For Chapman To, the art of acting is a frivolous pursuit

Chapman To Man-chat finds himself longing for more contemplative moments as a public figure. This is not one of them. In fact, the man can barely contain his grin as five Japanese porn actresses - his co-stars in the raunchy comedy - keep running their hands all over him for the assorted media converging here to cover yet another charade in his eventful career.

Right before its premiere screening as part of the Hong Kong International Film Festival on March 25, To is asked to offer the audience a brief introduction to his latest film. In a situation like this, most actors with half a sense of decency would cite the story origins, praise the directors or casually reveal their excitement about being part of a wonderful cast. But not with this one, who happens to be the go-to face of Hong Kong low-brow comedies today.

"It is just a porno," To declares playfully to the sell-out crowd before immediately passing the microphone to his co-star Josie Ho Chiu-yee. When he meets the audience after the film, the actor concludes his profanity-filled question-and-answer session with an unprompted plea that may very well be sincere. "Don't tell anyone about the movie's crappy 3-D effects," he exclaims before making his exit from the theatre.

It's a safe bet to speculate that To, who turns 42 in June, is a confident man. So confident, in fact, that he rarely cares if the audience mistakes his self-deprecating humour for an honest opinion. And so it proves when we meet for this interview and cover shoot on a recent afternoon, where he tells me without the slightest hint of irony that he isn't much of an actor. It's impossible to determine if he actually means what he is saying.

"I haven't been acting for a long time - I really haven't," says To. "All I do these days is try to be funny. Some people may say that being funny is a form of acting in itself, but I'm a simpler person. I know I'm only trying to be funny."