Johnnie Meets Johnny

Johnnie To meets Johnny Hallyday (a famous French rock star) in Vengeance.

What attracted Johnnie To to Johnny Hallyday?
My producers gave me DVDs of some of his films and concerts. I immediately saw that he had something very masculine about him. The concerts made me understand that he is immensely popular but it was only when I met him that I knew we could work together. His style, his figure, his presence, his face, his incredible eyes that evoked a past that must have been intense. Something immediately clicked between us, despite the language barrier. We liked each other on a human level. I sensed that there was a mutual understanding, a trust. That’s when I knew we could do a film together.

And how did Johnny Hallyday communicate with Johnnie To on the set?
Johnnie To speaks pretty basic English. He would explain everything via William, his excellent bilingual assistant who saved me from depression several times! He was my closest link to Johnnie To. But we would communicate mostly with our eyes, without having to speak.