According to Chinese media, the film crew directed by Stephen Chow maintains a special rule during meal times: extras are allowed to eat rice first. After the people participating in the crowded scenes get enough food and settle their seats, the main actor and production crew begin to eat.
This information attracted attention because in many film studios, extras often have to wait for a long time. When filming is completed or they are allowed to rest, the food may have cooled down or there is not much choice.
In Stephen Chow's film crew, extras are said to be able to get enough food and eat hot dishes. The male director also did not prepare separate meals but used a meal similar to other members of the crew.
Recently, the meal at the studio of the movie "Kung Fu" female version, a new project produced by Stephen Chow, continued to become a topic of discussion. According to information from Chinese media, the crew's meal cost about 80 CNY (more than 300 thousand VND), including meat, fish, vegetables, soup and fruit.
This spending level is said to be about 30-40 CNY higher than the average level in many ordinary film crews. Notably, main actors, backstage staff and extras are all served according to the same standards.
Many viewers believe that the way he treats extras originates from Stephen Chow's experience when he was not yet famous. In the early 1980s, he played many small roles before becoming a movie star.
In the TV series version "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" broadcast in 1983, Stephen Chow appeared as a nameless soldier. During this period, he had to wait at the film studio and accept roles with very few lines, even only appearing fleetingly.
The experiences of an unknown actor were later incorporated into the work by Stephen Chow. In "The King of Comedy", the character Doan Thien Cuu always considers himself a professional actor even though he is only assigned extras. The scene of the character waiting to receive a lunch box becomes one of the details that the audience remembers for a long time.
Not only ensuring meals, Stephen Chow is also famous for choosing lesser-known faces or those with less acting experience. Many supporting characters in "The Shaolin Soccer", "Absolute Kungfu" or "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" make an impression even though the duration of their appearance is not long.
Some people commented that Stephen Chow understands the feelings of those in the lowest positions in the film crew, because he himself has gone through a similar period. Therefore, the story of prioritizing extras is seen as the male director's way of showing respect to those who silently contribute to each scene.
