Sunny Pang Says His Job As Action Choreographer On Crime Thriller Geylang Is “To Protect Mark Lee” At All Costs

In a perfect world, Sunny Pang wished he’d spent more time on Geylang.

As the action choreographer, Pang — who’s also an actor best known for his role as Inspector Han on Code Of Law — had grand plans for the gritty crime thriller following a pimp (Mark Lee), a social activist (Sheila Sim) and a doctor (Shane Mardjuki), as they cross paths one fateful night in the eponymous red-light district.

The M18-rated movie, directed by Boi Kwong (The Days) and produced by Jack Neo, opened in cinemas last Thursday (Apr 6).

If Pang, 50, had his way, Geylang would’ve been more violent.

“If I had more filming days, I would have worked in a little more details to the stunts,” he tells 8days.sg, from his training studio in Ubi.

“Look at the Koreans,” he adds, referring to the way the likes of Park Chan-Wok and Bong Joon-Ho express violence in a seemingly nondescript way, making its depiction more organic, shocking, and brutal.

But if you need more shooting days, you’d need a bigger budget. “But we could only do so much in 20 days,” says Pang who only spent two to three days training the actors for their stunts.  

Geylang is said to cost about S$1.3 million.

Despite the limited resources, Pang is pleased with what his stunt outfit Ronin Action Group accomplished: “We are touching that level already, but we need to push the envelope a little bit more.”

Geylang’s onscreen bedlam received a Best Action Choreography nod at the 59th Golden Horse Awards last November; it lost to Salute, the Hou Hsiao-Hsien-produced biopic of Taiwanese monde dancer Sheu Fang-Yi.

Pang was aware that there was no chance in hell of winning but relished the honour to be nominated. That, and the opportunity to meet in Taiwan his idols (hello, Anthony Wong!) and network with potential collaborators and investors.

Being in the company of esteemed filmmakers inspired him to step up his game. “I learnt a lot about the business,” says Pang, who believes Singapore should produce more movies that combine art and entertainment, with idiosyncratic narratives that appeal to the masses.

“Our movies either go extremely arthouse or commercial, but where are the in-betweens?” he wonders.

With a Golden Horse Award nomination under his belt, he finds it easier to get his foot in the door with investors.

“I am in talking with some people right now,” says Pang, who’s developing his own directorial feature. “It’s the kind of content I want to deliver that can hopefully put us on the world map and open doors for the next generation of storytellers.”

But that’s another story for another time.

Here, Pang shares more about the shooting of Geylang, how streaming expanded his fanbase overseas, and being a dead ringer for a certain Korean A-lister.

8DAYS: I remember messaging you after the Golden Horse nominations were announced and you said you may not be attending the ceremony. I didn’t know whether you were joking or not. 

SUNNY PANG: Here’s the thing, my work schedule was a little bit crazy then. At the same time, I don’t know what to do at the Golden Horse Awards. Getting nominated, rubbing shoulders with the other contenders, competing against the bigger guys — those were question marks. Not that I was afraid to face the competition, I just wondered: What am I supposed to do when I’m there? In the end, I decided to go because my wife told me that I’m in a different league now. I should show face, be proud to represent Singapore, and just go and enjoy myself.

You posted this screenshot of yourself at the awards, looking rather stern during the ceremony. What were you thinking of at that moment?

That look is the “WTF, why did you put my face there?” face (laughs). It’s nothing. Because I didn’t prepare anything at all. Not even a speech. I just wanted to enjoy those moments, sitting there [the National Dr Sun Yen-Sen Memorial Hall]. When I was a kid, I watched all these award shows. And right now, I’m here — sitting next to all these people at the Golden Horse Awards. Throughout, I was having this WTF feeling (laughs). I was surprised they [show my face on live TV]. Because why would you cut to an ugly face (laughs)?

What did the Taiwanese press ask you about Geylang?

They asked how long it took to prep everything, what we did with the actors, how we directed them, and whether everything was worked out by the stunt team or the director. We actually shared those responsibilities. I would take over the shots for the action scenes. Apparently, the director of photography [Ronnie Ching] was from Hong Kong and I was trained by a Hong Kong sifu, so we have the same sensibility. So we worked a lot faster because the DP understood what I needed. It was ultimately about good communication.

