Hong Kong comedian Stephen Chow recruits Vietnamese actors

The 61-year-old Hong Kong star is looking for potential actors for an upcoming project produced by his film studio, said local director Le Binh Giang, who’s in charge of talent recruitment for the project in Vietnam.

"Stephen Chow will develop his own platform on Web3 and produce feature films, television and short films," Giang said.

Web3, often referred to as the "next evolution" of the Internet, incorporates concepts such as decentralization, blockchain technologies and machine learning.

Vietnamese candidates are only required to make videos that demonstrate their performance skills in categories such as singing, dancing, martial arts, or sculpture. To qualify, candidates simply need to post their videos on Instagram with the hashtag #createwithStephen.

Stephen Chow’s crew does not encourage the reenactment of classic excerpts from his films, said Giang. They want to see participants’ individual creativity, he emphasized.

Giang has not revealed the nature of the specific project that the "King of Comedy" is recruiting for in Vietnam.

"In the short term, I would support him to select suitable faces," Giang said.

Last October, Stephen Chow came to Ho Chi Minh City to meet with Giang and other filmmakers at a coffee shop in District 1 and acquaint himself with emerging Vietnamese cinematic movements.

Stephen Chow grew up in Hong Kong's slums and joined the television broadcasting company TVB in 1981, initially performing unknown roles and appearing for only a few seconds in a few films.

His career took off in 1989 when he landed the lead role in "The Final Combat." He then starred in a string of successful comedies in the 1990s. He stopped acting after the film "CJ7" in 2008, instead focusing on directing and producing.