Juno Mak: Shrieking with laughter

Ten years ago, Juno Mak burst onto the Cantopop scene with the vigour of a fresh-faced newbie, but things were hardly smooth-sailing for the then-19-year-old.

Labelled a young upstart, he was dissed by critics for using wealthy connections to enter showbiz - his father Mr Clement Mak is the chairman of one of Hong Kong's largest investment firms, CCT Telecom.

Today, the Hong Kong singer-turned-film-maker, 29, is laughing all the way to the bank, what with his triumphant directorial debut, the chilling horror flick Rigor Mortis, making waves in Asia.

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An eerie homage to the classic Mr Vampire movies of the 80s, the film topped Hong Kong's box office with $2.8 million last month and has raked in an impressive $1.5 million in Taiwan so far.

Rated NC16, Rigor Mortis opens here next Thursday.

On Saturday, Mak would face off against local homeboy Anthony Chen and Chinese actress Vicki Zhao in the Best New Director category at Taiwan's prestigious Golden Horse Awards.

Chen is nominated for his dramatic feature Ilo Ilo, while Zhao is in contention for her paean to lost youth, So Young. In a phone interview with local reporters yesterday from Hong Kong, Mak played down his chances of winning.

"I haven't thought about that at all. It's just great to be nominated," he said in Mandarin.

"Most Hong Kong movies are romantic flicks or comedies. It's been a long while since the industry had a fantasy, vampire-themed film. So there's definitely something special about Rigor Mortis."

Perhaps being totally clueless about his competition helped in easing those nerves.

"It's been a busy year for me and unfortunately, I haven't had time to catch any of the other nominees' works," he admitted. On whether the success of Rigor Mortis means that audiences are starting to take him seriously, Mak disagreed.

"Actually, no. I've been in showbiz for more than a decade and the different projects I do appeal to different crowds," he said.

"Some fans like my ballads, while others like the visuals in my film."

Rigor Mortis, which follows depressed, ageing actor Chin Siu Ho (playing a washed-up version of himself) as he checks into a haunted unit in a derelict housing estate, has been picked up for release in North America, Mexico, Germany and Switzerland next year, said Mak.

The film also stars veteran thespians Anthony Chan as a Taoist master exorcist and Kara Hui as a traumatised housewife. Mak might be a fledgling director now, but there's no escaping his past.

When quizzed if he will consider casting his ex-girlfriend, Hong Kong actress-singer Gillian Chung, in his next movie, Mak, who is dating Hong Kong model Janine Tai, calmly replied that he would not rule out the possibility.

"My next film is a crime movie and I'm still working on the script. "Who I cast really depends on the storyline."

keeyunt@sph.com.sg >

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