How about the actors?

They were all very cooperative. They knew what I wanted. I was especially worried about two people: [Eighteen Chefs founder] Benny Se Teo and Mark Lee [who share a fighting scene]. I wanted them to train beforehand, but Mark was on another set then. When he finally arrived on our set, he was walking very funnily. People told me he actually has a back problem. But he pulled it off in the end. I got to him to warm up and stretch beforehand. He said he felt better and better, day by day.

I understand the filming was rough because it was mostly night shoots.

It was hell, man! There was no easy day on Geylang. We were looking out for everybody. Some of them shot quite late into the night. Every night they were struggling to get on set. But the most worrying day was the day Mark had to do his own stunts. I kept telling my guys to look after him. Ask him if he needs pads, if he needs to sit down… so each time we saw Mark standing up, we’d be like, “No! Sit down and rest!” That was my worry. Because if he were to get injured, we are screwed, man (laughs). We had to protect Mark Lee and all the cast members! That was very stressful.

That’s my headline: "Protect Mark Lee at all costs!" By the way, wasn't Mark wearing a hair extension? How the hell did he keep it on during the fight?

The make-up people are good, man! They’re freaking good.

I heard the Geylang director offered you an acting role.

I couldn’t remember if it was a cameo or one of the major characters. Then again, this was just after I had returned from shooting Havoc in Wales. I wanted to change my pace a little bit and do more action-directing. I’m slowly moving to behind-the-scenes work.

Does acting still interest you?

Sometimes if I feel it’s right, I’ll probably do it. Then again, I’m passing the baton to the new generation of performers [at Ronin Action Group]. I rather not waste my time doing the action myself because I’m not getting paid millions of dollars for one project. If that happens, I don’t mind, man.

You’re frequently cast as a paikia or a thug. Aren’t you sick of it?

Very sick of it.

You just portrayed one on Veil!

Because my scenes were with Keagan [Kang], so might as well. He’s an old friend.

How picky are you in choosing acting roles?

Speaking of family man, you’re a father of four. What are their favourite or least favourite Sunny Pang TV shows or movies?

All my kids watch my movies and TV series, especially my youngest, nine-year-old Monique. She doesn’t like me acting as a bad guy. She would always say, “No, you’re a good guy, you’re a hero, you shouldn’t act as a bad guy.” I’d tell her, “It’s only a job, it’s not real. But maybe someday, daddy will be a good guy.” And when she came across Code of Law, she went “Yeah! Daddy is a good guy! He’s a police officer!”

Most people know you from Code of Law and other Mediacorp productions, but I sense that you have this growing fanbase who are exposed to your non-Mediacorp repertoire via streaming — Headshot, The Night Comes For Us, Fly by Night, Kill-Fist, Invisible Stories, and, Lang Tong. 

Yes, I've got feedback from fans, especially foreigners. Some of them from the US. I’ve received messages on Instagram from Korean girls, and guys as well...

Korean girls?

Just normal fangirls who appreciate what I’ve done. In Singapore, fans usually know me from Code of Law. When I tell them I have some projects on Netflix, they’d be surprised. Maybe the impact is a bit bigger when I stepped out of the country. Here, the younger viewers don’t really remember me as much. The older ones still remember me from Code of Law. They’d always ask what happened to my character, Inspector Han. I'd say, “Well, you have to ask the station or the production house.” I also want to know what happened to him, but that’s beyond my control. Those who know me through Netflix actually want me to do more — they actually love my performances. I hope to do more things on Netflix because I do think I have a fanbase. I don’t have a lot of influence, but whenever I have something on, they would support me, which is a good thing.

Have your fans ever mistaken you for….

Ha Jung-Woo? They said that he and I should work together (laughs) because we look alike. Maybe one day when you interview him you can show him my picture (laughs).

Geylang (M18) is now in cinemas. Code of Law is on meWATCH. 

Photos: mm2 Entertainment, TPG News/Click Photos