(Exclusive interview) The first person in MIRROR! AK risked his life to win the Golden Horse nomination for his gay role. Qiu Litao was nominated for the first time in more than 40 years in the film industry.

The Hong Kong film "What We Are Not" was nominated for the 63rd Golden Horse Awards for Best Director and Best Supporting Actor. Director Qiu Litao was nominated for the Golden Horse for the first time in more than 40 years of filmmaking. AK, a member of the Hong Kong boy band MIRROR, became the first member of the group to be nominated for the Golden Horse Awards. AK challenged himself to play a gay role in the film. Not only did he have an intimate scene, but he also had to strictly manage his body for the film, breaking through the standards of his previous performances. Now that his performance has been recognized, he said that everything felt like a dream.

AK goes out of his way to play a gay role. (File photo, taken by reporter Wang Wenlin)

AK revealed that when he met director Qiu Litao for the first time, the film only had a story structure and the script was not even completed. However, he was already interested in the character. After seeing the complete script, he directly told the company: "I really want to do this movie." In the film, he plays a gay man who comes from a broken family. In order to fit the character's setting, in addition to figuring out the character's complex emotions, he also had to start with his appearance. Director Qiu Litao also laughed and said that when he first met him, he was shocked by his originally strong figure. So AK immediately started strict body management, even only drinking water and not eating for 5 days in a row.

In addition to changing his appearance, intimate scenes are an area that AK has never touched before. He admitted frankly to director Qiu Litao: "I will be afraid." After all, he had no relevant shooting experience, so he was inevitably nervous. Qiu Litao smiled and comforted him: "Don't worry! Don't worry." He gradually let go of his worries.

There is also a fierce fight scene between AK and Chen Yishen in the film. The two wore winter clothes in the hot summer and stayed in a narrow and stuffy tunnel to continue fighting. After filming, they almost collapsed on the ground from exhaustion. Originally, the two tried to borrow positions, but due to the difficulty in controlling the distance, they actually hit each other, causing swelling in the other's face, and AK's own fingers were also broken due to the collision. This time, he had to break through his comfort zone from intimate scenes to action scenes, which also gave him a different experience of working as an actor.

AK admitted that in the past, when acting, he might have brought unhappiness in life into the character, but this time he discovered that it is not necessary to use his true emotions. "To really play this character, you should imagine what he has experienced." By imagining the character's growth background and experiences, try to understand why he made the choices he made, so that he can find a different way of acting than before.

Being recognized by the Golden Horse Awards this time is not just a nomination for AK, but also an encouragement for this actor's journey of exploration. He also sent a special message to his co-star in the film, Chen Yishen, telling him: "Some part of my nomination must be with you. This happened to us together." He emphasized that this affirmation does not belong only to him.

In addition to AK being nominated for the Golden Horse for the first time, director Qiu Litao also ushered in an important moment this time. He has been in the film industry for more than 40 years. He has directed such works as "The Eight Immortals Restaurant: Barbecued Pork Buns", "Yin Yang Road" series, "The Bomb Disposal Expert" series, etc. The themes span thrillers, police and criminals, and social issues. This time, he finally received the Golden Horse Award for Best Director nomination for the first time. He laughed and said that he had always thought that he had no fate with the Golden Horse Awards. "It turned out that there was fate, but it was just a little late." Being recognized with the actors this time was also a belated surprise for him.

The 63rd Golden Horse Awards Ceremony will be held at the Taipei Pop Music Center on November 22. The Avenue of Stars will appear at 5 p.m. and the ceremony will start at 6:30 p.m. AK also said that he is very much looking forward to coming to Taiwan to participate in the event with director Qiu Litao.