Wong Kar-wai

  HKF: Did you know him before this film?

  WKW: No. I only know him because of this film. First, I thought Norah Jones and he might create some chemistry. Also, he is a veteran actor; he has a lot of acting experience. It is like the effect of Tony Leung. He can control the rhythm very well because [this skill] comes from a theatrical training. Norah Jones had to have a counterpart like him so that she would feel safe and confident when acting. So I told Jude Law, “To me, if you have to act with a professional actor, you probably understand how each other acts so that would be boring, but if you act with someone who is new to acting, she may have many unconventional ideas that may inspire you.” After choosing Jude Law, the second actor I chose was Natalie Portman because I felt when she is in the car, the dark hair of Norah Jones matches with Natalie Portman’s very much. Coincidently, Natalie Portman had time in her schedule, so we picked her. We contacted Rachel Weisz beforehand because I think she is suitable for the role. Basically Rachel Weisz is like Gong Li. Rachel Weisz just got married and had a baby. She told me if I gave her two months, she would immediately lose weight. When we were shooting in New York, the restaurant was close to her home, so she visited the crew every day. Every day she would tell me how much weight she lost, how much weight she lost together (chuckle) … she is a very hard-working actress. And David Strathairn was decided on last because I decided that Rachel Weisz is the wife. I decided that David Strathairn should be the husband.

  HKF: With so many stars, is the production cost high?

  WKW: Many people thought, “God, the production cost of this film could be high.” But I discovered that there are two tendencies among American actors: one is if there is a commercial blockbuster, they will ask for a high compensation that is proportional to the estimated budget. But if there is a film like our independent production that has a fresh idea, they all showed interest when we chatted. They felt, “I want to act in this film, [it is] very meaningful.” Their attitude is to have fun, so they were not too calculating with the compensation.

  HKF: Can we say that the actors’ compensation is very low for this film?

  WKW: When compared to their previous films, the compensation is indeed very low. Actually what they made was very similar to our Chinese actors. To them, this is a film that they were willing to make, so they did not mind the compensation too much.

  HKF: Do you think My Blueberry Nights is a road movie?

  WKW: Actually it is not a road movie. Although a road movie is about a journey, basically this film does not have a clear journey in the story. It is just a journey of a woman’s state of mind. Her heart is still in New York City wherever she goes. We focus on expressing her many emotional thoughts. It is a road movie about the soul.

  HKF: About the time limit that she set for herself—three hundred days—why wasn’t the time limit longer?

  WKW: Actually it could be three hundred days or a year, two years, or even five years, but my feeling is that this experience is not a big deal. This may just be an episode in her entire life. Also, the three hundred days in the screenplay is the duration that I spent working on this film—about a year. From preproduction, production, and postproduction to Cannes, it had been a year. That’s why the setup of a year in the story can be said to be my own journey.

  HKF: What is the origin of the film title? Last time at Cannes you said you don’t like blueberries.

  WKW: I don’t like [blueberries]. I absolutely detest them. But to the woman in the film, she eats blueberry pie not because she has always liked it, but because others don’t like eating blueberry pie. She wants to understand why others dislike it, and she eventually ends up liking it. In fact I am a very lazy person, as long as [the title] is simple and catchy, that’s okay with me. In the film, she eats blueberry pie all day. Wouldn’t it be fun to called it My Blueberry Nights? In addition, in the restaurant where we shot the film, they have a large selection of desserts. We asked the boss which one is the least popular, and he said blueberry pie is the least popular. That’s why we decided on blueberry pie. It was as simple as that. In fact [the blueberry pie] represents one type of things, a representation of the abandoned. This blueberry pie is not sweet; it is bitter.

  HKF: Other than blueberry pie, there are many symbolic objects, such as keys and chips.

