Jay Chou Chieh-lun is a genuine treasure hunter. At 30, Chou is known as the Mando-pop king and has amassed a fortune through his music, tours, films and other ventures. Yet he is still searching for more.
His latest project is Pandamen, a 20-episode television series that he produced, directed and acted in. Then there are the three films he recently starred in, all due for a cinema release - Kevin Chu Yen-ping's The Treasure Hunter, Yuen Woo-ping's True Legend and Chou's debut Hollywood role following in the shoes of Bruce Lee, as Kato in Michel Gondry's Green Hornet. The Treasure Hunter is hitting the big screen now, with Chou as the adventurous Ciao Fei, who guards hidden treasures in the desert.
Are you an adventurer yourself?
I think I am. Many things I do involve risk-taking. Like when you are acting, you don't know when you will mess up on set. And when you are a singer, your career can go downhill, there is no guarantee. But I like to be adventurous, explore new things and take new challenges. I see it as part of my personal growth.
Ciao Fei is a great martial-arts fighter and the film has many action scenes. Were these stunts a new challenge?
I've loved watching kung-fu films such as those starring Jackie Chan and Jet Li Lianjie since I was a kid and had longed to be in them. I love watching villains being beaten by the heroes. Being part of this kind of production is like a dream come true. Although I am not trained in martial arts - I grew up learning to play the piano - I believe when you have an interest in something, nothing is too difficult to do. After being instructed by Tony Ching Siu-tung [action director of The Treasure Hunter] and Yuen Woo-ping [on True Legend], I feel like I'm a horse who has found the right jockey and is being well-guided. I can say 90 per cent of the action scenes in this new film were done by me except for some tricky stunts like doing flips in the air - I couldn't have done those and they were done by doubles.