Tony Leung says marriage with longtime girlfriend Carina Lau in the works

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
HONG KONG - Cannes best-actor winner Tony Leung Chiu-wai said Monday he hopes to find time this year to wed his longtime girlfriend, Carina Lau, in between promoting his new film and preparing for his next role.

Leung and Lau, both based in Hong Kong, are among the Chinese entertainment world's most closely watched couples.

"I'm getting up there in age. It's time to consider marriage . . . I'm in my 40s. I can't wait until I'm 60," Leung said as he joked with reporters on the sidelines of a news conference to promote Entertainment Expo Hong Kong, an event to promote the territory's film industry.

Leung said that the wedding has been in the works for many years, but that the two have had a difficult time co-ordinating their busy schedules.

"Even though the Hong Kong movie industry has gone through a recession, it's still quite vibrant. I'm very busy," he said. "Let's see if we're luckier this year and can find a date."

He said work commitments this year include promoting John Woo's Chinese historical epic "Red Cliff," which he just finished shooting. He'll also prepare for his next role as Bruce Lee's kung fu master, Ip Man, in famed Hong Kong art-house director Wong Kar-wai's planned biopic.

Leung is known for playing subdued characters like the melancholy writer who had a love affair with a married woman in "In the Mood for Love." That performance won him best-actor honours at France's Cannes Film Festival in 2000.

© The Canadian Press, 2008