Aaron Kwok may be one of China's most versatile actors, but filming Monkey King 2 proved to be a challenge for the movie star.

In a recent interview, Aaron said that he was required to wear prosthetics and heavy costume makeup, which took almost five hours to put on every day. Aaron, who plays the Monkey King, particularly struggled with the scenes where he played a wild monkey.

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"I had to spend two weeks wearing a costume that made me look like a wild monkey," he recounted. "It took hours to put the costume on, and I couldn't go to the toilet because of how long it would take to put the costume back on!" 

The Monkey King 2 is slated for release this Lunar New Year and will square off against heavy weight productions like the latest installment of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Aaron remains confident that the film will fare well in the box office. He also wishes that other films released during the same period will end up as blockbusters.

"I hope all the films will perform well. There are so many different film genres. I am a big fan of Chow Yun Fat and Stephen Chow, and hope that their films would perform well at the box office too," he said.

Aaron considers his role in Monkey King 2 as his toughest since entering the entertainment industry. He claims that the experience left him "physically and emotionally" exhausted. Aaron is not yet sure if he would still join the cast of the film's next installment. "I haven't thought about it," he said. "I had to put on a muscle suit every day. This makes being in a non-fantasy film a piece of cake, by comparison!"

After filming the Monkey King 2, Aaron has moved on to shooting The Eternal Wave. But he is planning to watch the Monkey King, which is slated for simultaneous premier in Hong Kong and Beijing.

Who will be his date for that event? "I'm thinking of taking my mom to the Hong Kong premiere," the actor revealed.

As for his plans on Lunar New Year, Aaron revealed that he will be busy filming The Eternal Wave so he might miss dinner with his family. 

TagsAaron Kwok, Monkey King 2