Tony Leung Enters The Marvel Universe

The greatest Hong Kong actor of his generation and an icon of global cinema, Tony Leung stars in an American film— and enters the Marvel universe— for the first time.

- Alexander Chee

When they first met to discuss casting what would become the latest Marvel movie, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, producer Jonathan Schwartz asked the film’s director, Destin Daniel Cretton, who his dream choice was to play their villain. Wenwu, the estranged father of the film’s hero, was many things—a stylish underworld boss, an ancient Chinese warrior, and a high-powered modern man—so Cretton needed someone with range. Immediately, he thought of one of his favorite actors. “Tony Leung,” he said, “but he’ll never do it.” Schwartz replied, “Let’s try.”

The preeminent Hong Kong actor of his generation and one of international cinema’s greatest stars, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, now 59, moves with the smoldering, understated charm of an old-world matinee idol. His performances often make his films feel like their own genre, whether they’re kung fu sagas, police dramas, or film noir love stories. And over the past four decades, he’s been a muse to some of Asia’s greatest directors, among them Ang Lee, John Woo, Andy Lau, and his friend and frequent collaborator Wong Kar Wai. Wong’s films, in particular, set the tone for Leung’s career; the pencil mustache and debonair personality he cultivated for a role in the filmmaker’s surreal epic 2046 earned him a nickname that tried to translate his charm for Western audiences: Asia’s Clark Gable.