Veteran Hong Kong actor Tony Leung confirms that he has signed with an American agent to build a career in Hollywood. 

The actor is currently training every day in preparation for Wong Kar-wai's upcoming martial arts film Ye Wen which will be a complete change from his melancholy image in Wong's last film, sci-fi drama 2046. 　

Western media praised Leung as an Asian Marlon Brando after his performance in Zhang Yimou's 2004 hit Hero. 　

The actor was recently in Taiwan promoting 2046 in which he plays an out-of-work journalist who lives in a cheap hotel and has a series of meaningless relationships while writing a novel about a hi-tech train to the future and exploring his own memories.

(CRI August 18, 2005)