Jacky Cheung is too good as a bad guy

Being the bad guy isn't new to Jacky Cheung.

But the 54-year-old Hong Kong singer and actor actually does not fancy playing villains on the big screen and he tried to turn down the role of main antagonist J.C. in From Vegas To Macau III when he was first approached.

On his mysterious tycoon character who is pitted against Chow Yun Fat's God of Gamblers in the sequel, he told The New Paper in a separate interview: "I've played a few bad guys and this one was a little too soon after the last one (Helios in 2015), so... I said if they could find other people, that would be good.

"I was also busy planning my concerts...

"But in the end, I took the role, not that I particularly like playing bad guys, but this is a little different. It's a comedy, so maybe bad guys don't come off as that villainous."

REAL LIFE

Off-screen, Cheung is all warm smiles throughout the interview and has a guy-next-door aura.

When asked what is From Vegas To Macau III's biggest pull, he looked over to the promotional poster and said: "Well, it stars Chow Yun Fat, Andy Lau, Nick Cheung..."

He left out his own name, which is probably one of the biggest in Asian entertainment.

He has, however, clocked the least amount of time on the silver screen compared to the other three Heavenly Kings of Cantopop - Lau, Aaron Kwok and Leon Lai.

In terms of acting accolades, Cheung also noted that his "history" is one of being nominated but never winning.

But that may change this year at the Hong Kong Film Awards in April, if his co-stars had their way.

"I'm tipping Jacky to win the best actor award," said leading man Chow Yun Fat at a separate press conference, a prediction that was greeted with nods from Lau and Nick Cheung.

Cheung, however, downplayed his chances.

"No one has even watched my show," he said with a laugh, referring to Heaven In The Dark, which earned him his nomination.

"I myself am wondering how I got nominated."

On his real-life gambling skills, Cheung said he picked up games quickly even when he was a child, but said he has no winning luck.

"I've seen my dad with no success after so many years... and I have relatives who have lost badly before," he said.

This article was first published on Feb 2, 2016.
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