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| Angela Yuen has held back for a long time and decided to muster up the courage to uncover her scars |
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| With similar experiences, Fish Liew appreciates Angela Yuen for speaking up and watches over her |
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| Jennifer Yu forwards the long post and supports Angela Yuen with action |
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Jace Chan at an event states that she absolutely would not tolerate anything simiilar happening again
courtesy of on.cc |
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| Angela Yuen criticizes issues like the misogynistic culture and sexual harassment, receiving praises from within the industry for daring to speak up |
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| Chung Suet Ying through social media publicizes a capture of a reporter's criticism of WE ARE BORN GOOD, stating that he is trying to get attention for his wild comments |
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| Amy Lo enjoys bag shopping, which does not interfere with him making money for his family |
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Jace Chan encourages other women to bravely express their own views, especially when running into sexual harassment they even have to immediately speak out against it
courtesy of mingpao.com |
Chung Suet Ying expressed her displeasure after culture
journalist "Red Eye" (Wong Wing Leung) described her new film, WE ARE
BORN GOOD (SIN NAM SHUN NUI), as a "rare erotic performance" in her
career, stating frankly that she found such sensationalist language off-
putting. Angela Yuen Lai Lam followed suit by speaking out against
misogynistic culture; early yesterday morning she published a lengthy
post titled "The Apology That Will Never Come" on social media. She
revealed that during a previous interview with "Red Eye" to promote the
film GAMER GIRLS (DIN GAING NUI HAI), he humiliated her by saying, "It
feels like I'm sitting at a hostess table." She also disclosed that
since entering the industry, she had experienced verbal and even
physical sexual harassment from directors, cinematographers, and senior
actors. The incident sparked a massive response; the Internet praised
their courage, and numerous figures including award-winning actresses
Jennifer Yu Heung Ying and Fish Liew Chi Yu, TV Best Actresses Myolie Wu
Hung Yi and Natalie Tong Sze Wing, singer Serrini, and influencer Coffee
Lam Chin Yu, left messages of support. The journalist involved
explained that he had made a "terrible joke," acknowledged his gaffe,
and issued a formal apology.
Triggered by the way Chung Suet Ying had been unfairly
characterized as giving an "erotic performance," Yuen Lai Lam reposted a
column she had previously written for "CITY MAGAZINE" on social media
yesterday, drawing widespread attention. In the article, she recounted
her dissatisfaction when the journalist likened the actresses of GAMER
GIRLS to nightclub hostesses -- a remark for which he offered no
apology. She wrote, "The male journalist, who serves as editor-in-chief
for multiple cultural magazines and is a recipient of local literary
awards, sat down and immediately opened with the line, 'It feels like
I'm sitting at a hostess table,' casually sexualizing a serious film
interview and framing it in the context of a nightclub." Instead of
apologizing immediately for the slip-up, he tried to make excuses; Yuen
reiterated that "that remark was highly inappropriate" and demanded he
"shut up or apologize." The interview proceeded as planned, but Yuen
described feeling forced to suppress her emotions at the time, even
going so far as to blame herself—wondering if she had been
"insufficiently gracious or polite" or had "disrupted the flow of the
interview."
In her writing, she recounts years of experiences involving
verbal harassment, gratuitous sexualization, and belittlement by men,
much of which occurred after she entered the industry. For instance, a
male director bluntly remarked that her "look" wasn't the type that made
men want to sleep with her, while an intoxicated on-screen colleague
asked her in Japanese, "Do you like my [genitals]?" A male actor teased
the camera crew, claiming they had positioned the jib crane to get a
high-angle shot of another actress's cleavage; even worse, a senior
actor repeatedly joked on set that she was looking for an excuse to kiss
him, only to improvise a kiss, one not in the script, without any prior
discussion. Yuen Lai Lam speaks candidly about the heavy price of
speaking out publicly. Whenever a woman accuses someone of misconduct,
society tends to follow a familiar script: questioning the victim's
motives (accusing them of seeking fame), scrutinizing why they did not
resist immediately, and ultimately resorting to character assassination.
This harsh moral judgment, often far more severe than the scrutiny faced
by the perpetrator, creates a chilling effect that caused many victims
to remain silent. Every "little joke" and every criticism asking why a
victim could not "be a good sport" serves to reinforce a system that
permits the objectification of women. She states, "What society needs
is not merely an apology that will likely never come, but a complete
overhaul of the cultural landscape. We must stop viewing such offenses
as isolated incidents and instead confront the underlying systemic
issues that deny women their agency and professional dignity."
