Cult Move Director Jeff Lau
Cult movie director Jeff Lau—perhaps most famous for his work with Stephen Chow on movies such as the celebrated “Journey to the West”—is back with another wacky movie, “Kung Fu Cyborg.” He talks to June Ng about his unlikely career path and why it’s pointless to over-analyze his films.
My interest in the creative world began early in life, when I performed in my primary school’s annual play. I only played a butcher, but I was enraptured.
I went to Britain to continue my studies, but because I was so lazy, I chose to study design. With design, the only thing you have to memorize is the history and the theory.
It freed up a lot of time for games and girls.
My first job was in advertising, but that lasted only about half a year. I didn’t like drawing, and I didn’t like having to come up with artistic ideas. As a Hongkonger, I felt like I should be earning big money.
Then I became a banker! I begged my brother—who has connections—to get me a job in the field. I ended up working in a Filipino finance group, learning everything from scratch.
My company put me in charge of movie investment—that’s how I got into the film industry. But my investments failed, which made me realize that I’m no good at running a business. I’m far better suited for creative efforts.