Andy Lau: 'I only do one thing a day'

This year marks 50-year-old Andy Lau’s 30th anniversary in show business.

Aside from his “secret” marriage to Malaysian beauty queen Carol Chu, Lau has not had much fodder to offer gossip mongers. He has never made any inappropriate comments, he's never has stirred up any controversies, and has never even worn the wrong clothes.

In the span of his career, Lau has reportedly acted in over 140 movies, released over 100 albums, held more than 400 concerts and sold more than 50 million records -- achievements that make him worthy of his “heavenly king” title.

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Last week, "Shaolin Temple" starring Andy Lau, Nicholas Tse and Fan Bingbing was released on screens across Shanghai. Lau, who plays a young officer in the film, reveals how Fan Bingbing went from being a stranger to his wife in the movie.

CNNGo: The "Shaolin Temple" director had said that the film is about Zen. What does Zen mean to you?

Andy Lau: Zen, to me, means to be able to leave one’s doubts and confusion behind and find a firm foothold on life.

Zen is a form of destiny, such as what the Buddhists refer to as enlightenment. Once you have achieved that state, you no longer hold any grudges, because you realize that many things just cannot be explained.

I’m a hard worker, just as many actors are. Why does everyone only say “Wow, Andy Lau works so hard,” when this is just my destiny? This is my understanding of Zen, I’ve believed in it for more than 20 years.

CNNGo: Since you're perceived as such a hard worker, what is a day in your life like?

Andy Lau: I only do one thing a day and that is to spend at least 10 hours a day at home.

I actually planned to take a three-week holiday after the promotional tours for "Shaolin Temple," since with "What Women Want" coming out a fortnight later, I’m afraid all of you will soon be sick of seeing me.— Andy Lau

I unplug the moment I get home and sleep around six to eight hours a day.

If I have a concert coming up, I’ll start preparing to go to bed around midnight. I’ll make myself a little snack and then sleep around 1 or 2 a.m. I usually wake up around 11 a.m the next morning.

Most of my days are like this. I don’t sleep very long. I’ll usually wake up after eight hours or so.

CNNGo: You star in movies, hold concerts and release new albums regularly. How do you manage everything?

Andy Lau: The production for "Shaolin Temple" and "What Women Want" wrapped up ages ago. Since then I've spent about four months rehearsing for my concert and a month staging the concerts. Now I’m back to focusing on the promotional events for "Shaolin Temple."

I feel that the girls though -- not just Fan Bing Bing, but Lee Bing Bing as well -- have an even busier schedule than I do, flying around the world to attend fashion shows in the middle of filming.

I tend to make less public appearances at such events.

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My time is spent mostly in mainland China. I won’t take on any movies while I’m preparing for a concert, or release any new albums in the middle of filming.

This year is a little more special with two of my movies being released at the same time. This has seldom occurred in the past 10 years.

I actually planned to take a three-week holiday after the promotional tours for "Shaolin Temple," since with "What Women Want" coming out a fortnight later, I’m afraid all of you will soon be sick of seeing me.

CNNGo: Why are you still working so hard after all these years?

Andy Lau: Just one word -- love.