- Title: SINGAPORE: Stars of The Green Hornet walk the green carpet
- Date: 25th January 2011
- Summary: SINGAPORE (JANUARY 24, 2011) (REUTERS) ACTOR, JAY CHOU WALKING UP TO STAGE NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR OF THE GREEN HORNET, MICHEL GONDRY, SAYING: "When we started in China, in Beijing, Seth and I had zero question. Nobody gave any interests to us. So the only question when people wanted to talk to us, was to ask us how it was to work with Jay Chou." HOST ASKING QUESTION (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR, SETH ROGEN, SAYING: "It's true. This whole time we thought we could have been lied to. This entire time we just kept hearing 'oh Jay so famous, Jay so famous' . And then we said yeah we'll believe it when we see it. Turns out he wasn't lying this whole time. He is very famous." NEWS CONFERENCE POSTERS OF THE GREEN HORNET (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR, SETH ROGEN, SAYING: "The writing was a lot more difficult. I would say it took exponentially longer than the acting portion of my job did. For years we worked on the screenplay, and like Michel was saying, it's kinda like a negotiation at times with the studio as to how weird we could make things and how subversive can we make things and still have the movie be the type of movie that warrants the budget that it was given, and that could potentially recoup that budget." JOURNALISTS SITTING IN FRONT OF POSTERS (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) ACTOR, JAY CHOU, SAYING: "The biggest difference is that there is more money. Not that my cheque is bigger, but that it is a big budget movie. We like to watch Hollywood movies, I have this chance to participate in one, so I took it. While we are filming it's like taking a vacation, a holiday. In Taiwan or in Asia, filming a movie is always very rushed. It's always very fast pace. Maybe a Hollywood movie will take three to four months to complete filming, but in Asia it will be done in one month." JOURNALISTS ROGEN AND CHOU POSING FOR CAMERAS EXTERIOR OF CATHAY CINEMA READING "THE CATHAY WELCOMES MICHEL GONDRY, SETH ROGEN & JAY CHOU" FANS HOLDING LIT SIGN READING "JAY" FAN HOLDING THE GREEN HORNET COMIC FANS SCREAMING
- Embargoed: 9th February 2011 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Singapore, Singapore
- Country: Singapore
- Reuters ID: LVAEQX2W5S2UR2JGOP84OHIP1DWF
- Story Text: Cast of the 3D crime-fighting action film "The Green Hornet" visited Singapore on Monday (January 24) after topping the international box office.
The action comedy, directed by French director Michel Gondry and starring Hollywood comic actor Seth Rogen and Taiwanese singer Jay Chou, tells a story of a young playboy businessman becoming a vigilante crime fighter who protects the law by breaking it.
Chou being an all-rounded celebrity in the Mandarin speaking pop world, was reported to be stealing the limelight from the other cast members when they toured Asia to promote the movie.
"When we started in China, in Beijing, Seth and I had zero question. Nobody gave any interests to us. So the only question when people wanted to talk to us, was to ask us how it was to work with Jay Chou," Gondry said.
Co-star Rogen said after coming to Asia he was sure that Chou is very well-known.
"It's true. This whole time we thought we could have been lied to. This entire time we just kept hearing 'oh Jay so famous, Jay so famous'. And then we said yeah we'll believe it when we see it. Turns out he wasn't lying this whole time. He is very famous," Rogen said.
Rogen wrote, produced and starred in the movie - although some of the jobs were harder than others.
"The writing was a lot more difficult. I would say it took exponentially longer than the acting portion of my job did. For years we worked on the screenplay, and like Michel was saying, it's kinda like a negotiation at times with the studio as to how weird we could make things and how subversive can we make things and still have the movie be the type of movie that warrants the budget that it was given, and that could potentially recoup that budget," Rogen said.
The film is a remake of the 1930s radio serial and a 1960s television series, which starred Chinese Kung Fu legend Bruce Lee as Kato.
Chou said those are big shoes to fill, but he made the character more him as he know he can't imitate someone else.
Having acted and directed films in Asia, he said it's very different making a movie in Hollywood.
"The biggest difference is that there is more money. Not that my cheque is bigger, but that it is a big budget movie. We like to watch Hollywood movies, I have this chance to participate in one, so I took it. While we are filming it's like taking a vacation, a holiday. In Taiwan or in Asia, filming a movie is always very rush. It's always very fast pace. Maybe a Hollywood movie will take three to four months to complete filming, but in Asia it will be done in one month," Chou said.
During the evening gala premiere, Chou, a popular celebrity in Asia, was undoubtedly at the centre of the spotlights and the guarantee at the box office.
Fans turned out with home-made signs, many wearing the mask that Chou's character, Kato, wore in the film.
The film will be released in Singapore on January 27.
The Green Hornet shot to the top of the North American box office with 34 million U.S. dollars during the first weekend of its release from the 2D, 3D and IMAX versions. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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