Yuen Lai Lam and Chung Suet Ying have never publicized that
culture journalist's identity. Wong Wing Leung, a cultural journalist
known by the pen name "Red Eye", publicly apologized for the incident
involving Yuen Lai Lam and Chung Suet Ying. He admitted to making "two
very poor, highly inappropriate jokes," noting that he was aware at the
time that Yuen Lai Lam found them offensive. Red Eye expressed deep
shame, acknowledging that after his gaffe, the interview could only be
completed thanks to other interviewees stepping in to smooth over the
awkward situation. He admitted that failing to offer a formal apology
to the interviewees at the time was a case of "poor handling." He had
been unaware of the deep distress his words caused Angela Yuen and the
others; it was only upon learning early yesterday morning that Yuen Lai
Lam had revisited the incident that he realized the repercussions of his
gaffe. He expressed a desire to offer a sincere apology to Yuen Lai Lam
and the other interviewees. He stated that he "had no intention of
arguing his case," acknowledging that he "often speaks without a filter
and says the wrong thing, often in an unseemly manner." He cited a
recent example from last weekend, where he posted careless remarks on
social media after watching the production WE ARE BORN GOOD; realizing
how inappropriate that was, he apologized repeatedly for his behavior.
However, the public remained unconvinced, harshly criticizing the
apology for relying on "wordplay" while failing to include the actual
words "I am sorry." Numerous industry figures, including award-winning
actress Yu Heung Ying, TV Best Actress Wu Hung Yi, Jace Chan Hoi Wing,
Kayan9896, and Kaki Sham, voiced their support for Angela. Yu Heung
Ying shared the lengthy post to back her, while another award-winning
actress, Liew Chi Yu, revealed in an interview that she had experienced
similar incidents. "I’ve encountered such situations frequently, both
while growing up and after entering the industry, though I cannot fully
articulate them in a few words, nor do I intend to cite specific
examples. I was deeply moved after reading Angela's post last night; I
am grateful to her for writing it so coherently and bravely. I hope
everyone reads the entire piece carefully, her intention was not to
stoke gender conflict, so please do not take her words out of context."
As the incident continued to unfold, Yuen Lai Lam issued another
statement emphasizing that neither she nor Chung Suet Ying would
publicly reveal the journalist's identity. She noted that within the
industry, a person's specific identity is less important than the issue
itself, and the aim of her post was not to expose the name for the sake
of public trial or to damage anyone's career. She received widespread
support, with many praising her for setting a positive example. Yuen
Lai Lam responded, "If I, possessing some degree of a platform, am
afraid to take action, what hope is there for the little girl hiding in
the corner?" She insisted she did not wish to be put on a pedestal,
describing herself as an ordinary young woman who also experiences
nervousness and internal struggle.
Jace Chan and Anson Lo Hon Ting (AL) attended a brand event in
Tsim Sha Tsui yesterday. The former is filming the Hong Kong version of
"LONG VACATION" and plays a couple with Anson Kong Ip Sang (AK). She
said, "There are some emotional scenes, but there are no intimate
scenes." Jace learned that Yuen Lai Lam had published a long article
online regarding sexual harassment in the workplace. She admitted that
it resonated and felt that Yuen Lai Lam did very well. "The article is
right, not to target someone but the entire culture; how can we do a
little better. Regarding gender and respect, we can add more
understanding and discussion. Actually many girls have had similar
(sexual harassment) experience, on which traditional education seems not
to have trained us how to handle. We ever worry that once spoken up,
would we be accused for 'thinking too much' or 'the problem is me'?"
Jace also had an unpleasant experience, "When I just started in
the business and worked on a movie, the photographer said, 'Raise the
camera high from an overhead shot', 'set up POV and see'. I would
directly reflect, 'Don't say that, it makes me feel comfortable'. He
immediately responded, 'Sorry, I didn't mean it'. I have run into
even more excessive incidents, including being touched on the hip or
chest, some disrespectful words. Sometimes I feel very scared, may not
dare to express immediately. Later I get mad at myself, and only know
how to walk away with a smile." She also said, "In similar
situations, not everyone know to express themselves. Thank you ladies
(Yuen Lai Lam and Chung Suet Ying) for bravely responding and setting a
good example." She encourages girls with similar issues to be brave
and express themselves. "No one should be afraid, we need to
communicate more in hopes of everyone having room for improvement."
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