Andy Lau: Shouldn't punctuality be expected and not praised as 'good virtues'?

If you’re working with Hong Kong actor Andy Lau, you’d better be punctual. In an old interview with Chinese talk show host Chen Luyu, which resurfaced and went viral on Weibo, the 59-year-old star said: “It’s not that I’m particularly dedicated. It’s just that the current standards have changed”.

Not that the standards have risen. On the contrary, the Heavenly King said that expectations for actors are so much lower than before that even basic behaviour such as punctuality is seen as a virtue. 

“But isn’t it something that should be expected? I think this should be redefined,” said Lau in the interview.

The veteran singer-actor recalled his experience working with Chinese director Feng Xiaogang as an example. The call time for make-up was 9am and shooting at 10am. 

When the actor arrived at 9am as instructed for make-up, Feng was perplexed and asked why he was so early. “I said, ‘Aren’t we supposed to be here at 9am?’. Turns out most actors would only come in at 10am,” said Lau.

He added: “Perhaps today’s requirements aren’t the same as before, so being on time and memorising your lines have become good virtues”.

Lest you think the Canto-pop star was doing an uncle rant, Lau was quick to add that he may need to change his perceptions and get with the times. 

He also isn’t one to impose his standards on the younger actors: “The world has changed, and I'm still stuck in the past. You shouldn’t force others to adapt to your own rhythm and methods”.