Sometimes The Job Just Comes To You
Sunday Morning Post--Sunday June 3 2001

By Alan Lee Pictures   By May Tse

Did you ever think of a career in show business when you were at school?
Not really. At that time, I didn’t have any tangible plans for the future. All I wanted to have was a stable job and a decent salary. Later, I began to develop an interest in the performing arts, and was lucky to gain admission to the then newly opened Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. My interest had suddenly become my career.

At first, I didn’t take it quite seriously. Even during my first year in the academy I didn’t see it as my life-long career. Then my interest continued to grow and soon I become very dedicated. I remember I enrolled in this school at a time when I was desperate, so desperate because at that time I had poor exam results, and I didn’t know what to do.

I was just so grateful that they accepted me, otherwise I would never have finished my secondary school, and I could never have got into the academy, and I wouldn’t be here either. That was one of the major turning points in my life.

Which subjects did you like most when you were at school?
I enjoyed Chinese and physics, first of all because Chinese was the subject that I could handle best, and I also like reading Chinese poetry. It was a very enjoyable subject and I remember the topics that our textbook dealt with were very interesting. And it is our mother tongue.

When I was a child I was a science fiction fanatic. I was intoxicated by space adventure about space, and therefore physics was to my taste. Perhaps, at the time I had a burning curiosity about knowledge, especially things concerned with the forces of nature.

 And which were the subjects you dislike most? Why?
I hated chemistry most. I just couldn’t hate it more, with its thousands of complicated formulae to memorize and all those crazy terms. I  just felt completely overwhelmed. Even now I still don’t know what it was all about.

Of course, some might have found it a lot of fun, but in my case I just did not like it at all.

 How was life as school?
I would say life in school in those days was rather austere. Every day was almost the same. I went to school on the morning, then had lessons and lunch. I remember at that time there was a football court nearby, we would always go there to play football. 

We would play during lunch hours, and sweated like pigs. Then we returned to class, and would often play again after school. I actually didn’t have much spare preparing for the HKCEE and the Advanced Level Examination. And there was always lots of school work.

How would you compare school life in those days and school life nowadays?
Life was much simpler in those days. I think these days students are far more materialistic than we were identity as an individual.

Many of them are dying to have the recognition of their friends, and imitate whoever they think is cool. We seemed to put a lot more emphasis on individuality and self-realization. 

Young people in my time seemed to have stronger aspirations for the future.

 What’s behind your becoming chairman of your school’ alumni association?
About three months ago the principal, Mr. Chiu, gave me a ring and asked if I could take the post. Mr. Chiu used to be my Chinese teacher, which was, s I said, my favorite subject. He was actually a very dedicated and enlightened teacher. He taught me a lot and gave me a lot of encouragement. 

After I left school we kept in touch. Soon after he become principal he contacted me and raised his idea about setting up an alumni association. He said for the past 30 years our school had not had an alumni club, and perhaps we could start one now. I told him if there was anything I could do to help, I would always be available.

Did you do any summer jobs when you were in secondary school?
I was pretty busy struggling with my school work and the open exams at that time so I didn’t do any summer job. But I did do several summer jobs after I quit school. 

I worked in a factory, a trading company, and I also worked as a part-time tour guide in a travel agency. I often had to guide some one-day tours around Shenzhen.

Do you think today’s students are more concerned with material comforts than the mind and soul?
Life becomes more complicated every day; satisfaction was easier to achieve before because people seemed to have fewer desires.

For example, we would be very happy, say, having a good meal, or having a football game with friends in the afternoon. 

But today’s teenagers seem to have an endless appetite for things. It is  possessions they’re always thinking about. This minute they might be longing foe a new mobile phone, and the next minute they might be looking at a new TV game console. 

They often do part-time work just to buy a pair of cool basketball shoes. I certainly would be happy having a pair of flashy shoes, but I wouldn’t spend that much time on it.

What were your leisure time interests when you were school?
I used to be quite a boring person. I didn’t have many interests at that time. I just lived football and I spent most of my leisure time playing football with my buddies.

I also like chess. I was a member of my school’s chess club.

I wanted to be admitted to my school’s volleyball team; it was pretty well-know at the time. They didn’t let me in because they said I was too short.

What are you going to do in this next few months?
I have just finished my last season of sitcoms and I am taking a short break. Afterwards I will start shooting for my new movie. 

This year I hope I can finish my own screenplay and direct a movie, but I may be too busy. 

There is one thing firmly on my schedule-I’m going to play a part in a stage production at the end of this year. I can’t say much about this play right now because the script is still being written and casting is still in progress. 

Many teenagers aspire to a career in show business. Some even start before they finish secondary school. What is your advice to them?
I think everybody has the right to decide their own career. If you want to become an actor or singer, it’s better to start early, buy I do hope teenagers remain school at the same time they are acting or singing. An academic background is much more important than many teenagers could ever imagine.