[2021.11.18] ANSON LO HAS NO BOTTOM LINE FOR HIS ROLES -- WITHIN REASON

 

Anson Lo wants to try any and all roles, feeling that every role would be a new lesson

Anson Lo has to prepare for his female disguise 2 hour earlier than normal

Alina Lee has fallen for acting, even intimate scenes she would not mind

Summer Chan is injured during the shoot and had to wear a neck brace throughout
courtesy of mingpao.com

Anson Lo Hon Ting with the popular boy band MIRROR has been in the business for 3 short years, he would make big screen debut as the lead actor in SHOWBIZ SPY (GA MO NUI TUEN). For his first film he was even determined to go all the way, accepting the tremendous challenge of a female disguise. He declared that he had no bottom line in order to play the role well. As long as it was within reason he would do whatever he would need to move the story along and get results. As for whether he would be able to accept a sex scene like in LUST, CAUTION or a daring subject like HAPPY TOGETHER, he had some reservations. "I would have to ask Sister Fa (MIRROR's manager Wong Wai Kwan), even if I would be willing Sister Fa might not be!"

Anson Lo for his first movie stated that he knew he had very little acting experience. So far he has only worked on two series. Thus before the shoot began he did a lot of homework. He said, "I had many meetings with the producer and the director, discussing how far we should go with the female disguise? Would I need to disguise my voice? We tried many costumes, and discussed how far we would be able to go." He not only did not have many objections on costumes, but also asked to be more feminine. He said, "I feel either I don't do it, if I do why would I linger in the middle. So I wanted to go all the way. Actually I want to try any and all characters, I wouldn't deliberately choose certain characters to play. It really doesn't matter, each character would be a new lesson."

Anson Lo said SHOWBIZ SPY attracted him, and he was excited to be able to play a character that he would very rarely have a chance to play normally. Personality and costume wise he would like to give viewers a pleasant surprise, thus he got a little braver to try. He said, "For the first time playing a girl, I had all the superficial features that could be seen on women. Playing this role was very tiring! Because each time I would have to prepare two hours in advanced to dress up, I finally realized how much faster being a guy is normally."

Since it was the first time in a female disguise in his life, Anson Lo sent photos of his first costume fitting to Mama. Mama's response was that she could not accept it at all. He said, "Actually when I saw myself in women's clothing and a wig I thought it was very funny, but the goal of the film was to make viewers laugh. After watching they would happy and joyful. I wouldn't mind doing this for everyone's happiness, whether I look pretty as a girl to each its own. Everyone said that it was but I didn't think so, off camera I felt very embarrassed."

Already in a leading male role in the film after just 3 years in the business, Anson Lo said that it was absolutely luck. He also did not feel that he beat out his band mates. He said, "Because I don't feel I have the talent, before getting into the business I not only didn't have any professional singing lessons, but also never thought about acting. The first time in my life I had any connection to acting was a school play in Form 4, but at the time I was super nervous. So the teacher said that I was very stiff, had no acting talent. It was quite a setback. At the time I thought I was done for and probably would never act again. Not only other thought I couldn't, even I myself felt I couldn't." He said that during the series WE ARE THE LITTLES, his hands would still shake before taking his mark. This time he finally regained his confidence. Now he would no longer be nervous while acting, every word of every line could be very solid and clean.

Anson Lo in the film teamed up with Alina Lee Yan Yi, Summer Chan Chi Huen and others to form a girl group for a contest to uncover the conspiracy to harm the physical and psychological developments of young people behind the show. Having competed in KING MAKER, Anson Lo felt that in real life those talent shows would not harm the development of young people. Instead it was able to establish a good example. He said, "The talent show isn't encouraging everyone to be stars, or purely chasing the dream of breaking into show business. It lets everyone know that as long as they have the courage, they would be able to do it. The definition of success is different for everyone, at least we have to let people know that they are willing to take this firs step, do what we like to do and from that provide courage to a lot of people."

Alina Lee Yan Yi for her first film went to learn martial art before the shoot, unfortunately it was not useful in the script. She hoped to have a chance to use it in the future; she has already fallen for acting and hoped to be able to try different things. Even intimate scenes she would not mind, she even said that she would not need to ask her boyfriend Stanley Yau Sze Chun. "However no matter what I would tell him, My boyfriend no matter what would be supportive." She revealed in the film she had a scene in which she saw Anson Lo naked in the shower. No one would see anything on camera, but off camera she saw Anson Lo's pectoral, back and abdominal muscles. She said, "We are good friends to begin with, so seeing him in the shower wouldn't be awkward. However I am afraid that the 'Disciples' would yell at me for talking about it."

Summer Chan Chi Huen while working on SHOWBIZ SPY had to work on two other films. In film she could be said to be the other two's "elder"; in the film she played Alina's cousin. She said that she did not feel Alina was mean, but her presence was exactly like her own brother's. She joked that even though she did not do anything wrong she would feel a little guilty when she stared at her. During the shoot she injured her neck. She said that the director permitted her to appear on camera with neck brace and added scenes to explain it. Did her injury frighten her family? She said, "I didn't dare to tell my family I went to the hospital. After the pain killer shot I went back to work the next day. However she sent videos of when I was injured to my family, they only felt that the moment I got hurt was very gross."