For nearly 50 years, Tony Leung Chiu-wai has captivated audiences around the world with memorable performances in classic movies made within and outside of his native Hong Kong such as In the Mood For Love, Chungking Express, and Internal Affairs, as well as the recent Marvel blockbuster Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. The actor has a deep passion for bringing unique stories to life and continues to explore uncharted territory this deep into his career. His latest role—and his first European production—reflects this desire to learn and take on new challenges: In Silent Friend, he portrays a neuroscientist who conducts a series of experiments into the possibilities of botanical consciousness.
Written and directed by Hungarian filmmaker Ildikó Enyedi, the movie centers around a ginkgo tree set in the heart of an old German university which bears witness to the lives of three generations of people as they’re quietly transformed by the mysterious power of nature. When writing the script, Enyedi went down a YouTube rabbit hole and found herself watching old interviews with Leung Chiu-wai that led her to realize that he showed a glimpse of real humanity and “very special beauty” while he was deep in his thoughts. She was determined to bring that to life with the central character of this project.
With the film hitting select theaters last weekend, we spoke with Leung Chiu-wai and Enyedi about bonding over Buddhism, how they engage with the natural world, and more.
What did you feel was the heart of this story?
Ildikó Enyedi: When I started to work on the project, I had two areas of interest: One was to show in a perceptual way—and not a plot-driven one—how rich the modern human is and to raise curiosity toward it. I wanted to show that our senses are not the default, but without forcing anything on the audience. The other thing was how thrilling and beautiful science is.
Tony, How did the early conversations with Ildikó help inform your performance?
Tony Leung Chiu-wai: We didn’t really talk much about the story or my role. I was very interested in one of the quotes in the script, which was, “We are hallucinating all of the time. But when we agree with our hallucinations, we call it reality.” This is the first thing that I talked to Ildikó about. It reminded me of Buddhist thinking that life is just an illusion. There were philosophical layers like that in the script. She didn’t answer me, she just smiled. We started talking about those sorts of things rather than the character or the story.
After that meeting, I promised to work with her. I’d watched her previous movies, and I love her work. I felt that she’s very intellectual and very humble, but confident and knows what she wants to do. Then I tried to understand the character after she sent me some materials about neuroscience and plant intelligence and some philosophy books. Only then did I try to figure out how to approach this character.
“There were philosophical layers in the script. [Ildikó] didn’t answer me, she just smiled. We started talking about those sorts of things rather than the character or the story.” — Tony Leung Chiu-wai
Ildikó, I read that you wrote the movie with Tony in mind for the lead role. Was there anything about his performance that he added that took you by surprise?
Enyedi: At the first meeting, when Tony asked about the Buddhist approach, I just took my laptop and showed an image.
Leung Chiu-wai: The head of the Buddha.
Enyedi: Yes! It was an unexpected alliance. He’s much more knowledgeable and further in that journey than I am. But it was an important background in the film, even if it’s about natural science, as there are so many connections. I didn’t know that in advance when I wrote the script for him.
Was there a particular movie that made you think he’d be the perfect fit for this role?
Enyedi: I’ve followed his career for decades and I’ve admired his art for so many years. Specifically for this role, I was watching some interviews with him after [2021’s Shang-Chi] and so often these interviews are so formal. There’s a sort of shield or defense that’s put up by actors. It struck me how open and humble he was and how important it was for him not to give a shiny answer, but the truthful answer and how he had a human-to-human conversation with the journalists. Every person has a very special beauty when they’re not representing anything, but they’re just deep in their thoughts. I saw that beauty on his face and I thought it was something that I’ve never seen in any of his films. I saw a brilliant actor in so many amazing roles, but I would love to show the [real human Tony] to the audiences.
“Every person has a very special beauty when they’re deep in their thoughts. I saw that beauty on [Tony’s] face [during interviews] and I thought it was something that I’ve never seen in any of his films.” — Ildikó Enyedi
Tony, do you have a favorite natural spot?
Leung Chiu-wai: I love to spend time alone, and I love to do sports that interact with nature. For example, sailing. You only have a sail and a sheet, and you need wind to keep you going. You need to have knowledge about the weather and be very aware of your surroundings. If you can be in harmony with nature, then your yacht will go fast. If you go against nature, you’ll capsize. I love this interaction with nature. Also, I start my day jogging at the top of a mountain with all the greenery and plants. I find peace and I’m always trying to get more aligned with nature, which will bring me pure energy and calmness.
Enyedi: Tony sails on a small boat, so it’s a dance with the forces of wind and water. He also snowboards, so it says a lot about him with the choices of sports [and the way they interact with nature].
I was fascinated by the final psychedelic scene with the EEG cap. How did you craft that part of the movie?
Enyedi: This was the last in a series of attempts to open up toward this tree. The roots of the scene are planted at the beginning, when Tony’s character arrives in town and gives his first lecture at the university. He speaks about the different state of mind of babies compared to grown-ups. In the case of babies, the contours of the ego are not quite there, but with adults, they’re melting apart from meditation or psychedelics. He says that babies are high all of the time. Somehow, it’s a logical step in a series of experiments to melt into this state of being at one with the rest of the world.
Of course, the sound design and music help us. We didn’t want to visually show a trip; we wanted to evoke a sensory experience for the audience. The way that the wind starts to blow in the night when he puts on the EEG cap evokes a lot of feelings, but at the same time, it’s a very natural event. So it was a balancing act. FL
