[2024.10.02] BOBBY AUYEUNG WOULD RATHER PLAY THIRD TIER ROLES IN HIS RETURN TO FILM

Bobby Auyeung calls himself an old newbie.

Bobby Auyeung is not demanding ot be a leading actor in films. He hopes to take it step by step and play some second- and third-tier roles with performance potential.

Bobby Auyeung and his wife Fu Kit Ying have been married for 28 years

Bobby Auyeung won the TVB Best Actor Award in 2000 with A WITNESS TO PROSECUTION

In 2013 Bobby Auyeung was rushed to the hospital with acute pneumonia, after 12 hours he almost ended up in a vegetative state as he held on to life on the brink of death. He stayed at the hospital for 11 days and at his release he held his wife tight during the interview

Bobby Auyeung praises his friend Jessica Hester Hsuan as easy going
courtesy of mingpao.com

Know as the most blessed TVB Best Actor, Bobby Auyeung Chun Wa changed his outlook on life after almost dying of an illness, learned to balance his life, and no longer paid attention to the gossip of being ridiculed as a "kept man". He was very certain that the greatest achievement in his life was marrying a good wife, because she became the driving force that encouraged him to move forward. Already in his 60s, Auyeung Chun Wa has recently decided to break out of his comfort zone, expand his territory to diversify his acting career and seek new breakthroughs. H e revealed that he will enter the film industry again, without the burden of being a TVB Best Actor. He was willing to play second- and third-line roles. He also praised 59-year-old Bowie Lam Bo Yi for his Hong Kong Film Awards Best Actor nomination with IN BROAD DAYLIGHT (BAK YUT JI HA), a model of a successful transition, the experience of whom he also used as a reference.

The 64-year-old Auyeung Chun Wa has already entered the film industry in the 1990s. He once starred in FATAL ENCOUNTER (DUET MING JIP JOOK). Unfortunately, the word of mouth and box office were not as good as expected. After 30 years, he signed a contract with Emperor Entertainment to return to the film industry. He denied that after many years at TVB, his roles have reached their limits and there was no room for him to perform; so he left his comfort zone and ventured outside. However, he admitted that most of the roles he performed at TVB were of the same type. In the past 10 years, people have repeatedly suggested that he tried to play a villain, "It's not that I don't have the confidence to, but no one dares to take the first step. Every producer is on the payroll, so they have no reason to take the risk and ask me to play the villain. If the audience would be disappointed in the first few episodes, which would affect the ratings. Who would be responsible for the subsequent ratings?"

Auyeung Chun Wa said with a smile that "it's hard to be a good guy". Usually nothing happens in good guy roles. As long as the plot changes, there are many possibilities for villains. He hoped to try different roles in the future. He was used to being the lead actor in TVB, so he did not insist on being the leading actor as soon as he started filming. "Definitely not, I treat myself as a newbie, a veteran newcomer; If I would take responsibility as soon as I come out, instead it would increase my pressure. If I would fail, I wouldn't have a next time. Step by step, I would play some second-tier roles with potential. People think I’m qualified, so I would take my time."

Would it not be boring for a top TV star to play a second- and third-tier role in a movie? Auyeung Chun Wa said, "In terms of movies, the second and third tiers are different from the second and third tiers of TV series. There are many outstanding gold medal actors in the second and third tiers of movies, including Hung Siu Hung, Liu Kai Chi, etc. The roles they play are very outstanding."

Reaching age 60 before trying his luck again in film, Auyeung Chun Wa did not feel it was too late. He thought that now was the right time. When he was previously making dramas for TVB, if he took up movies at the same time he might not be able to make it in either direction. He admitted that 59-year-old Bowie Lam Bo Yi's Hong Kong Film Awards Best Actor nomination with his IN BROAD DAYLIGHT (BAK YUT JI HA) role of a nursing home director gave him a shot of confidence. "Bo Yi left TVB earlier than me. Of course, his development is faster than mine. If I don't try now, what am I waiting for? Of course I hope to perform as well as Bo Yi. Am I working toward an award? Let it take its course."

Started from the TVB artist training class in 1982, Auyeung Chun Wa has been in the industry for 42 years, during which he left TVB for 10 months. In 1986, he starred in THE TURBULENT DECADE with Eddie Kwan Lai Kit and Eddie Cheung Siu Fai, but later returned to play minor roles. In 1993, THE FILE OF JUSTICE 2 had good ratings. When he renewed his contract with the company, he offered to switch to a contract that ensured his role as the lead but did not ask for a raise. However, the company did not continue the negotiation so he could only become an automatic free agent. "In just 10 months of working outside, people kept asking me to make dramas and movies. The money I earned was equivalent to at least 7 years of salary at TVB. At that time, my monthly salary at TVB was HK$ 10,000. I returned home because I was nostalgic. If I didn't go back, THE FILE OF JUSTICE series couldn't be made; just as it cannot be made without (Michael) Tao Tai Yu." Auyeung Chun Wa denied that he returned to TVB to concentrate on making dramas because of the unsatisfactory performance of FATAL ENCOUNTER (DUET MING JIP JOOK). He said that filming at that time he was testing the water, in addition Ng Toi Yung (Hugo Goh) was the director so he took it. It was an experience.

Auyeung Chung Wa revealed that after finishing THE FILE OF JUSTICE series, he made ARMED REACTION and ran into his former co-star "Sister Bo" Fung So Bo in the dressing room. He complained a little to Sister Bo, "It's so rough, I am so tired, I really want to sleep." Sister Bo's reminder woke him right away. "Silly boy, don't say that. What do you want from working so many years? To be where you are today. Tough it out." After that, day after night, night after day he worked, without any sleep or rest. No matter how hard it was, he no longer dared to complain at all. Besides, he really loved acting.

