The Big Short and Street Fighter actor Byron Mann on new film he wrote and stars in, a ‘love letter to Hong Kong’
- Hong Kong-born Byron Mann talks about the pros and cons of filming during the Covid-19 pandemic
- His upcoming movie, Hong Kong Love Story, will launch the ‘next generation’ of Hong Kong films, he says
Fools rush in. Ignorance is bliss. A leap of faith. “We were like 16-year-old teenagers running around during a war. We didn’t know better,” says actor Byron Mann to describe making a film in Hong Kong in the midst of a global pandemic.
The Hong Kong-born actor has carved out a successful career in Hollywood, appearing in movies such as Street Fighter, The Big Short, Skyscraper, and The Corruptor. He has also featured prominently in popular series such as Arrow, Altered Carbon and Wu Assassins.
As Covid-19 raged last year, Mann decided he wasn’t going to sit around and wait out the pandemic. Instead, he initiated a new film. He wrote the script, raised the funds, and managed all the logistics of an indie production, including locations, casting, even Covid-19 protocols. The result will be Hong Kong Love Story, a romcom set in Hong Kong’s modelling industry.
“It’s kind of like Pretty Woman meets The Hangover,” says its screenwriter and lead actor. “I know some people in the modelling field. One thing led to another and I came up with a screenplay. Have I written scripts before? Yes, I have. Do I aspire to be a screenwriter? Not really. But the result from other writers was not as good as I imagined and they don’t really understand Hong Kong, so I did it.
“I have a home in LA and Vancouver. I can live anywhere really, but I want to be here. I had a strong urge to plant a flag in Hong Kong. My friend, cinematographer Nathan Wilson, was here for Christmas in 2018 and he said he really wanted to shoot a film here with me. That was the genesis.”