Q&A: Aaron Kwok

Known as one of the four 'heavenly kings' of Canto-pop in the 1990s, Aaron Kwok Fu-shing has since shifted his focus to movies. He surprised many with his turn as a unhappy cop in Benny Chan Muk-shing's Divergence, which won him the best actor accolade at the Golden Horse Awards in 2005. He defended his title the following year playing a distressed father and problem gambler in the Patrick Tam Kar-ming melodrama After This Our Exile, becoming the second actor to win the award two years running.

The 44-year-old will soon be seen in Chan's new sci-fi thriller, City Under Siege, playing a clown who transforms into a mutant with special powers. The movie co-stars Taiwanese actress Shu Qi, mainland actress Zhang Jingchu and action star Collin Chou Hsiao-long.

City Under Siege finds you working with Benny Chan again. How was the experience this time?

This is the third time we've worked together. I first worked with Benny in A Moment of Romance 2 in 1992. Filming was enjoyable because we know each other very well. It was also interesting because it was the first time I'd made a sci-fi movie. Benny is known as a great action director, but making a [sci-fi] movie was a big challenge for him. Since the story is about mutants who have extraordinary powers and immense strength, there are lots of dramatic action scenes, powerful explosions and special visual effects when the characters use their powers. These effects are very different from those in your average action movie.

You play a circus clown who mutates after exposure to biochemicals. Was it a challenging role?

The Joker played by Heath Ledger in the Batman movie The Dark Knight was the most memorable clown character in recent years. However, the clown I play is not a villain. He just performs in a circus and makes people laugh. When I was preparing for the role, I visited the websites of famous circuses such as Cirque du Soleil to see how clowns look and act. I observed their body movements and rhythm, and saw how they make the audience laugh.