Fans eagerly anticipating seeing the hunky Wu Chun topless in his newest movie will be disappointed. The most the Taiwanese singer-actor from boyband Fahrenheit will expose in period blockbuster, 14 Blades, is his navel region.
In town recently to promote the movie, Hong Kong director Daniel Lee said that including the former gym instructor in his diverse cast just to have him go topless would be very low-grade. The movie also stars Donnie Yen, Zhao Wei, Kate Tsui and Singapore's own movie star Qi Yuwu.
Set in the late Ming era, the movie centres on the imperial court where a power-hungry eunuch tries to topple the Emperor by buying over the incumbent's elite team of secret agents. One loyalist (Donnie Yen) is betrayed and then hunted by his former colleagues.
Even during the pre-production stages, the film received a lot of attention with its muscled male stars of Donnie and Wu Chun.
With previous reports having stated that Donnie now surpasses fellow Hong Kong actor Tony Leung in average paycheck per movie, Daniel indirectly confirmed that the martial arts superstar earned HK$16 million (S$2.9 million) for his role in 14 Blades. "This is his appeal, and the price tag only signals his box-office credentials. With him, it's definitely worth it."
There were also reports which quoted Daniel, who helmed flicks like A Fighter's Blues, Black Mask, and Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon, saying it would be a pity not to exhibit Wu Chun's well-known, sculpted body.
He vehemently refuted that point, saying, "If I want more skin I wouldn't be doing something as difficult as wuxia."
He praised Wu Chun as a very good and professional actor, and hopes that audiences will appreciate his portrayal of a bandit in the film.
On Qi Yuwu, the Guangdong-born, Singapore-based actor who plays a villain going after Donnie's character, Daniel feels he is more than a straightforward baddie. "He's a tragic character who goes through a lot of internal struggles."
The director added that he is very pleased with Yuwu's performance. "I've known him since 2000. He's a very sensitive actor, which is why he's most suited for this genre, as he's good at understanding a different era. Plus his size and build is just right for the role."
14 Blades, jointly distributed by MediaCorp Raintree Pictures and Golden Village, opens in cinemas here on 4 Feb.
Tooo bad ladies, but we do get to see his sexiii abs so its a minor loss. 
Mon Jan 25, 2010 4:57 am