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According to ZnewsChinese news outlet Zaobao reported that Lau recounted the story while introducing Shu Qi on stage as she received the Best New Director award at the Hong Kong Film Directors’ Guild Annual Dinner and Awards Ceremony on Sunday. She won the prize for her directorial debut “Girl.”

“She had diva behavior even 30 years ago,” Lau said. “I remember going to Taipei for casting. The appointment was at 10 a.m., but she didn’t show up until 8 p.m. When I asked why she was late, she replied that she had gone to a nightclub, got drunk, and couldn’t get out of bed.”

Despite the incident, Lau noted that it did not affect their professional relationship. The pair have since collaborated on 13 films.

Now 66, Lau began his career in the 1980s and 1990s as a cinematographer, working with prominent filmmakers including Ringo Lam, Wong Jing and Wong Kar Wai. He later transitioned into directing and producing, becoming best known for action and crime hits such as the “Young and Dangerous” series and the “Infernal Affairs” trilogy co-directed with Alan Mak.

Responding to Lau’s remarks, Shu Qi said she was not offended, describing her younger self as “a bit willful” rather than arrogant.

“Everyone in the industry knows about it,” she said, emphasizing that the incident happened many years ago.

At the same event, it was announced that Shu Qi, now 50, has also been nominated for Best Director and Best New Director at the Hong Kong Film Awards, with results to be announced on April 19. She previously won Best Director for “Girl” at the 30th Busan International Film Festival.

Born Lin Li Hui, Shu Qi began her career as a teenager, initially appearing in softcore films before gaining wider recognition in the mid-1990s. She rose to fame with roles in “Viva Erotica” and “Bishonen,” later expanding her international profile with films such as “The Transporter,” “So Close,” “Three Times,” “My Wife Is a Gangster 3” and “Love.”

In 2023, she served on the main competition jury at the Venice International Film Festival. With previous jury roles at the Berlin International Film Festival and the Cannes Film Festival, she is one of only three women artists of Chinese descent, including Gong Li and Maggie Cheung, to have served as a juror at all three major European film festivals.