恭喜恭喜 (Congratulations!)

UPDATED ~ Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, (Hero, Red Cliff, Chungking Express, In the Mood for Love and a million other fine films) married Carina Lau (2046, Days of Being Wild) his longtime girlfriend yesterday in Bhutan. Here they are!



Below is the initial "they're getting married" post from Sunday...

Nathaniel here. Back for a moment from my break because I couldn't NOT mention this. My thanks to loyal TFE reader Tony for the heads up on this news.

Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, also known as "One of the Best Living Actors and World Great True Movie Stars" --or at least he would have those titles if the cinema were a meritocracy -- is marrying his longtime love/sometime co-star Carina Lau (2046, Days of Being Wild) tomorrow, Monday July 21st in Bhutan.


Here they are dressed in traditional Bhutanese garb (apparently provided by the royal family) in their first official wedding pic. Reports have it that Wong Kar Wai himself (Scorsese to Leung's DeNiro or von Sternberg to Leung's Dietrich if you need reference points) is going to film and edit the ceremonies for his muse.

That sound you hear is the confused crack of millions of movie fanatic hearts breaking, overlayed with their saner selves whispering congratulations to the dreamboat. (It's complicated when movie stars we ...erm... love are no longer available as it were)

In popular imagination Tony is usually paired off with Maggie Cheung who he romantically co-starred with in the masterpiece In the Mood for Love (2001, pictured left) as well as the box office smash Hero (they were the doomed lovers Broken Sword and Flying Snow) and a handful of other films. They were sometimes said to be coupled offscreen as well. Either way it was screen chemistry for the ages: Beatty/Christie level screen chemistry.

Maggie Cheung has unfortunately retired from acting (I weep) but Leung & Lau's relationship continues. They've been a couple since the late 80s when they were both in their 20s (they're 45 and 42 now). One assumed she was totally OK with that whole 'paired with Maggie' thing but for new rumors that Cheung was not invited to the wedding. Like many internationally famous couples, Leung & Lau are old pros at weathering the storm of controversies and gossip. In 2007 there were reports linking Lau to billionaire Terry Gou as well as that entire Tang Wei, Lust Caution 'were they really doing it?' controversy (um, I think yes. Carina says no)


So... 恭喜恭喜, Gong He Gong He, Gong Xi Gong Xi, Congratulations! to this gorgeous and talented longtime couple. For further reading on the wedding check out International Herald Tribune or The Star Online.

And because it's fun to gawk at movie stars, one more round of Leung & Lau goodness through the years....