Chilam Cheung’s (張智霖 ) Weibo blog rant on the errors made by the Triumph In the Skies 2 <衝上雲霄II> production assistants has set off a flame war. Left waiting on set for two hours due to scheduling errors, Chilam angrily blasted the production assistant’s ineptitude. Chilam’s angry remarks inflamed the online community, who criticized him for his intolerant attitude. Netizens left comments retaliating Chilam’s claims because they feel the responsibilities of production assistants are not easy; it is also understandable for new staff to make mistakes. They do not feel that Chilam should make such a ruckus on his blog. Many netizens also blasted Chilam for living a lavish lifestyle and not understanding the difficulties of a normal job. One netizen wrote, “Just because you are an actor does not mean that other people are of lower class and have to accommodate you all the time!” Many of them encouraged the production assistants to go on strike and that the producer should also take responsibility. When fellow costar Ron Ng (吳卓羲) was approached about the controversy, he said, “Chilam has a high EQ, so it probably happened more than once. However, production assistants also carry a lot of responsibility and stress in their jobs, so we need to be more understanding. If it were me, I would work with the production assistants to figure out a mutual solution.” Lawrence Ng (吳啟華), who will be returning to TVB in February to film a new series, also commented on the recent incident. He said, “I’ve come across new directors and new crew before. I admit that their lack of experience has led to more work for everyone. There is more tension and stress when filming a TVB series because the cast and crew don’t get enough rest. I also yelled at a crew member before because I was so burnt out. After calming down, I treated the crew member to dinner and apologized. I also made sure to change my ways so that we can all work together in peace.” Creds: Ming Pao
