Eddie Peng nearly loses voice playing rebellious monkey Sun Wukong
HONG KONG: Eddie Peng revealed that he nearly lost his voice during the production of upcoming film ‘ Wu Kong’ in which he played the titular character.
Eddie shared, “We have a very good action choreographer, and Sun Wukong himself is a rather violent character as well. He doesn’t admit defeat, so when I’m acting him, I am basically always yelling. I’m killing everyday. The director wanted this monkey to be powerful, so I’m just yelling all the time.”
Eddie also said he’s had his fair share of stresses and challenges playing the rebellious monkey Sun Wukong who defies the gods with this headstrong belief that he can change the fate of his future.
“The biggest challenge by far is to act out Sun Wukong’s playful, yet determined expression.”
“We each have our own Sun Wukong in our hearts. He is very powerful, yet he also harbours a desire for freedom,” Eddie said.
The actor and cast were at a press conference Thursday to promote the film which opens in China on July 13.
The film, adapted from the book of the same name by Jin Hezai, is loosely based on the origin story of the Monkey King, protagonist of Journey to the West.
It costars Ni Ni, Shawn Yue, and Oho, and is directed by Hong Kong director Derek Kwok.
“I believe that Sun Wukong’s determination is what many younger people of our generation can identify with,” said Derek.
Although Wu Kong is adapted from a novel, the director said the film is not a word-for-word adaptation, but rather a new creation that holds the same spirit of the original story.