The passing of veteran actor Ta Hien - Ta Dinh Phong's father - at the age of 89 leaves great regret for colleagues and Hong Kong (China) film fans.
While fans are looking back at his illustrious acting career, a legend about Ta Hien once wholeheartedly supporting Chau Tinh Tri to make the movie "Shaolin Soccer" is also mentioned again. There is even information that he accepted the role without taking a salary to support the movie.
When Stephen Chow started preparing "Shaolin Soccer" in 2000, the production budget was still quite tight, the total budget of the whole film was only about 10 million HKD. However, he still wanted to invite Ta Hien to play the villain Cuong Hung - the boss of the Devil's Team, and offered a fee of 1 million HKD.
However, Ta Hien did not accept immediately but humorously said: "That much money is not enough for my girlfriend to buy a handbag".
Initially, many people thought that this cooperation was unlikely to become a reality. But then the situation changed.
According to sources, Stephen Chow personally came to meet Ta Hien again, and especially invited a friend whom Ta Hien respects very much. He also showed Ta Hien scenes in the movie to show gratitude to Bruce Lee, including the transformation of Tran Quoc Khon with an appearance that is surprisingly similar to a martial arts legend.
After watching it, Ta Hien could not hide his surprise and exclaimed: "There is someone who looks so much like Bruce Lee!
When he knew these scenes would appear in the movie, Ta Hien's attitude immediately changed. He not only agreed to participate, but there was also information that he was willing to act in the movie without receiving a fee.
People in the industry analyzed that, in addition to admiring Stephen Chow's dedication and passion for cinema, this decision also stemmed from the close relationship between Ta Hien and Bruce Lee during their lifetime. He wanted to participate in the film as a way to express his remembrance for his old friend.
Another explanation is that at the time of filming "Shaolin Soccer", Stephen Chow was under great pressure, and many actors were still hesitant to accept villain roles. As a prestigious senior in Hong Kong (China) cinema, Ta Hien decided to take on the role of Cuong Hung, using realistic actions to support Stephen Chow and help the film be completed.
Although many details of the story over the years still exist in different versions and have not been fully confirmed, this is still a behind-the-scenes anecdote full of affection in the Hong Kong film industry, mentioned by fans to this day.
Ta Hien's performance in the role of Cuong Hung in "The Shaolin Soccer Team" is considered excellent role-playing. The classic line: "The main referee, the biên referee, the fourth referee... are all my people. What will you fight me with?" is still recalled by the audience as a "memorable" saying.
Coincidentally, on the evening of July 19, on the occasion of Stephen Chow's new movie - "The Kungfu Women's Football Team" - which is causing a box office storm with revenue of 1.5 billion CNY, TVB re-broadcast "The Shaolin Football Team" at prime time. Unexpectedly, just one day later, the news of Ta Hien's death was announced, making many fans moved.
On his personal page, Stephen Chow shared a black and white photo of Ta Hien with his signature sunglasses, and quoted two famous verses in Do Phu's poem "Hum trung bat tien ca" to express his regret for his predecessor, along with the message: "Wishing you peace".