Auyeung Chun Wa starred in THE FILE OF JUSTICE, FORENSIC HEROES, TAMING OF THE PRINCESS, A RECIPE FOR THE HEART, WITNESS TO A PROSECUTION, MY AGES APART, HOUSE OF SPIRITS and others, all of which are classics. However he did not think that he has reached a peak. He joked that the peak will be when the series is popular and earns him a lot of money later. "The peak is just a passer-by, nothing substantial. The peak doesn't necessarily have to win awards. I do my best, I neither disrespect myself nor others then I am fine. (Is one TVB Best Actor award too few?) It depends on fate. (You don't insist on awards?) If you have it, it is an encouragement, if you don't then you know what you have done. Others have really worked very hard, I am very lazy. I don't memorize the script, just natural talent and a matter of perseverance. When compared with (Wayne) Lai Yiu Cheung, he is truly worthy of being crowned the three-time TVB Best Actor. When he finishes work, he goes home and reads the script. When I finish work, I go out with a few close friends to have fun."

Auyeung Chun Wa said that of course he has encountered bottlenecks in his acting career, and the biggest bottleneck was "being mediocre". He has made several TV series and people recognized him on the street, but he still has to "count changes" for his ride. He has little fame and no fortune, self-esteem would act up; which turns into self-pity. Self-pity turns into arrogance. "All the ups and downs, I didn't know what to do. How long can I endure? I'm very grateful to THE FILE OF JUSTICE for allowing me to focus and lay a solid foundation."

Among his many works, none truly pleased Au Yeung Chun Wa. He said that if he got to play every show over again, he would perform even better and richer than before; because as people mature, they also see things differently. When it came to having a clear conscience, focused and rarely sneaking away for fun at night, DICEY BUSINESS was the one. "Before I was working on a series, I would finish work at 11 o'clock at night but I still would go out to relax and go home to rest at two o'clock in the morning. At that time, I was young and very energetic. Without losing all the energy, how can I go home and sleep? Yet after becoming full out of power I got home but didn't have enough to recharge."

Auyeung Chun Wa praised DICEY BUSINESS for both its great script and co-stars. "In this triangle of myself, Benz Hung (Hui Siu Hung) and Sam Gor (Michael Miu Kiu Wai) no one is indispensable. In addition Suen Huen (Jessica Hester Hsuan) is the actress who trusts me the most out of so many I have worked with. She is willing to do whatever I say. During the filming of A RECIPE FOR THE HEART, there was a scene in which Suen Huen made me laugh. I asked her, 'Can I spit the water in my mouth on your face?' It was purely for the camera effect, not to mess with her. Suen Huen agreed right away. Then I asked again, 'Can Tang Yat Kwan do it with me?' She did not mind either. It happened again in DICEY BUSINESS, Benz Hung and I both spat her together, and she agreed. At the time Sam Gor was also present and couldn't stop laughing. Suen Huen is very easy going, she gets her make up fixed then takes the mark for another shot."

When it comes to marriage, Au Yeung Chun Wa admitted that marrying Fu Kit Han, a wife who trusts and supports him so much, is the greatest achievement in his life. The two got married in 1996, and 28 years ago the marriage still remains fresh. He said that the way for a couple to get along was to only have each other in their eyes, without children they would not divide each other's care. It was much simpler to only be responsible for each other. He praised his wife for her high EQ. She never criticized him for anything he did wrong, nor would she question him, "I didn't expect her to be so amazing. I went drinking with a friend at night, she wouldn't nag. She said calmly, 'Don't drink so much. If you drink call for a car, don't drive, don't stay out so late.' Many years ago, my bad friend asked me to go out at 1 o'clock in the morning. I told her I would come home at 3 o'clock, but she gave me until 5 o'clock. In the end I still got home after sunrise."

Auyeung Chun Wa revealed that in all the years he and his wife have been married, they have never argued. His wife has never yelled at him, no even spoken loudly to him. Her temperament is better than himself, so he feels ashamed, "The biggest change my wife has made me is my diligence. She told me not to be lazy and to prove to everyone that I am not a "kept man" as the outside world calls me. I have been called that for 20 years, only in recent years have it stopped." He admitted that he did mind being accused of being a "kept man" at first. Many thought that after a few years of being a kept man he would retire, why would he keep doing it for so long? He said with a smile, "Who would like to be kept? People can say whatever they want. If you have money, they say you show off; if you don't have money, they call you poor. When I was young, I cared about what others said; but now at this age, I don't get to care that much." He said that his "good brother" Charmaine Sheh Sze Man (Ah Sheh) once cooked for him in a Mainland reality show and teased him as a "kept man". She asked jokingly, "Master, do you like hard food or soft food?" He replied, "Of course I like it soft, no one likes it hard." Ah Sheh laughed heartily, and this conversation became a hot search topic.

In 2013, Au Yeung Chun Wa was admitted to the intensive care unit for acute pneumonia and almost died. He admitted that his outlook on life has changed, "I couldn't even predict it in my dreams. I was caught off guard as food flowed back into my lungs. I was sent to the ICU while sleeping. It really could've been fatal, I'm glad it was caught early. The change is that I no longer work until I am dead and rotten, enough would be enough. I just need to eat, handle basic expenses, and some emergency money. So when I resumed work on dramas, I told the company that I wasn't tough anymore. I asked for 8 hours of rest everyday, but I found that 8 hours weren't enough. I actually slept for three or four hours with all the driving, bathing, and reading scripts. Finally I got 10 hours. The company was kind to me and agreed."