joke, it subtly showed his "disbelief" in Tsui Hark. It is reported that after holding the premiere in Beijing, "Chasing Shadows" will tour for promotions in Changsha, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. The slogan "universe-wide release" from the start of the promotional campaign also demonstrated strong box office confidence.