Liang Shan-po is me, and I'm Liang Shan-po.
What I mean is that in 1962, when I made that movie, I was just as naive, rustic, and simple-minded as Liang Shan-po himself. Some people say I acted well, and that pleases me of course, but I myself believe that my innocence and naivete outweighed my acting skills at the time. Liang Chu was my first role playing a man, and it was also my first lead--maybe that's just the reason I was able to bring out Liang Shan-po's personality as well as I did. I've made a lot of movies since then, and I know how to "act," but I've lost that naivete?--I could never improve on the original.
I'd never acted formally before making that movie, so I had to learn all the gestures and intonations on the set. The reason why they chose me for the part, I think, was because I knew how to sing huang mei opera: I had dubbed in the singing for Jen Chieh when she played Chia Pao-yu in Dream of the Red Chamber.
I didn't know much about the audience reaction to the movie once it came out. When I came to Taiwan in 1963 to do some promotion work, the company wanted to parade me through the streets in a car. I told Tsou Wen-huai, "What if no one shows up? Think how embarrassing it'll be!" I never expected the streets would be jammed with crowds. It gave me a scare.
It makes me proud that this movie is still popular even today. Will my career reach a new peak? That's impossible. I don't make many movies these days, and I live the life of a housewife. I don't dwell on the past. In the future I'd like to have a chance to try some parts I like and know I can handle--like a middle-aged woman, for example--and if my acting can still win the audience's approval, that's enough.
Totally involved in the performance, Chu Tzung-ch'ing makes a name for himself and opens a whole new door to music.
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