  WKW: Oh, strictly speaking, the chip was not my idea. During the preproduction process, we were driving on the road, but I was not the driver. We were on the road for sixteen hours a day. What should the passengers do? I was reading and listening to music. I was reading a book about quitting drinking; it is the case study of giving up drinking. The book is written for people who want to quit drinking. That inspired me to use quitting drinking as an analogy to love. Both are about giving up an addiction. That is to say, when you want to forget your lover of five years, [but] he has become part of you, part of your addiction. When you don’t feel right, you wonder what you should do in order to get rid of that addiction. That’s why in the first segment, we could see it from the police officer. Americans like to use reward to encourage quitting drinking. Americans like having rewards! You will be given a reward. If you don’t drink for a day, you get a chip, you get a chip numbered 90 if you don’t drink for ninety days. As you hang out with other alcoholics, you have a sense of achievement [when you have the chips]. When one has an addiction problem, confidence alone is not enough. You need others’ recognition. In addition, this chip symbolizes more than encouragement. When you focus on minor things [such as a chip], you won’t think about drinking or something like that all day long. That’s why I thought this method is not bad. To this woman, she needs this kind of chip so that she will forget her boyfriend. She has two part-time jobs in Memphis [because] she does not want to stop [and think]. This shows that she is still thinking of him. But she slowly changed, and that is a gradual process of getting rid of the addiction.

  HKF: How about the door and the key?

  WKW: The door and the key don’t have much symbolic meaning. The man who left Norah Jones did not appear in the film. It is not important whose boyfriend he is and how he looks. Everyone can imagine how he is; everyone can fit her boyfriend in it. The door key, basically, is the relationship [between Norah Jones and her ex]. I have to give you a chain of keys [in order to] confirm our relationship. You are welcome to my space. But if I return the key to you, this shows I am not willing to enter your world.

  HKF: The key may interest women. There is this pub with many keys—every key represents a feeling. To women, every key contains a mystery.

  WKW: Actually [there is] nothing special about the key. At a summer job in college, I worked in a pub. Many things like this happened in a pub. Many people forgot to take along their little things with them, such as lighters, cigarettes, spare change, and even keys. I have seen someone saying [in the pub], “Let’s split up here.” Then one gave the other the key. I have witnessed that.

  HKF: Why did you use a restaurant in New York City?

  WKW: Because the woman spends most of her time in New York. She is living and working in New York. That’s why, to us, New York is the starting and ending points. This sounds reasonable. She can arrange her own work schedule.

  HKF: After watching this film, I had a feeling from what I have read and watched about this genre, especially among American films, this film is very sexually innocent.

  WKW: Yes, innocence is not popular nowadays. That’s why I retain some innocence on screen. Actually Americans are very conservative, [but not in cities] like New York, Los Angeles, or others. But if you go to other places you will see a different attitude. You will understand it after seeing this film. Why did Americans elect [George W.] Bush as the president? In addition there are [social] problems such as alcoholism. In fact, the US is a very conservative place; their people are very simple and honest. Also they are very religious, especially in the south.

  HKF: So from the beginning of conceptualizing this film, you did not think there would be any sex scene?

/>   WKW: There is no such need. This is not part of the story because sex itself should be a topic, not a strategy. If this is only a strategy, then there is no point. If it is a topic, you can touch upon it, but you have to find a way to talk about it.

  HKF: What do you think of how Ang Lee used sex in Lust, Caution (2007)?

  WKW: To him, this may be the topic of film. I think he used it very well, very cleverly because I think he has applied the image of Tony Leung both inside and outside the cinema very well. Let’s just say Tony had a transformation and exerted a big impact [on the audience].

  HKF: We have talked about your films before. You are not like a lot of directors who like to give love and women a miserable condition in the story. Sometimes you allow the women and men to end up together, like those in this film. There is a happy ending, but some films don’t have a happy ending.

