HONG KONG, Aug 2 — Stephen Chow has spent decades making millions laugh and picked up some of Hong Kong cinema’s biggest acting honours — but the comedy legend insists he “really doesn’t know how to act”.

The 64-year-old actor-turned-director made the startling admission during an appearance on Chinese livestream host Dong Yuhui’s programme, according to Singapore-based entertainment site 8days.

Chow was promoting his latest directorial effort, Kung Fu Soccer, which is due to open in Malaysia on August 13 after grossing more than two billion yuan (RM1.2 billion) at the Chinese box office.

But it was a question about his own acting career that prompted the unusually candid response.

Asked by a fan when he planned to appear on screen again, Chow replied: “I don’t really have that strong a desire to act now... Maybe I’m still waiting for the right role.”

He then added in Cantonese: “I really don’t know how to act.”

The remark drew laughter from those on set — hardly surprising given Chow’s reputation as one of the defining comic performers of Hong Kong cinema.

His trademark mo lei tau, or “nonsensical”, humour helped turn films including Fight Back To School, Flirting Scholar and Shaolin Soccer into enduring favourites.

Chow, however, insisted that his comment was sincere.

“That’s honestly how I feel. I really don’t have much of a concept of acting. I don’t know what it means to get a performance exactly right. I just do things my own way, and it comes out naturally,” he said.

His modest assessment stands in sharp contrast to a career decorated with major awards.

Chow won Best Supporting Actor at the 1988 Golden Horse Awards for Final Justice and later took home Best Actor at the 2002 Hong Kong Film Awards for Shaolin Soccer.

He has not starred in a film since the 2008 science-fiction comedy CJ7, instead concentrating on directing and producing.

His subsequent films behind the camera have included Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons in 2013, the fantasy comedy The Mermaid in 2016 and his latest release, Kung Fu Soccer.