How many 10 years does one have in a lifetime? This line is made famous by Chai Kau, Wayne Lai's character in Rosy Business. Wayne also lives by this statement. In his 24 years as an actor, Wayne has filmed over 100 drama series. His talents are noticed by producers and directors. Over the years, Wayne is given more and more challenging roles. These roles makes Wayne's life interesting; he is overwhelmed by the challenges and is excited at portraying them, but at the same time he feels miserable. There are even times when Wayne convinces himself not to take on such roles. However, after much consideration, Wayne continues on his acting career journey, similar to one trilling roller-coaster ride.
Wayne credit Producer Cheung Wa Biu as the person who triggers the confused feeling in him. "Producer Cheung gave me numerous challenging roles, and each time it gets tougher, for instance, The Gentle Crackdown II where I took on dual role with two different characters and followed by Rosy Business, a low-class and not a likable "Chai Kau", as if this role is specially crafted out for me by Cheung."
Wayne explains that the more challenging the role is, the more stressed he is about it. He feels pressured as people place high expectations on him. "I almost wanted to retire when I filmed The Gentle Crackdown II, and I told myself the role of "Chai Kau" will be my last series. At most I will eat less!! My son is growing up, and I am an ordinary person. This is the struggles of an actor. When acting gets tough, I would think, what’s the point of going on? But when there is nothing left to do, I would feel life is meaningless after all," Wayne says.
Recently, netizens have been busy discussing about "Chai Kau" in numerous online forums. Many says the character of "Chai Kau" is different from the traditional, typical lead male character. Chai Kau is neither righteous nor heroic. He is in fact a mysterious, petty, selfish person with streaks of inferiority complex. He draws a clear, visible line between love and hate and only has love for one person all his life - Po Kei (Shereen Tang's character).
The role of Po Kei, the fourth wife of rice tycoon, Tseung Kiu, is an equally challenging role. Shereen has also portrayed Po Kei accurately. Wayne brings life to the character of Chai Kau. To Wayne, Chai Kau is someone who lets character determines fate. The audience loves what Wayne adds to Chai Kau and appreciates teh complexities of Chai Kau.
Over the years, there are concerns that the current crop of TVB Siu Sangs are unable to replace the seniors in the industry, but Wayne attributes this to the changes in the whole TV industry in general.
Wayne explains that in the past, directors and actors are required to undergo one year of intensive training where they are given proper guidance from the perspective of an actor. But the younger generation artistes do not have intensive training anymore. They lack skills and yet there are no solutions to the problem. Wayne reveals in the current batch of TVB Siu Sangs, Raymond Lam, Ron Ng and Bosco Wong are the three with the most potential.
After working hard for 24 years, Wayne is starting to reap his rewards. He feels fortunate, "I am very thankful, for someone like me who does not like socializing much and still able to reap such good results, I will treasure every moment." Wayne also feels blessed to have a loving family, a supportive wife and son. He confessed that there were occasions when he argued with his wife. But when realisation sets in, he understands that a man and woman comes together for a reason - to complement each other. Wayne adds, "acting and maintaining a marriage are part of his life’s changing and learning process."
Source: Ming Pao with translations by choccho @ Asianfanatics.net
Pics Credit: TVB.com
