Hong Kong director John Woo has explained how he was moved to tears by the performances in his long-awaited new movie "The Crossing," which debuted at the 67th Cannes Film Festival. The movie is the acclaimed director's first feature for more than four years.
Set in the 1940s, against the backdrop of civil war, the film tells the story of three couples whose destinies are closely tied to the events unfolding in China.
Woo, one of the few Asian filmmakers to enjoy box office success in Hollywood as well as at home, said he was spellbound by his actors' performances.
"Every actor and actress, they all gave a great performance. And very emotional, so very touching. So by watching them beside a camera, they always make me cry," Woo said.
Described as Woo's "passion project," the film stars an internationally recognised cast, including Takeshi Kaneshiro, Zhang Ziyi, and Tong Dawei, who all travelled to Cannes for the launch.
The film was an emotional experience for the whole cast.
"I saw him crying, and I said 'what happened?' And he said 'I'm speechless and you guys are great'. So at that moment I cried," Zhang Ziyi said. "For him to cry is not that easy because he knows the character, he knows the story, but somehow it's still touching him, which is good and really makes me happy— making John cry."
Woo, best known for his choreographed action sequences, was active in Hong Kong during the 1970s and 1980s. He moved to Hollywood in the 1990s and worked with John Travolta in "Broken Arrow" and "Face/Off."
In 2000, Woo directed Tom Cruise in "Mission: Impossible II," the year’s highest grossing film worldwide .