RIDLEY TSUI High flyer by Tom Mes Hong Kong director Ridley Tsui is something of a child prodigy. A Peking opera alumnus, he started doing stunts at age 12, became a stunt-coordinator at 19 and a director just three years later. Now, at age 31, Ridley is on the eve of his american breakthrough as his work as an action director on Mortal Kombat 2 has won him tremendous popularity with producers Stateside. Thanks to actor/stuntman Jude Poyer, who also put his two cents in during the interview, I got a chance to meet the man and talk about his past work in Hong Kong and his hopes for a star-spangled future. Tom Mes: So how does one get a name like Ridley? Ridley Tsui: Actually, my best friend suggested it to me a long time ago. But I just said no way. Because back then I didn't know the famous director Ridley Scott. But some time later I saw one of his films and I thought "Wow, this man is my hero". So from that moment I chose the name Ridley. Tom Mes: From watching your films I have to say you do seem to be the master of the high fall. How many times have you done one of those third storey falls? Ridley Tsui: Oh, a lot of times. Actually I can't remember how many times I did. Tom Mes: Is that from falling so hard? Ridley Tsui: Yeah, I lost my memory (laughs). But one serious stunt was where I fell from the third floor window, and then landed on the second floor balcony and then on the ground. That was a very serious injury. I hurt both of my ankles. I had to stay home for half a year. I was just nineteen years old. TM: How long had you being doing stunts for at that point? RT: I started doing little stunts at twelve years old. When I was nine years old, I started my Peking Opera studies. My father found me a Peking opera master to teach me the Peking opera skills. Because my father was a Peking opera performer. He thought that I should follow in his footsteps, that's why he found me that opera master to teach me those skills. TM: In the west people know the stories from Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung, how they came from Peking opera and went straight into movies. Is that how it went with you as well? RT: For me it was basically the same as Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, those people. But of course I started about eleven or thirteen years later than them. TM: Is the Peking Opera still a very active training ground for stunt people? RT: No. Almost no one learns these kinds of skills in Hong Kong. Because you know, the HK movie industry is going down, so there's not too many people that go into this kind of business. And almost all the Peking opera masters passed away, because they were very old. And there was no one to take their place. TM: And all the people who could take their place are now in movies. RT: Yeah, exactly (laughs). TM: How does the HK stunt industry get new talent right now? RT: There aren't many new stuntmen. No. TM: So that's another threat for the HK movie industry. People leaving for Hollywood and nobody to take their place. RT: Do you know the problem, Thomas? I think the major problem is that even TVB, the big HK broadcast company, they're going to lay off the stuntmen in the future. So how can you make a living as a stuntman in HK? Jude Poyer: People can make more money working in an office. That's the way the young people look at it. They think "why should I have to train my body so hard for five years to be a stunt man?" RT: Yeah, that's it. That's right. Jude Poyer: It's a lot of hard work. The opera training is crazy. So young HK kids who've had it easy think, oh I'll be a banker or an accountant rather than work in the movie business. It's like before, the Peking Opera guys realised that opera was dying, so they moved into tv and film with their skills. But now the stunt industry is having its problems. TM: And people are moving into banking with their skills. JP: Or whatever. You know, some of the top stuntmen in HK, they drive a taxi, or they work in bars full time. There's this guy who's an amazing acrobat, he went to Hollywood to play one of the Ninja Turtles, he's a hairdresser by trade. He does get movie work, but he's got something to fall back on. That's the state the movie industry is in right now. ( click here to continue )