  WKW: Nowadays many people ask, “Why do you shoot so many love stories?” I told them I do not; these are not conventional love stories. Maybe this is a story about love, but this is not a love story. Like this film, one should say this is not a love story. The love story only begins at the end of the film. The ending is the starting point of the love story. We can imagine what happens next is a love story. But what has happened [in the film] is a story about a process of finding love, finding a feeling of love. It is like saying 2046 is an aftermath of love. [2046] is not about love, but the aftermath of love.

  HKF: You have made many love stories. How do you see the effect of love in daily life?

  WKW: We say nowadays love is a part of our daily lives. This is something that cannot be denied. I need to find something with which everyone can identify. I believe love is a commonly identifiable topic. Some other things may not be too popular, but in a film you can include many, many types of emotions—you can talk about husband and wife, father and daughter, many kinds of relationships.

  HKF: Do you feel love is a reliable emotion?

  WKW: Actually in the film, love has already given you a feeling, which is to say you need to believe in it to enjoy [love]. But we need to ask what would you do if you failed? We have provided all the answers for you. If you are like Natalie Portman who does not trust others like how she is at the beginning, if you have to be always careful, you can be like this, but you have not enjoyed the process. It is like I know I have eaten some spicy things [which is uncomfortable], but I enjoy them. What I can tell you is that [after eating spicy things], you can have a cup of hot tea, and then the spicy sensation will be gone.

  HKF: I found that for some films, you could work very fast. But on the whole, your production is slow. Why?

  WKW: I have high expectations! Just like this time when we have a version with Chinese dubbing, they said, “You’d better not come [to the production].” Usually when people work on dubbing, the director should not be here. The dubbing usually only takes two days, but it had already taken ten days and was not done yet. This kind of dubbing is like the dubbed foreign films of the old days, such as those films from the USSR or Yugoslavia. The original dialogues have constrained how the speech and expression could be translated. That’s why I said we should do a domestic version: if the story took place in China, what it would be like. Actually people’s emotions are the same. We have transformed the film into one that would be comprehensible for the Chinese audience. They would feel, “Oh, it is like the people around me.”

  HKF: So is this your starting point of choosing people for the dubbing, such as picking Chang Chen for Jude Law’s voice because he came from Taipei? How about others?

  WKW: He has some [Taiwanese] accent (chuckle). For Jiang Wen and Gong Li, I told them that people in Memphis speak with a southern accent. It is like Chinese who speak with a Beijing accent. Cheng Chen has a bit of a local Taiwanese accent, so in the film he represents a foreigner! Isn’t it great to allow him to have a bit of an accent?

  HKF: We can understand why you chose Jiang Wen as the voice of the police officer and Gong Li as the wife, but why is Dong Jie the voice of Norah Jones? I feel Norah Jones’s voice in this film is very mature and deep, but the voice of Dong Jie gives us an impression of being a young girl.

  WKW: Yes, when you see this film when it is done, the pitch of the voice may be adjusted, but you cannot adjust the emotion of the voice. Dong Jie gives me a similar impression like that of Norah Jones. She is very innocent, very raw. She is a very authentic person. Because when we hear the voice, at least when Dong Jie is doing the voice and when the audience sees this character, they imagine, “Would Dong Jie react like this when she encounters such a problem?” Does she have to have a voice that is close to Norah Jones? I don’t think it is necessary as long as she gives the same feeling. Aren’t there some people who like to say dubbing a film is a kind of remake? I say it is not; it is original.

  HKF: Is this the same reason why Zhao Wei is the voice of Natalie Portman? I feel Natalie Portman’s character is quite cunning.

  WKW: You should go and see; it is very good. You can think whether Zhao Wei can play a character like Natalie Portman. She comes from Anhui Province. You know it is right for her to perform the role of a gambler when you hear her tone. We even got Xu Jinglei to dub the voice of Cat Power (the Russian girlfriend of Jeremy [played by Jude Law]); you would not believe it. That was great!

  HKF: It is a special way of thinking. Did you consider them initially because they are all movie stars?

