After "Yangtze River No. 7" was released in 2008, Stephen Chow completely bid farewell to his role as an actor. He has remained behind the scenes as a director for more than ten years and has never appeared on the big screen as a starring actor again. Now 64 years old, he chose to direct rather than act. This was an active decision based on multiple considerations of his physical condition, creative planning, and artistic feelings.
The physical limitations brought about by aging are the most realistic reasons for Mr. Xing to fade away from the stage.The nonsensical comedy that Stephen Chow is famous for relies heavily on physical strength, exaggerated body movements and smart and delicate facial micro-expressions. The entire filming process consumes a lot of physical and mental energy. As he gets older, the high-intensity performance on stage has long been beyond his capabilities.
Wang Jing, a filmmaker in the industry, also said that it is difficult for people to recreate the funny and outgoing demeanor of their youth in their old age. Forcibly performing it will only lead to embarrassment and inconsistent perception. Stephen Chow himself once asked bluntly: "I am dozens of years old, what else can I act?" He admitted that as early as the filming of "Kung Fu", he no longer enjoyed performing in front of the camera and no longer wanted to force himself to be funny and please the audience.
The reason for taking time off from the performance stage is to devote myself to directing and creating. In recent years, Stephen Chow has devoted all his energy to film production, and has been deeply involved in the entire process from script polishing, training of new actors, to special effects and overall narrative control. On the set, he often performs each role completely first, imparting his decades of acting experience to the new generation of actors, and continuing comedy creation in a unique way.
In the preparatory stage for the hit "Kung Fu Girls", he works up to 14 hours a day, paying close attention to every special effects detail. As a director, he strictly polishes the quality of the work and controls the film's creative context in an all-round way. This deep behind-the-scenes experience is far more in line with his current creative pursuits than simply being an actor.
Being in awe and not wanting to consume the audience's feelings is the core original intention of his honorable curtain call. Stephen Chow knows very well that his classic comedy image has been imprinted in the hearts of generations of audiences and carries the public's full memories of their youth. If he appears again, the audience's attention will inevitably focus on him, but ignore the core of the film's story and the performance of the new actors; at the same time, the increasingly introverted and vicissitudes of the state will not be able to reproduce the crazy and lively on-screen temperament at his peak. A hasty appearance will only break the memory filter cherished in the hearts of the audience.
He once said bluntly that "not acting is a better choice" and is determined to preserve the most vivid and vivid classic appearance forever in the light and shadow.Giving up the front stage role and concentrating on polishing the new work is not only Stephen Chow's awe for the film art, but also the most gentle fulfillment given to all movie fans.