Twenty Thirty Fourty (20 30 40) (Japan Version) DVD Region 2

In "Tempting Heart" you only appeared on the screen for about one-third of the movie. It was already, as you once said, far too physically demanding to act and direct at the same time. But now you did it again in "20 30 40" and this time you even played in almost half of the movie. So was it much more exhausting?

Absolutely. I was actually supposed to direct the "30" episode only in which Liu Ruo Ying is in. There were however some unforeseeable reasons resulting in my being the sole director. And it was such a huge task. We invited so many guest stars to play a small part in the movie that we had to suit all their schedules. From time to time the script had to be rewritten to make me play a few more scenes if they could not show up. It was such an enormous workload that made me look so terrible during the shooting.

In your previous movies such as "Passion" and "Tempting Heart", the viewers could easily echo with the roles you played. But this time in "20 30 40", your character, Lily in her forties, is completely different from the real you. So where did you position yourself this time?

I placed myself at the very top to take a bird's eye view of being the 20-year-old and the 30-year-old woman. That is why I could come up with three completely different and unique stories. My favorite is the "20" episode because this part has given me the chance to relive my earlier days when I was still a young girl. My mission in the "30" episode is to capture a lady version of Liu Ruo Ying. Unlike the tough woman image Liu usually gives to the audience, she is dressed femininely from head to toe. Finally in the "40" part, I totally opened myself up to be an unconventional divorcee.

I can tell that you did really play the part of Lily heartily. Those adorable gestures and facial expressions you added have especially spiced up your role. My favorite scene is when you are taking a shower after having sex with Richie Jen. It is so impressive that even your legs can act!

In this movie, I did actually throw myself into the character. Sometimes the crew was shocked when seeing me walking on the set with nothing but my underwear on. But it was not such a big deal to me at all. The many years I spent in the movie industry have already enlightened me to forget who I really am and entirely devote myself into the role. Acting, in this way, can then be considered as an art. Take a look at how confident and charming the leading actress in the Korean movie "Happy Ending" is in doing those love scenes. However sexual the scenes were, it is the commitment she has to her career that is the most appealing. So in "20 30 40" I also told Angelica Lee and Yang Sheng not to worry too much while doing the scene when they were attempting to take off each other's clothes. It was actually my intention to make it lesbian-like.

Is it true that it was initially one single story about a woman going through her three decades instead of the three independent stories we are having now?

My first draft was actually about the journey to liberation of three women coming from three different places. In this sketch, the 20-year-old young woman, potentially played by Zhi See Gu Bi, is from Beijing and she experiences a total change in life style moving from this conservative city to another place of free wills. The "30" episode was planned to be directed by Leslie Cheung. This 30-year-old woman is from Taiwan who does not know what she really wants in her life. I then scheduled myself to direct the last part. The 40-year-old woman is a Hong Kong person who leads a glamorous life but tends to be very gloomy deep within her heart. The final product, however, is a brand new story consisting of three independent episodes and three women that all live in Taiwan.

Reviewed by Cecilia Wong at City Entertainment (Hong Kong)

Translated by Holly (Hong Kong)