The Hong Kong actor straddling two cultures
Michael Wong is best known for his roles in action movies, but he says he has never been totally accepted as a Hongkonger even though he has lived in the city for many years
Actor Michael Wong has been a favourite of the Hong Kong screen for more than three decades, making his debut in kung fu film Invincible Obsessed Fighters (1983) before going on to star in multiple action films, often as police officers. Born in the US to a Chinese restaurateur and an American artist, the 52-year-old star lives with his supermodel wife Janet Ma and three children Kayla, Irisa and Kadin. He spoke to City Weekend about the film industry, typecasting, discrimination and government bureaucracy.
WATCH: Actor Michael Wong on typecasting in movies
You were born in the US but moved to Hong Kong for your acting career. How much of a Hongkonger do you feel these days?
Both my grandmother and grandfather on my father’s side are buried in Hong Kong, but because of the nature of being Hong Kong Chinese, if you are not the right kind of Chinese then you are not a Hongkonger. That is a very prominent attitude that exists here. But I still consider myself to be a Hongkonger. Human beings are very tribal. People are always trying to deny you your identity. That’s just the way we are made up. There’s still a lot of conflict in the world.
Whatever my character is and what people remember me for, hopefully it won’t be defined by what race I am
I don’t go back to the US that often, but I did grow up there, so the way I speak and sound has all been shaped by American culture. I guess you could say I have been able to have the best of both worlds. Whatever my character is and what people remember me for, hopefully it won’t be defined by what race I am – the Chinese or the European side.
You’ve said in the past that you wish you were fluent in Cantonese. How has this impacted your career here? And how do you think being mixed race has affected it?
