I was reading through an old blog the other night on my post about Au Revoir Taipei when I realised midway that the cop character in the film looked like… Joseph Chang.

I quickly went to check the cast of the movie and voila, it is him.

Joseph Chang (right) plays Ji-yong, a cop trying to catch a suspected gangster while coping with a break-up.

Of course a re-watch was in order so I watched the film again last night and realised it was only the first time I was watching it in full.

I missed the first few minutes the first time I watched it in Taipei last year, as I was lost in translation with the cinema staff. The second time I watched it when it screened at the World Film Bangkok Festival last year, I missed the second half because I had to set up a pictorial with the film’s director, Arvin Chen, and the lead male, Jack Yao (separate blog entry on this later), who were in town.

So last night was really the first time I sat down and watched Au Revoir Taipei in full, sans popcorn. And yes, I laughed out loud the first time Joseph Chang, as Ji-yong, appeared onscreen. Without a doubt it was him, despite the wig and that he looked more hefty here. Either he was asked to gain weight for the role or he was on the hefty side when they shot this film. I wouldn’t be surprised if he gained weight just for this, he is that type of actor.

In case there is still any doubt that it’s him, he made the rounds of promos with Jack and Amber Kuo (photo below) and above, shown at Taipei’s metro station, looking like himself (meaning without the wig).

Ji-yong, the role that Joseph played in the movie, is a police who is trying to catch a gangster while coping with a sudden break-up. It’s a support role but this is Joseph Chang, the rough diamond (as Brigitte Lin called him) always shines in any role.