2nd picture caption: Tony Leung and South Korean actress Jeon Do-yeonHONG KONG (Reuters) - Award-winning Hong Kong actor Tony Leung said Chinese actress Tang Wei should not have been singled out and blacklisted by Beijing, following her sexually explicit role in the acclaimed movie "Lust, Caution."
China's State Administration of Radio Film and Television (SARFT) recently demanded local stations cease airing ads starring Tang, including skin care commercials for cosmetics brand Pond's, which local media have linked to her sexually explicit and politically sensitive role in "Lust."
In the run-up to the Beijing Olympics in August, China has moved to crack down on broadcasters, Web sites and print media showing sexually explicit content.
"I think the (Chinese) film authority understands an actor's place," Leung said after picking up the best actor award at the Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong on Monday night. "Our work is only to express our roles and I don't think that an actor should be blacklisted because of this."
He said the entire film crew including himself had a shared responsibility to bear any controversy generated by the film. "If a film has problems, then the whole (film production) crew should have a responsibility. We are a team and not an individual, and I'm a part of this team," said Leung at a post-award media conference.
Tang, 28, lost out on the best actress award at the Asian Film Awards for her debut performance in "Lust, Caution." She played a student activist who seduces a Japanese-allied Chinese spy during Japan's World War Two occupation of Shanghai.
The film's Oscar-winning director Ang Lee earlier expressed "regret" that Tang had been hurt by the blacklist decision.
(Reporting by James Pomfret; editing by Mary Gabriel)
credits to Reuters
I'm not so surprised to hear about this since I am one of the few conservative people who still exist in this progressive world. I know I have said that I would not watch "Lust, Caution" but I still could not resist. Not that I could not resist the "scene" *__^ but because I was missing Tony. I'm very much anticipated for the release of "Red Cliff" because I have not watched Tony onscreen for quite some time already. I always like the war strategy in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and so I believe "Red Cliff" will be a great movie. While waiting for the movie, I got a chance to watch "Lust, Caution" that I found it hard to pass it up when it was right in front of me.
After watching the movie, I must speak my regrets. I really should not have watched it. No, it does not ruin my fondness for Tony because I have seen him in love scenes before. However, the ones in this movie are BAD; not one, but TWO! The scenes are so sexually provocative that I find it unbelievable that Tony and Tang Wei agreed to film this movie. Call me conservative, outdated, whatever, but I still say these scenes were unnecessary. Now I totally understand what Andy Lau meant when he said that he would not be able to film such scenes. If it wasn't for the big names of Ang Lee and Tony Leung, would "Lust, Caution" be considered pornography? I would say yes. However, with Tang Wei being the only person who is being punished from filming the movie whereas Tony is grabbing awards for the same performance, I find it very unjustified. My best wishes are with her. I believe she won't be severely affected by this incident and will even gain better recognition in the near future.
