3 times Gong Li surprised in Hong Kong films, including Flirting Scholar with Stephen Chow
Gong switched gears after making it in Chinese art-house films, starring with Stephen Chow, Brigitte Lin and others in lesser-known movies
But during the 1990s, she found time to make a batch of lesser-known commercial films in Hong Kong. Below, we revisit a few of her most noteworthy outings in the city.
1. Flirting Scholar (1993)
Chow’s scatological approach to humour was then at an all-time high. How would the refined and serious-minded Gong, who had quickly become an international art-house star, deal with his penchant for lowbrow antics and crude gags?
Chow managed to keep Gong inside her comfort zone, even though Flirting Scholar, directed by Lee Lik-chi, is brimming with cheeky vulgarity. Gong plays the straight woman to Chow’s funny man, and is not called upon to tell any crude jokes or partake in any slapstick.
She also escapes the gross and misogynistic humiliations that generally befall female performers in Chow’s films. These are instead foisted on the large cohort of supporting actresses who fill out the cast.
Gong, who said she preferred making kung fu films, told the Post that she got through it all by not taking it too seriously. “It’s just a little comedy. Nothing too deep,” she said.