Overseasidol.com — Chinese singer and actor Lay Zhang recently shared his memorable experience meeting legendary filmmaker Stephen Chow at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.
During an interview, he admitted that he became extremely emotional and excited when he finally met the director he had admired for many years.
According to Lay, the collaboration happened unexpectedly during a casual meeting at Cannes. He said his reaction was similar to everyone else who meets Stephen Chow for the first time, instantly realizing, “This is Stephen Chow.”
He revealed that the famous director only spent around five minutes telling him an inspirational story.
However, that brief conversation was enough to convince him to immediately join Chow’s upcoming film Women’s Soccer.
After hearing the story, Lay Zhang said he instantly responded by asking, “Can you let me try?” That moment eventually led to their collaboration in the film.
The actor also spoke about his experience working with Stephen Chow on set.
He described the director as someone who can be very kind and approachable, but at the same time extremely strict and demanding when it comes to filmmaking.
Lay Zhang referred to Stephen Chow as “a strict teacher and father figure” during production, adding that he learned a lot from working alongside one of Hong Kong cinema’s most iconic directors.
Besides discussing the film, Lay also shared his thoughts on artificial intelligence in the entertainment industry.
While he acknowledged that AI can assist creative production, he believes technology still cannot replace the “heart and soul” that humans bring into artistic works.
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