Actors can step into the shoes of those from different walks of life in society through their characters. For Chinese actress Cya Liu, who made her female lead debut in the 2021 Hong Kong film Limbo, her character “Wong To” has already become an inseparable old friend. 

Winning Best Actress at the 40th Hong Kong Film Awards for Limbo 

Life is a long journey, and everyone has their hand on a steering wheel that controls which way they go. However, those with a passion for acting like Liu can often experience a different life through their roles on screen. Liu’s character “Wong To” in the local film Limbo leads a tragic life as part of Hong Kong’s lower class. After living as “Wong To” on set, Liu embarks on a new journey with Vogue Hong Kong. Sitting in the car during filming, Liu reveals that Tibet is at the top of her solo travel bucket list, “The snowy plateaus are mysterious and beautiful, it’s the place that is closest to the sky.” 

Having just won Best Actress at both the 2021 Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards and the 40th Hong Kong Film Awards for her performance in Limbo, Liu is reaching the peak of her career. Behind her glimmering accolades, her dedication to film is her most valuable asset. 

 

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Life as “Wong To”

Based on the novel Wisdom Tooth by Chinese novelist Lei Mi, Limbo is a black-and-white action-thriller film about a wave of serial killings and the tragic fate of people at the bottom of society. Directed by Cheang Pou-soi, the man behind the action films Dog Bite Dog (2006) and Shamo (2007), Limbo zooms in on Hong Kong to document the city’s forgotten urban scenes, where the story of Liu’s character “Wong To” begins: she grew up in an orphanage, ended up in a fatal car accident, and was raped and targeted by the police. As someone who lives on the sidelines of society, her tragic fate lies in the centre of the film’s heavy plot. “Wong To was in pain not because she was beaten or tortured. Her pain came from within, not the flesh.” As Liu recalls Wong To’s experiences, she relives the pain and the struggle of her character. “Her life is a single-plank bridge that breaks behind her as she walks. There is no turning back, the only way out is to survive.”

Acting as a way of seeing the world 

Playing Wong To was not easy for Liu. She says she is not a “smart actor and has no acting skills”, rather, she interprets her roles based on real-life experiences. “I remember the first scene I shot with Gordon Lam at the police station. He grabbed my hair and yanked it back with full force. I was grateful for the emotions he evoked, in that moment, I instantly became Wong To”, she shares. Her passion for acting carried her through all the hard times during filming. “The scene where Gordon had to chase me in his car was only summed up using one sentence in the script, but we pulled consecutive all-nighters to shoot it. On the first day, I ran until my butt cramped up and I also pulled a thigh muscle, but I didn’t say anything, I was scared that I would be replaced.” Liu knew how valuable it was to have a good team and a good script, so she was willing to give her all for Wong To.