  WKW: Not all voices are movie stars. I asked my driver to do dubbing because I think he has a great voice. I also asked Hung Huang to do the voice of a black woman; that waitress [performed by Hung Huang] is very fun.

  HKF: After you make a film, do you hope to be like some directors who only make films for those who understand their films?

  WKW: I don’t have this kind of sentiment. I am the most scared of [comments that say] this film is a piece of art, [that piece is] commercial, or whether the film is made for a specific group of people or for everyone. I feel all these questions are meaningless. Making a film is like how you engineer a watch or you work as a cook, the most important thing is you have tried your best and have some fun during the process. You have to feel that this is a very good thing. You present [your work] to others hoping everyone can enjoy it. It is this feeling [that I want].

  HKF: Have you ever thought of using a completely different way to express yourself, to make a film that is completely different?

  WKW: If there is an opportunity, if there is such a topic or reason, of course, I could do it. This is not a question about money or actors. Many people say, “You are making films; you should not worry about money.” But this is not true. Actually at the beginning of every film, there is a condition; there exists some problem, big or small. When I say opportunity, I mean the most important thing is my time is not wasted when I have this concept. It is because I feel it is getting more and more complicated to make movies. You are not only making a film, but you also have to spend a lot of time on preproduction. Afterwards you also have to spend a lot of time promoting the film. Like My Blueberry Nights, you thought it is a very simple film, but we have spent two years on this. What I ought to think is “Do I want to spend almost two years to make this film?” If I want to do it, let’s do it. But if I feel exhausted, then there is no such need. It is better to think of doing something more meaningful.

  HKF: Let’s make a supposition. Let’s say Harry Potter VII is inviting you to be the director. Will you accept this offer?

  WKW: I will. Why? A simple reason is that my son asked me why he could not see the films that I make (chuckle). Therefore, if one day someone asks me to make a film for children, I am willing to do so. That’s why if there is such an opportunity, I will accept it regardless of the outcome. I chatted with my son [and told him] if he has a story concept, I will make a film. This will solve the problem [of his not seeing my films]. He has begun to think [about a story] (chuckle), but I have not seen him for almost a month.

  HKF: Isn’t it a part of the lif
e of filmmaking? You are always away from your family.

  WKW: Yes, it is like this. That’s why now I gradually feel I need to think very carefully about making a film. Because when you spend time on one very important thing, you know you lose time on other very important things, such as spending time with the family.

  HKF: Last time you said the reason why you wear dark glasses is because you want to mark a distinction between working and living.

  WKW: Actually lately I have a better explanation, a clearer explanation. One day last month I was doing an interview in France; the interviewers are all old friends. One of the new journalists asked, “Director Wong, why do you wear dark glasses?” One old friend said my dark glasses are like the moustache of Charlie Chaplin. He said Charlie Chaplin had a son or daughter; he/she had the impression that there are two fathers. When he smelled glue, it is the man with a moustache; he was Charlie Chaplin. When he did not have a moustache, when there was no smell of glue, that man was the father.

  HKF: Do you have other habits?

  WKW: No bad habit. Is smoking a bad habit? (chuckle) You can see that I never finish one cigarette. That is to say it is a habit that I need to light up a cigarette and inhale. I smoke one pack or two in a day. I smoke less at home because my family does not like it that much; they would complain. (chuckle)

  HKF: Do you like to smoke the more expensive cigarettes?

  WKW: No, I have been smoking this brand for a few decades, Benson and Hedges from Britain. One day I smoked one, it felt right, and I continued getting this brand. Smokers always follow a brand, just like drinkers. But it’s too bad that it does not sell well! So now you can’t buy it in Hong Kong. This brand is not very popular. It does not plan to have any advertisement, but it is a very good cigarette.

  HKF: You are working with Nicole Kidman on Lady from Shanghai. What is the progress?

  WKW: We are working on preproduction. We are still collecting some information in New York. There is also a problem with scheduling; we need to look into when production can begin.