Martial arts film star Gordon Liu Chia-hui is kicking up a fuss over the lack of kung fu action heroes in Hong Kong.
'I don't want to name anyone, but action actors today don't respect their profession,' said Liu, who is known for his role as kung fu master Pai Mei in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill 2. 'They say: 'Oh, I don't have time for training, I have a show'.
'We want to see you performing, not the stuntmen,' Liu told a Shaw Brothers classic movies fan club luncheon. 'Real kung fu performance is all about your heart, not just striking a pose and using a stuntman in the next shot. If I was a fan, I wouldn't watch you either.'
Liu (right) is a practitioner of Hung Kuen, a southern Chinese martial art often associated with folk hero and kung fu master Wong Fei-hung.
'Acting is not why I practise martial arts. Even if a kung fu movie isn't a big hit, I 'd still practise it. It's my life.'
Born in Guangdong, 51-year-old Liu joined Shaw Brothers director and actor Lau Kar-leung's martial arts school in Sheung Wan as a child, which led to a career in film.