If you grew up with Stephen Chow movies, then you’ll notice that he often had the same partner who regularly acted alongside him – Richard Ng Man Tat, who passed away on February 2021 due to liver cancer. He was 69.
The veteran Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, and comedian recently had a random Q&A session on his Instagram story where he would answer selected questions from the followers. Stephen had a lot to answer, but when one of the followers asked Stephen about the late Richard Ng, fondly known as Uncle Tat, Stephen’s answer was short, but heart-wrenching.
The netizen asked if Stephen has anything to tell the late Uncle Tat, to which Stephen responded truthfully.
“I love you. It’s my regret that I never expressed to him verbally.”
Stephen Chow and Uncle Tat had worked together in multiple films, such as The God of Cookery, The God of Gamblers, and perhaps the most well-known among all, Shaolin Soccer. According to Oriental Daily, Uncle Tat was supposed to be part of the cast for Kung Fu Hustle in 2004, which was directed by Stephen himself, but the script was later amended, prompting Tat’s role to be removed.
Stephen attended Tat’s funeral in 2021 but did not speak to the media. Stephen and Tat’s relationship were not only good on the screen as another actor at the funeral told the media that the pair have always been good friends.
2 years following Tat’s demise, his movies are still being watched and talked about while many continue to reminisce the good ol’ days of HK movies when Stephen and Tat used to grace the screen together.
Which movie of his is your favorite of all time?
Also read: M’sian YouTubers Ask Stephen Chow for Filmmaking Advice & He Tells Them to Cut Off Vulgarities