'No director would give me those roles': Andy Lau on why he rarely plays villains

Some actors always get to play the good guys, but it doesn't mean they are happy with it.

At the premiere for his new movie Operation Moscow in Beijing on Tuesday (Sept 26), veteran Hong Kong actor Andy Lau shared his gripes about not being offered villain roles in movies often, according to 8world.

The 62-year-old superstar said: "No directors would give me those roles, I don't know why either."

He added that most of his villain characters have adequate, sympathetic backstories explaining their villainous nature, and he wanted something different: "I want to be a villain without much reason, just being bad."

Andy has portrayed antagonists in Infernal Affairs (2002), Protege (2007) and Shaolin (2011), but those characters all had sufficient reasons for becoming villains.

Operation Moscow, directed by Herman Yau, is a film about the notorious Sino-Russia train robbery in the 1990s.

Andy plays the shifu (master) of Miao Qingshan (Huang Xuan) who is the head of the crime organisation planning the train robbery.

When asked about what he felt about his chances of getting awards for this role, he replied: "I only have confidence in getting Best Supporting Actor. The two main leads - Zhang Hanyu and Huang Xuan - acted too well!"

Operation Moscow is showing in cinemas in China from this Friday, but its release dates in Singapore have not yet been announced.

'She is our standard and has always been constant'

It's not just his current co-stars who have earned Andy's praises.

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At a recent product launch by Huawei on Monday (Sept 25), according to HK01, Andy gave tribute to veteran Cantopop singer George Lam and Hong Kong director Ann Hui, whom he views as "ultimate masters".

Andy recounted that he got acquainted with them when they filmed Boat People in 1982, and praised Ann, 76: "She is happy when she makes a good film or eats a good bread… She is our standard and has always been constant.

"In every decade, whether the film industry is thriving or not, she still perseveres and makes films about ordinary people."

He revealed that, back in 2011, Ann said that she didn't have enough money to make a film, and Andy "took her words to heart and raised enough money and gave her enough time" so she could make the movie A Simple Life (2011).

"It was her ultimate dream to make this film, and she did it as best as she could. She is a master in my heart as she never chased trends - she is the trend."

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Andy considered George, 75, his muse in music, explaining: "He is a successful actor and singer. I like his songs and him as a person. [When I was young] I often appeared in front of him, sometimes singing his songs in his face, hoping he would pay attention to me.

"One day, he spoke to me and said: 'Kid, you like to sing?' I told him I did and he told me: 'If you like it, go ahead and sing!'"

Motivated by his words, Andy said he released his first album Just Know I Only Love You, though it didn't do well.

"Many people wondered why I had gone into singing and not just stuck with acting."

Andy elaborated that when he told George that he felt that he had lost the battle, the latter encouraged him: "He told me, 'I am still competing, I am still running, and I haven't even won. Are you going to admit defeat like that?'

"So, I kept singing… He lights my paths, is a role model and a pioneer who didn't forget those who came after him."

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jolynn.chia@asiaone.com