Local actor Jack Choo (朱厚任) may have reservations about working with animals, but in the upcoming movie, GIVE ME 4 NUMBERS 《给我４个字》, he has to star alongside a dog. InCinemas went down to the film's production set near Clementi at about noon last Saturday (17 March) to have a chat with the actor, who granted us and a couple of other media a 20-minute interview.
"I'm not scared of dogs, but I'm not looking forward to working with animals. Thankfully, the dog in this movie seems to be easier to work with," Jack Choo said. "About 20 years ago, I'd to work with a cat that kept running about the set. There was a scene where I had to chase the cat, but it refused to run down a specific route towards the flight of stairs and we had to spend the entire night and early morning to shoot for this scene," he recounted his bad experience working with animals.
Jack also shared with us a common dilemma back in his time when animals and pets were also cast in a movie or TV drama series. "We didn't dare to complain about the them because we're afraid that the trainer might beat the pets for not getting the acts right. And at times, it really seems like abusing the pets.. And we, the actors and actresses would feel for the animals."
When we asked him if he had filmed any scenes with Flapper the dog yet, he mentioned that he will be shooting his first scene with the dog right after the interview. "It's a scene where I am angry with the dog, so it's not exactly pleasant."
Currently in production, GIVE ME 4 NUMBERS is a movie about a dog named Lightning that has been neglected and abused by its previous owner. After being struck by lightning, it miraculously survives and starts to show special powers, with the magical ability to predict the winning 4D number combination accurately! Lightning is taken care of by Xing Hai (Ivan Lo 卢楷浚), whose father Meng (Jason Wang 王识贤), a gambling addict, owes Ah Long (Jack Choo) a huge sum of money.
So, is Jack Choo playing Ah Long, like a loanshark? Yes, but he isn't any ordinary loanshark. He sports no tattoos, is well-dressed in smart Western attire, and thinks about his actions before committing them. "Usually when we think of loansharks, we think of them as people who go all out to spray paint on people's doors. But really, do you think they want to do that and get themselves into trouble? Of course, they would want those who owe them money to pay up," Jack Choo explained.
GIVE ME 4 NUMBERS is different from the usual comedy or horror film that local filmmakers like to do. It provides some kind of fantasy to a drama about a boy and his dog. Jack Choo admitted that it was a risky project as it would be very challenging to come out with something that the audience would like while at the same time providing something fresh for local cinema.
Well, it's a film about a dog that can predict the winning 4D number. That would be the best selling point for the movie. "If all 4D fanatics catch this film when it is released, all of us will be quite pleased. Who knows I might do another movie about Toto (referring to the other popular gambling practice of Singaporeans)," Jack Choo joked with us.
(Also see InCinemas Blog: Taiwanese star Jason Wang (王识贤) currently shooting a new local film! - 17 Mar 2012)
[Check out the film's teaser poster!]
Look forward to GIVE ME 4 NUMBERS, which is slated to open InCinemas in the later part of the year!