Hong Kong crime epic Cold War 1994 premiered on May 1, opening with 6 million dollars and cumulating over 15 million dollars at the box office within a week. Gathering Chow Yun-Fat, Tony Leung Ka-Fai, Aaron Kwok Fu-shing, Louis Koo Tin-lok, Daniel Wu and Terrance Lau Chun-him, the mega cast of Cold War 1994 not only included over ten Best Leading Actors and Actresses, but also globally renowned Aidan Gillen and Hugh Bonneville.
As Aidan Gillen’s Asian cinema debut, Cold War 1994 was set as a prequel of the mega box office hit duology. Aidan shared the decision behind his very first step out of Hollywood during an exclusive interview with Sing Tao Daily, the sister publication of The Standard.
“I saw the films, Cold War and Cold War II and they were hugely impressive, the first one was great and the second one was even better, so it was a no brainer!” Having been an actor since the age of 17, Aidan Gillen never ceases to push his career boundaries, setting foot in Hong Kong as his first attempt at Asian Cinema proves his dedication, “Because of a sense of adventure, my willingness and desire to go to new places, this was very enticing. The challenge there to jump on board and try to bring something to it was irresistible.”
Aidan Gillen has always been a huge fan of Hong Kong cinema, he could rattle off his favorites effortlessly,“I always had a familiarity with Hong Kong film, more than anything, with John Woo films or Wong Kar Wai films, which are quite different in their ways. I know how good films are made here in Hong Kong, it was an honor to be asked to participate, how could you say no?”
Cold War 1994 set place in a unique time period, the pre-1997 power shifting makes Hong Kong political situation under the whole world’s microscope, “The handover of power is a fascinating time and event, to see how this power shift affects different factions who have a vested interest, different institutions like the police, the triads or the British government.” Aidan explained the plot and his part in it,“This guy I play F.M. is a government man, an intelligence operative, he doesn’t always play by the rules. He definitely has his interests or agenda for his country. In this particular delicate time, it is interesting to watch the difficult choices and dilemmas that people face.” In real life, Aidan does recall how focused people are on the issue,“I do have memories of it, it is a huge deal here. I don’t know how interested in politics I was at the time but I’m definitely more interested now. I remember it but I did have to study before I got here to issue this.”
Starting in local independent films in Ireland, Aidan Gillen worked his way to mega Hollywood production including Game of Thrones and Peaky Blinders, he genuinely shared his point of view working with Hong Kong film crew,“I noticed that the atmosphere generally on this set was quite respectful and reverential about the filming process, it was quiet and calm, which I believe is necessary and you don’t see it on a lot of sets.” He also holds Hong Kong filmmakers and crew in a very high regard,“The differences aren’t as great as people might think, when people are at the top of their game, it’s kind of the same. There’s a little bit of difference in working hours, conditions or how people behave on set.If people work the best that they can, if you are in the right place with the right people, it’s not actually that different.” Starring in Cold War 1994 also will not be the end of Aidan Gillen’s path in Hong Kong cinema,“I would totally love to come back here and work. I did actually talk to Bill Kong, the producer, I’d let him know.”
Cold War 1994 cranked up secretly during mid-2024, Daniel Wu posting pictures of the crew meal became the earliest clue. As part of the cast, Aidan did have the chance to taste the iconic rice box,“Yes of course! I think the styrofoam box, the lunch, I’m always glad when somebody hands me a lunch, it was great.” Aidan even shares that having Chinese cuisine is always a treat,“In Ireland if I am going to a restaurant, I’m gonna get Indian food, Thai food or Chinese food, it is really good.”
In his finite yet crucial appearance in Cold War 1994, Aidan Gillen and Daniel Wu had a toe-to-toe bargain, heats up the power struggle of the plot. As Daniel Wu popularity rose in Hollywood, Aidan did share some common topics,“I am not particularly chatty between takes and sitting around sharing acting notes, it is not something I particularly enjoy. Yet I did chat with Daniel a bit, because he had filmed in Ireland for a few years and his kid had been in a school right beside where I lived. Surprisingly we ended up talking about Ireland and Dublin, his experience working there and some people we had worked with over there.”Aidan even revealed they shared the same filming locations in their previous works,“Into the Badlands was shot in Ireland, I even used some of the same set they used on other projects, but not Game of Thrones. Game of Thrones was mostly shot in Ireland, but all the forest stuff, all the wet, rainy cold part, That’s all Ireland.” As for Daniel Wu's commitment to Hollywood, Aidan did not rule out the possibility of them working together in the future,“I can’t say we had a conversation like that, I really enjoy working with him but I never actually ask.”
Throughout Aidan Gillen’s acting career, he often portrayed different charming antagonists in movies and series, Petyr Baelish aka Littlefinger is one of the most famous roles among Hong Kong audiences. Aidan explained the likelihood between Littlefinger and F.M. from Cold War 1994,“He operated in a way where he used his charm, humor and sociability to get information or blackmail others, when people think of Littlefinger, it’s always a scheming manipulative person but with some charm, and F.M. has a bit of that.” Beside acting method, Aidan states that his character was based on a real life spy of the era,“I think my character was actually called David Conwell at one point, he did work in intelligence and did spend time in Hong Kong. Part of the inspiration way back in the draft was John le Carre, the writer who wrote The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and The Constant Gardener. I’ve always been interested in those kinds of characters. It's fun to play those parts.”
Decades before Cold War 1994, Aidan Gillen had a precious chance working with two Hong Kong action cinema legends, “Yeah, I did Shanghai Knights with Donnie Yen (Chi-tan) and Jackie Chan, it was about 22 years ago. It was set in London but the story had roots back to China.” During the shoot, Aidan was stunned by the precision and efficiency of Hong Kong action unit,“I spent a lot of time training with Jackie Chan Stunt Team, I did as much training as I did acting. Jackie definitely was the head of that squad, they taught me how to fight with two swords and a lot of other training. During the shoot they just showed you these really complicated, impossible moves and said "let’s do that.” As Aidan recalls the shooting process, it still takes his breath away,“We had a lot of preparation, the shooting was fast, especially those fight sequences, it’s about the editing. They were confident that we’ve got it, 2 seconds of this, 1 second of that, it's quite spot on.” Experience is not the only thing that Aidan took away after Shanghai Knights, “At the end they even gave me a bag and jacket with their logo on it. I did carry it with me when I came shooting in Hong Kong, don’t know if people noticed that.”
As for the other icon Donnie Yen, Aidan Gillen had a quite different set of collaboration which he treasures until this day,“Donnie and I had scenes together, it was less fighting, more intrigue, but has a special place in my heart. My kids who are now growing up, they always say that’s the best thing I’ve ever done. That’s the one they like the most, they still say it.”
𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓
