[2024.03.05] FAMILY COMES FIRST FOR CATHERINE CHAU

Carlos Chan and Catherine Chau have learned even more how valuable their families are
courtesy of on.cc

Carlos Chan and Catherine Chau play business partners in the film
courtesy of singtao.com

Catherine Chau hopes to run into a man as good as Carlos Chan

Eric Tsang, Tian Niu, child star Yeung Chin Man, Catherine Chau and Carlos Chan star in WE ARE FAMILY
courtesy of mingpao.com

The Carlos Chan Ka Lok, Catherine Chau Ka Yi, Tian Niu and others starred Emperor Motion Picture WE ARE FAMILY (CHOOK JO GA YUN) through many lost relationships brought out the message of "love has to be on time". Chan Ka Lok pointed out that director Benny Lau Wai Hang with kind sincerty made a family comedy. He said that at first he thought WE would be a comedy, only after reading the script did he realize that it was family film with tears within laughter. Only the first 15 minutes served as a comedy lead in. Actually it depicted in depth relationships between people. Chau Ka Yi said that the different character relationships in the film were portraits of the real society, making her cherish people around her even more. She also agreed that each person would need to face these thngs, making this movie made her think of her family and everyone she had a relationship with. "From childhood I didn't understand the relationship with family would have a time limit, I would even take it as a matter of course. So now I would learn to cherish it even more!"

Chan Ka Lok just became a husband and started a family not long ago, but he still deeply sensed that at different age the thinking would be different. "I truly would start to cherish. When I was 20 something I would really want to charge ahead, definitely wanting to do what I wanted to get done. Maybe when people reached midlife, when I reached 30 I suddenly saw things different. At that moment I felt family was even more important. No matter how much I work, how much money I make, I just want them to be happy; especially after I got married and had my own family. I am even more certain about this thinking. I understand how difficult was it for my parents to maintain a family." Ka Lok recalled how his family always took care of him. Now with his own family, after work when he got home he could still "slack off", take a shower and not care about anything. "However back then my parents had to cook, take care of me and my sister. We would even throw tantrums, say it wasn't good and refuse to eat. We even said some very hurtful things."

Chau Ka Yi was also ashamed of how she treated her parents, having broken their hearts. She revealed that when she was little she often broke her parents' hearts with what she said, and she did not like them caring about her. Now looking back she felt she was very rebellious, "Mommy was worried and called me to ask when I would be home, but I only cared about having fun and said something wretched I really was very wayward, so now I would spend even more time to be with them and go on vacations, I even insist that they live with me." Actually several years ago Ka Yi's parents were still worried that she would not be able to find a good husband. "They used to say they would want me to have a companion, worry that in the future no one would take care of me in old age." Ka Yi did not want to concerned the two elders so she said, "What is there to be afraid of, I have a roof over my head. Your daughter is vegetarian so she wouldn't need a lot of money. I only like to eat rice anyway, I wouldn't die! In recent years they haven't mentioned it again, maybe they don't want to give me any pressure." Instead she cherished being with her parents even more, sometimes when she went on vacations with friends she would feel guilty. "In the future when I date, I hope to find a good one like Ka Lok's wife (Shiga Lin) who would love his family too. Having a good husband would be like having another son, so even the unfilial me wouldn't have to think." If she did not want to worry her parents, would she considered to get a "rental" boyfriend like in the movie to meet her parents? Ka Yi joked that might work. "Once my parents visited me on the set, Fatboy darted over to them and called them Daddy Mommy. My parents couldn't be happier." Would she truly consider his type? Ka Yi joked, "Don't bother him! He has a girlfriend. In addition when I choose a boyfriend I have no specific type. I am about the feeling, as long as the feel is right he's fine. This is the most dangerous. I didn't know what love was before, without getting to the person I would like someone when I was fond of them. Even flaws because of the liking would become advantages. In addition I didn't know how to love, so I used to be very bad too!" Not dating for many years, Ka Yi blamed herself for being too much like a man. Ka Lok immediately praised her for being actually pretty cool. "She would come out, drive, tell you to get in the car and give you a ride." Ka Yi explained, "Men I used to date probably liked me for being cool too, but after dating I would become very clingy. When I argued I would turn very cool again, so I was pretty scary."

In WE ARE FAMILY were two elders with excellent acting skills Eric Tsang Chi Wai and Tian Niu, Ka Lok said that it was his first time working with Sister Tian Niu. He had a movie with Brother Chi Wai en years ago, at the time he already witnessed his "very powerful" acting. "I remember at the time I was acting with another co-star, Brother Chi Wai was lying on the sofa and snoring; but as soon as he took his mark, he immediately bounced back up and was even able to follow the dialogue. I really don't know how he is trained like this, 10 years later today he is just as strong. This time after waking up and saying he had a new idea, then he went to chat with the director. The director ended up saying it was great, so I didn't know whether he was really asleep." Ka Lok admitted that he has learned a lot from Brother Chi Wai. While shooting a very heavy scene in he film and the entire team was making preparation, Brother Chi Wai suddenly walked over, sat on the table and very casually said that he suddenly thought of something that he had to tell everyone. He then grabbed the script and said to everyone something similar that once happened to his family and friends. As he said tears dropped one by one from his eyes. The staff on the set were all men and everyone were also getting misty eyed. "He was the one who brought us into that condition and atmosphere, so very powerful actor could truly help bring everyone into character."

Ka Yi praised Sister Tian Niu's good acting. In one scene they had a heart to heart chat by the sea. Sister Tian Niu led Ka Yi into breaking down, even after the director yelled cut she was still trying to catch her breath and stop crying. Sister Tian Niu at this time held her like her own Mommy and stroked her back. "Yet I cried even worse. In the end she was able to comfort me into shutting up. Actually in making this movie I felt a lot of emotions. In the "we are family co. ltd." in the film were many lonely people, which were snapshots of the society. No one had any blood relation, but they became like a family. Thus in the film Ka Lok and I didn't end up a couple, and we also wanted to bring out family didn't have to be blood relation."

Chau Ka Yi also mentioned the WE theme song, citing that the Grasshoppers performed theme song FRAMILY was an accident. Chan Ka Lok said that the director once asked him to perform but after hearing a few verses he immediately said no. Since then the director was unable to find a suitable theme song. After Calvin Choy Yat Chi saw the film, he told the director that he had a song that was suitable for WE. When the director heard it he got goose bumps and teared up. Later as everyone heard it, they came to the shocking realization that the song was practically tailor made for the film.