[2025.05.08] ANITA YUEN WANTS TO WORK WITH YOUNG PEOPLE TO HELP WITH HER SON

Anita Yuen and Miko Wong work together for the first time, playing mother and daughter.
courtesy of on.cc

53 year old Anita Yuen admits that she likes children. If she is suddenly with pregnant she would gladly accept it.

Miko Wong praises "Ma" Anita Yuen as great and not arrogant at all

Anita Yuen admits that she has a generation gap with her son Morton Cheung and relies on husband Julian Cheung to serve a bridging role.
courtesy of mingpao.com

In the Malaysian film OMG! MOM'S BIG NEWS (OMG! AH MA YAU HEI), Anita Yuen Wing Yee (Len Len) played the role of a advanced aged mother to be. She smiled and said that if it really happened she would not mind, but her son "Magic Child" (Morton) is 18 years old, and she would soon have the opportunity to be a grandmother. She would instead remind her son to take his time when talking with girls, to coax them, and to look at the world first, because being a parent was really a big responsibility and could not be fooled around with. Len Len was an enlightened grandma, and joked, "I am not only gentle, I am also very understanding!"

As for the reason for taking the role, Len Len said that the subject matter was attractive to her. She believed that the phenomenon of advanced aged mothers or the current generation getting married later and later has become common in the world, and the production was very sincerely as they were willing to revise the script many times. The director mainly makes commercials and short films, and she did not know her co-stars in the film well. However they were quite well-known in Malaysia, and this new combination instead made her look forward to breaking through her previous image. She let go completely during the shoot, so the whole shoot was enjoyable.

Compared with the fast-paced production in Hong Kong, Len Len bluntly said that this time she felt more "chill" when she made a movie in Malaysia. The director knew the production rundown and the actors were prepared, so they would not waste time on the script. They only focused on the blocking, hoping to shoot with more variety. The rest of the time they ate from morning to night. As the only Hong Kong actor, Len Len admitted that she was not suitable for dealing with the dialogue pace at the beginning, her onscreen "daughter" Miko Wong Jie Kee had to argue with her so she could not be slow to talk back. She had to make Ma not able to yell back. What did Miko think of this Ma? She still hesitated, "Ma is great, before the shoot when I saw Sister Len Len I was very nervous. I was afraid that I would keep screwing up my lines. However on the first day of the shoot I instead wasn't scared because we rehearsed so we had very few bad takes." Was Len Len very strict? She said that she was not, she was only demanding. Len Len also said that she would let everyone get acquainted with each other on the first day or two and get used to the rhythm and atmosphere. How did Miko break through the gap? She said with a smile that Sister Len Len took the initiative to break the ice and make the shoot go smoothly. "Because Sister Len Len has an aura, I was so scared that I quietly stood up straight." Len Len laughed and said, "Don't make me sound so mean!" Miko Wong has older and younger sisters in real life. She said that when she was working on this film, she thought that if Mama has another one she definitely would not be able to accept it. She was afraid that Mother would have a very tough time with an advanced age pregnancy.

If Len Len would be pregnant now she would be at an advanced maternal age. She said with a smile, "I don't mind because I like children, but giving birth at this age requires careful planning. Parenthood is an important responsibility. My son is already 18 years old, and I tell him that he will have to go his own way in the future. If I have a child now, I too want to be with them until they are 18 years old." Has she talked to her husband Julian Cheung Chi Lam about this? She smiled and said, "You know that Mr. Cheung has a Buddha-like mindset and very casual. Actually I really wanted a second child before I was 50 years old, but my husband said, 'Have you forgotten how difficult it was to apply for school back then?' This sentence made me change my mind, I am helpless that Heaven feels taking care of one is enough for you!"

Would the "Magic Child" (Morton) want to have a little sister? Len Len recalled that when her son was seven or eight years old, the whole family tried hard to have one but to no avail. "My son cried more painfully than I did, but it's good to have tried it." Regarding "Magic Child" romance question, she said openly, "I have no objection to him falling in love. He has already asked me why girls are sometimes hot and cold, I took the opportunity to teach him to understand the emotional changes of girls, to take his time talking with girls and have to coax them." Since "Magic Child" is now 18 years old, would she have the opportunity to hold her grandson soon? Len Len humorously said, "Yes, my husband's mouth says that same thing. I told our son to see more of the world, don't make promises too early. Parents have a lot of responsibilities, not just talk! Wait a few more years first, but of course I don't want him to wait until he's 30-year-old; I'm afraid that I won't have enough strength for my grandchildren, but he lets me take care of them I would. If not I would play with them!"

Yuen Wing Yee admitted that she and Morton Cheung had a generation gap. "How can there not be, of course there is! I have already tried to play young, the only thing I haven't done is wearing short skirts at home." She revealed that her husband aside from turning gray basically has not aged in his brains. He was still very young and very close to their son's thinking. "Their relationship is better. At first I was a little jealous but now I am not. The advantage is I am stricter. Sometimes when I have conflicts with my son, my husband could be the bridge and ease the tension. Sometimes when I want to know about my son, I could only get it from my husband's mouth. He has been the good guy since our son is born. He has never been the bad guy. I still feel that our son would understand one day when he would become a father, as parents we couldn't let go casually and have no rule."

Talking about the good film market in Malaysia in recent years, Len Len said that several other movies were in production there at the time. Coupled with the pleasant local climate and professional team, both Malaysian and Chinese people also got along well. They could also taste a variety of food, and the production environment was really good. Would you lament the decrease in the current production of Hong Kong films? She believed that every place had a period of change, new directors were using new subjects to pass on Hong Kong culture. This would take time to precipitate, and a group of directors in the past also started like this. She encouraged everyone and said, "One step at a time, it's about the climate, not just Hong Kong movies, everyone has to work hard!"

Len Len pointed out that she actually wanted to work with a new director, but for some reason no new director has approached her. "Maybe you made me sound likes I am very mean all the time, no one dares to look for me!" The reporter teased her for being gentle in nature, and she corrected, "I am not just gentle, I'm also very understanding! However my son and we don't have the same ideas, so we both want to explore that a little. The reason why we made this film is to explore intergenerational communication, now education cannot rely on orders alone. We must listen to children's ideas. That's why I want to work with new directors, and listen to them tell me what the world is all about so that I can communicate with my son."