Bruce Leung, known as Lưỡng Tiểu Long, is celebrated as one of the “Four Little Dragons” of Hong Kong martial arts cinema, alongside notable figures like Lý Tiểu Long (Bruce Lee), Thành Long (Jackie Chan), and Địch Long.
Born in 1948, Leung has appeared in numerous famous films, including Magnificent Bodyguards alongside Thành Long, The Dragon Lives Again, and Tuyệt Đỉnh Kungfu directed by Châu Tinh Trì (Stephen Chow). Among these, his character Hòa Vân Tà Thần in Tuyệt Đỉnh Kungfu is particularly well-known and closely associated with Vietnamese audiences.
Bruce Leung is a top martial artist, on par with Bruce Lee.
The film Tuyệt Đỉnh Kungfu significantly elevated Bruce Leung’s fame and career. However, their relationship soured after the film’s massive box office success, grossing over $100.9 million in 2004. Consequently, both have had public disputes during their time working together.
To this day, their relationship remains unresolved. In fact, the 76-year-old martial artist has openly expressed his dissatisfaction with the reasons behind their ongoing disagreements, stating that he and Châu Tinh Trì can no longer even look at each other.
In late December 2023, during an interview with the Hong Kong film production house’s director Duong Thiệu Hùng, Bruce Leung continued to reveal the reasons that led to the ongoing animosity between him and Châu Tinh Trì, which stirred up quite a buzz in the showbiz world.
The relationship between Bruce Leung (left) and Châu Tinh Trì is now irreparable.
Bruce Leung: “Châu Tinh Trì is a difficult person to work with”
After completing the film Ghost Hospital in 1988, Bruce Leung decided to step back from the entertainment industry to open a restaurant and invest in hotel businesses in Đại Lục. His business endeavors were quite successful, and it wasn’t until 2001 that he received an invitation to return to film with the television series Trận Chân hậu truyền. However, this project did not receive high reviews. Following this work, Bruce Leung continued to focus on his business.
One day, Bruce Leung received a call from Châu Tinh Trì. During the conversation, Châu expressed his intention to start filming Tuyệt Đỉnh Kungfu and wanted Bruce Leung to join the cast. However, the martial arts star felt disheartened and declined due to a lack of interest in participating in the film.
“To be honest, what could you pay me? I wouldn’t join if the pay was less than what I earned from my business. If the pay is not enough, don’t bother talking to me again,” Bruce Leung recounted.
<a href="https://gamek.mediacdn.vn/133514250583805952/2024/5/22/photo-5-17162102393471753199807-1716352036510-1716352036622515604224.jpeg" data-fancybox="img-lightbox" title="After 20 years of filming
Tuyệt Đỉnh Kungfu, Bruce Leung still holds a grudge against Châu Tinh Trì.” target=”_blank” class=”detail-img-lightbox”>
<img src="https://gamek.mediacdn.vn/133514250583805952/2024/5/22/photo-5-17162102393471753199807-1716352036510-1716352036622515604224.jpeg" id="img_91601586727952384" w="720" h="405" alt="After 20 years of filming
Tuyệt Đỉnh Kungfu, Bruce Leung still holds a grudge against Châu Tinh Trì.” title=”After 20 years of filming
Tuyệt Đỉnh Kungfu, Bruce Leung still holds a grudge against Châu Tinh Trì.” rel=”lightbox” photoid=”91601586727952384″ type=”photo” style=”max-width:100%;” data-original=”https://gamek.mediacdn.vn/133514250583805952/2024/5/22/photo-5-17162102393471753199807-1716352036510-1716352036622515604224.jpeg” width=”” loading=”lazy” class=”lightbox-content gif-content” height=””>
After 20 years of filming Tuyệt Đỉnh Kungfu, Bruce Leung still holds a grudge against Châu Tinh Trì.
After this discussion, Châu Tinh Trì made it known that he would reach out again to Bruce Leung for future film projects. However, the interactions between the two actors became increasingly tense as Bruce Leung declined multiple invitations to collaborate with Châu, leading to public disputes over the years.
Despite their differences, Bruce Leung is still quite strong and dedicated to martial arts at the age of 76.
While shooting Tuyệt Đỉnh Kungfu, Bruce Leung faced 48 NG (no good) moments in one scene, making him very frustrated with Châu Tinh Trì.
The veteran actor mentioned that about 3-4 years ago, someone had invited him to join another project. But upon learning that Châu Tinh Trì was directing, he immediately declined, citing three reasons for not participating. “Châu Tinh Trì’s films have low pay, high pressure, and there’s no script. Actors must act according to what he wants. Moreover, if someone has dozens of NG moments, the director wouldn’t even realize the mistakes,” Bruce Leung lamented.
In practice, this was not the first time that Bruce Leung criticized Châu Tinh Trì. Previously, he had often publicly criticized Châu for his low level of film education and unprofessional behavior. However, this time, the public fallout between the Hong Kong martial artist and Châu Tinh Trì seemed to escalate to a new level, making it difficult for them to resolve their issues amicably.
