Dilraba Dilmurat said she initially did not believe it when she received an offer to star in Kung Fu Soccer, a film directed by Stephen Chow. She even suspected the offer was a scam, according to the account she shared on social media as reported by Sina on Friday (8/8).
The call offering her the role of Yu Long, a main striker, came while Dilraba was in a car in the middle of a shooting schedule for another project. Dilraba responded minimally and quickly hung up because she was worried about falling victim to fraud, especially since there had been no leaks about the Kung Fu Soccer project beforehand.
Dilraba's doubts vanished when the call was transferred directly to Stephen Chow. "Hello Dilraba, I'm director Chow," Chow said. Hearing the director's voice, Dilraba realised the offer was real.
During a film promotion event, Chow later recounted that he was also nervous when making the offer because he was worried Dilraba would refuse. This concern arose because several other actors had previously dropped out due to the demanding nature of the roles. After Chow confirmed, Dilraba asked only two basic questions about what she would have to sacrifice and the standard of ability required, then agreed immediately without asking about her fee or position.
To meet Chow's expectations, Dilraba cleared her business schedule to undergo extreme physical training and transform into a true athlete. Kung Fu Soccer ultimately grossed over 2.2 billion yuan at the China box office, with Dilraba playing Yu Long, number 8 striker for the Emei women's football team, alongside Zhang Xiaofei who played Shuangshuang.
The film marked Stephen Chow's return to the director's chair after a seven-year absence since The New King of Comedy. Kung Fu Soccer also stars Lay Zhang, Carina Lau, and Takeru Satoh, along with cameos from Sisley Choi, Louis Cheung, MC Jin, and Hollywood actor Jimmy O. Yang. The film will be released in Indonesian cinemas on 12 August.
