RED
TROUSERS: THE LIFE OF THE HONG KONG STUNTMEN
1-1
Interview with Robin Shou
Not
too long ago I caught a screening of "Red Trousers: The Life
of the Hong Kong Stuntmen," at AFM and also had the good
fortune-they were giving out fortune cookies after lunch with
Red Trousers' fortune inside, to sit one on one with Robin Shou,
the director and star of the film. Robin is best known for playing
Liu Kang in the "Mortal Combat" movies. If you read
my report from AFM you'll recognize this film's name, and that
it's a documentary and film combo which explores the background
of Hong Kong stuntmen, and features some of those men doing spectacular
life threatening stunts for this film and others. In my earlier
AFM report I credited Robin with writing the movie, but I learned
this is incorrect; the writer, also an actor in the movie, is
Craig D. Reid. These are some excerpts from my interview with
Robin.
 Jax:
Why was it important for you to show this side of the Hong
Kong stuntman?
Robin: I came from that
background and I always feel that no one really knows about these
guys. When I was a stuntman I got a lot of-from directors, and
actors where you got treated really bad, nobody really gave a
darn about us, get hurt or not, or-all they want is the shot.
It doesn't matter how much abuse our bodies take, it doesn't matter.
They want impact, and they want it hard. As a stuntman in Hong
Kong because of the culture, you can't really say 'No,' because
we are so obedient. 'This is my boss.' So now I thought, that
would be a really interesting kind of topic because now and-I
want people to understand what it feels like, and yet we're not
pitying ourselves either, we're proud. It's just part of the whole
physical, mental, everything.
Jax: Now you've become an
actor and gone up a level from stuntman, how does this make you
feel about Hollywood movies and the stuntmen?
Robin: That's what triggered
me do to this project because starting from Mortal one, they hired
me pretty much straight from Hong Kong. And they loved what I
did, but they all criticized that it was too Hong Kong movie,
there's no power, it's too soft.
Jax: In what?
Robin: In the choreography.
Jax: Who criticized you?
Robin: Everyone, the stunt
coordinator, stuntmen, producers, all on the set.
Jax: But didn't you choreograph
Mortal Combat?
Robin: That's where I'm
going, so then after they had the first viewing with all the execs
and then all the exec's said 'Why does Robin's fight look better
than all the others? Why is it more exciting, there's more stuff?'
Because I add my own style and the other actor was okay with it.
Somehow, Paul Anderson [director of Mortal Combat] is a fan of
all these Hong Kong genres so every night I would go to his hotel
and copy the tape, the shot, 'Paul can we do it this way? It would
be so cool.' So he was allowing me to do some stuff, so after
that, the movie needed more stuff. 'So let's hire Robin, and let
him be in charge of choreography.' So we went back and re-shot
the reptile fight…and also the Scorpion fight with all the
dead bodies and the scaffolding. [The Johnny Cage fight scene
for you Mortal fans.]
 Jax:
In your movie there are a lot of dangerous stunts, for example
some of your stuntmen fly down two three stories and hit the concrete
without pads. Do you think the audience will understand what a
big deal this is?
Robin: It's pretty intense.
I think this film is for genre fans, like fans of the Hong Kong
action films, and just how the whole thing is put together. It's
for them and also, I'm sure other people who aren't huge fans,
but then are interested in the culture, they might look at it,
and go "Oh! This is really interesting and this is how it
is and no wonder.'
Jax: Have you ever been
hurt?
Robin: Oh yeah, broken
my leg, fractured my ribs. I'm not proud to say that because that's
kind of lame to hurt yourself. [Laughs sweetly] It's not glory,
when you break something it's pretty embarrassing because you
got hurt. That's pretty bad.
Jax: In the interviews with
the children at acting/training school there's an insight to the
pressures of their pursuit. Did you have any of the same feelings
growing up?
Robin: No, but that's very
Chinese. I didn't have that kind of training, no…
Jax: I thought the kids
were fantastic, and you were just like Barbara Walters!
Robin: It's just amazing,
the discipline you need to put in, to be the best one. The time,
you cannot just say you want to be the best, or the top athlete.
Jax: How do you train to
stay in shape?
Robin: I do cardio, everything.
People think I'm nuts because I, off projects I would do like
twenty-five hours a week training, on projects almost forty a
week. I box, I run, I do a lot of boxing, the last seven eight
in a half years.
Well, Robin looks awesome, and
has a super cute youthfulness about him. I was shocked when I
later found out he is forty-two! I thought he was in his twenties;
I kid you not, he really does look that young. Makes me think
I should start training or doing whatever he's doing, because
it's working, or could it be the genes? Anyway, if you get a chance,
do see this film; it's got some phenomenal documentary footage
which will give you a glimpse into the Chinese culture you may
not have ever seen before. Plus, it's got some cool stunts, and
who doesn't love an incredible stunt?
If you have any questions, or
comments, you can write me at jax@latinoreview.com.
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