Hong Kong 1990: From stuntman to King of Kung Fu

Chapter 43 Hong Kong Film Awards Nominations

"Sister Jialing, your flight attendant uniform is a little small."

Liu Jialing couldn't help but turn her head and glare at him.

When Tang Long saw her turn her head, he released her hands, pulled her shoulders, and kissed her.

"Are you trying to suffocate me?" Liu Jialing gasped for breath.

"I'm training your lung capacity; your clothes are getting in the way."

"It's because you wanted to buy it, and besides, it's your own fault for being so impatient just now."

After hearing that Tang Long hoped she would play the role of a flight attendant, Liu Jialing specially ordered a uniform that was the same style as that of a Taikoo Airlines flight attendant.

I wanted to surprise him, but I didn't expect that he would carry me into the bedroom as soon as we met.

"You know the environment in the western part of the mainland. I spent more than half a month there and it was really tough."

"How did you manage to endure it before?"

"Didn't I not meet you, Sister Jialing, before?"

Tang Long then understood and said no more.

"Ding!"

Tang Long leaned against the headboard, lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and then handed it to Liu Jialing in his arms before lighting one for himself.

"Sister Jialing, I didn't expect you to be nominated for Best Actress. Are you confident of winning at the awards ceremony in a few days?"

"I am self-aware that my role in 'Days of Being Wild' was not very big, and my performance was not very outstanding."

Given my meager experience, winning an award is out of the question.

"You never know, what if it's an upset?"

"No matter how many upsets there are, it won't happen to me. On the contrary, you have a better chance of winning the award."

"I dare not dream of winning Best Screenplay, but I have a chance at Best Newcomer. However, the competition is very strong. Wu Qianlian is even more popular than me."

The nominations for the 10th Hong Kong Film Awards were announced last December.

Liu Chia-ling received a Best Actress nomination for her role in "Days of Being Wild" and will compete with Chang Man-yu, Chang Ai-chia, and Cheng Yu-ling for the Best Actress award.

However, she really has little hope of winning the award; her qualifications and popularity are the lowest.

Her performance in "Days of Being Wild" was mediocre and unlikely to be a surprise hit.

Tang Long even felt that her nomination for Best Actress was due to the film's success.

Despite its box office failure, "Days of Being Wild" was highly favored by the Hong Kong Film Awards committee.

It received eight nominations, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Actress, making it the biggest favorite at this year's Hong Kong Film Awards.

Tang Long received two nominations for Best Screenplay and Best Newcomer for "The Blade".

Given the Hong Kong Film Awards committee's track record, it's highly unlikely they would award him such a prestigious award as Best Screenplay.

To be honest, the plot of "The Blade" is actually just so-so. The reason it received a nomination is because the movie generated a lot of discussion.

He has a good chance of winning Best Newcomer, and his main competitor is Wu Qianlian, who rose to fame with the film "A Moment of Romance".

In addition to Best Screenplay and Best Newcomer, "The Blade" also received four nominations, including Best Action Choreography and Best Cinematography.

Although there wasn't a single major nomination, four nominations for "The Blade" is quite an achievement for Tang Long's first work.

"We are all still young, and we will have plenty of opportunities in the future."

Tang Long curled his lip in disagreement:

"One should become famous as early as possible. If you try to gain seniority, the most likely result is that you will end up with nothing but getting older."

My chances of winning Best Actor are very low, but you, when it's time to fight for it, you have to fight for it.

The Hong Kong Film Awards are notoriously unfriendly towards kung fu movies.

Jackie Chan has won the Best Actor award at the Golden Horse Awards for two consecutive years, but he just can't win one at the Hong Kong Film Awards.

He is the person with the most Hong Kong Film Awards Best Actor nominations, having been nominated ten times without winning.

If it weren't for "The Warlords," Li Lianjie would have had a hard time winning the Best Actor award.

"The Warlords" is not a kung fu movie, and at that time, Hong Kong cinema was already in decline, so this blockbuster was needed to bolster its image.

As for Donnie Yen, she wasn't even nominated.

Tang Lung's rewards won't be much better; if he wants to win the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor, he'll have to wait until at least the new century.

"What else can I do to try? Nobody's offering me movies anymore, I can only make GG films."

At this point, Liu Jialing felt a little anxious.

After leaving TVB, things didn't go as well as she had imagined.

I thought that with my fame, I could always get a suitable role.

But it's been more than three months now, and not a single production crew has shown up.

She did receive offers for adult films, but she rejected them outright.

If she really acts in erotic films, she might gain popularity, but she can forget about marrying into a wealthy family in the future.

She hadn't even considered this path.

Moreover, if she were to act in an erotic film, the young man in front of her would definitely leave her.

After spending more than half a year together, she knew very well that Tang Long had a strong possessiveness and a chauvinistic attitude.

After more than three months without any announcements, she inevitably felt anxious.

Tang Long's heart skipped a beat, and he said:

"Others may not be looking for you, but I will. I'm preparing for a new movie in the second half of this year, and there's a role in it that you'd be perfect for."

Upon hearing this, Liu Jialing immediately sat up straight, not even noticing that the blanket had slipped off.

"Really? You're not kidding me."

"Of course it's true." Tang Long's hand naturally moved up the mountain.

"Is she the female lead?"

"She's a supporting actress, but she has a significant amount of screen time, and her scenes are quite memorable."

Who is the female lead?

"Brigitte Lin." Tang Long didn't hide it.

"You don't actually like her, do you?"

Liu Jialing looked directly into Tang Long's eyes.

"What are you thinking? He's more than ten years older than me. Isn't someone as young as you more appealing?"

Hearing him say that, Liu Jialing also felt it was unlikely, especially since Lin Qingxia might not even be interested in Tang Long.

"Female supporting role it is, when will filming start?"

"Investment is pending, and there's no script yet. We'll talk about it after 'New Dragon Gate Inn' is released."

After the movie is released, attracting investment will be much easier.

"Are you really that confident that 'New Dragon Gate Inn' will be a huge hit?"

At this moment, Tang Long pulled back the blanket, pulled Liu Jialing onto his lap, and then said:

"You'd better pray the movie does well, or you'll lose your role."

Liu Jialing was too preoccupied to reply and focused on her own affairs.

Tang Long, having saved himself the effort, now had the leisure to strike up a conversation with her:

"Although it's unlikely you'll win Best Actress at this year's Hong Kong Film Awards, I have a way to make you even more popular than if you did win Best Actress."

"Wh...what method?"

"I'll tell you after you finish your work, I'm afraid it will distract you."

"Then you should cooperate too, don't just lie there, otherwise it will take me another half hour by myself."

"Even if I cooperate, it will still take just as long."

After saying that, Tang Long picked her up in his arms.

"Let me show you how powerful an aircraft engine is; your flight attendant uniform won't be a waste of money."