Natalie Tong (唐詩詠) comes across as a girl who needs protection. Although boyfriend Amigo Chui (崔建邦) has allegedly cheated on her several times, Natalie always stood by her man, leading fans to think she is a weakling at heart. But the 32-year-old actress claims she is no meek lamb. Starting out as a model, Natalie embarked on her acting career the next year when she debuted in 2000′s Youth @Y2K <青春@Y2K> together with Shawn Yue (余文樂) and Charlene Choi (蔡卓妍). Natalie officially signed as a TVB artist in 2003. Younger Sister Roles Although she made consistent onscreen appearances, her roles were restricted to that of a younger sister because of her demure, good-girl image. It only changed in 2010 when Lee Tim Sing (李添勝) cast her in A Fistful of Stances <鐵馬尋橋>, in which Natalie won the Most Improved Female Artist Award. Natalie admitted that for the first few years, she felt hopeless playing the same role in every series. “I remember the first person to change my mindset was Power Chan (陳國邦). He taught me to reflect: Are the roles the same or am I the one who has never changed? As an actor, we should not complain how the roles are similar to past ones, but rather, think about how we can make the characters different.” With the advice Power gave her and the opportunity producer Lee Tim Sing provided, Natalie had a breakthrough in A Fistful of Stances. “Now that I’m older, I understand that a person’s success is not entirely her efforts; it is also the efforts of the mentors, friends and talented people around you. After so many years, Lee Tim Sing is my television talent scout while Louis Koo (古天樂) is my talent scout in the movie industry,” Natalie referred to her role opposite Louis in the upcoming movie, Inferno 3D <逃出生天3D>. In the movie, she plays Louis’ fiancée. Rumor had it that Louis fell for Natalie who closely resembled his former girlfriend, Natalie Wong (黃紀瑩), hence requesting Natalie to play opposite him in the movie. Natalie clarified, “It is true that Louis recommended me to the director. But the rumor is fake. So I’m not afraid of the gossip.” Not a Weakling in Love Natalie has been romantically linked to Amigo Chui for many years. Despite Amigo’s career slump and infidelity, Natalie had remained by his side. Fans felt indignant for Natalie whom they felt has been bullied by Amigo. But, Natalie felt her love life has been dramatized. “Actually how can outsiders know about the relationship between two people? Am I a weakling? No. Will we be lovers again? I dare not say. What I can say is that I’m 32 years old this year and the person has not appeared. If even there is, I hope it is not now. When I get married and have children, I will say bye bye to my career so please, Mr. Right don’t appear yet. I want to work hard for a few more years!” Effect of Her Mother’s Death Natalie’s mother’s death in 2009 has cast a dark shadow on her. After she was diagnosed with a heart disease, Natalie’s mother was left with only a few months to live. Natalie did not have any jobs at hand at that time, and was able to spend the last few months with her mother. She described the time when she chauffeured her mother to and from their home in Kowloon Tong to Aberdeen every day as the most blessed days of her life. Although it has been more than four years since her mother’s passing, Natalie still could not accept jobs related to Mother’s Day events, nor could she celebrate her birthday. Like Billy Crudup in The Big Fish, Natalie had not believed her mother when she revealed that she was a rich girl in Fuzhou. Only upon her death did she realize that her mother had been telling the truth all along. Natalie has not gotten over her mother’s death and still believes that she is by her side. Natalie would always carry a photo of her mother with her. The death of her mother also made Natalie realize her priorities in life. She values a complete family more than a perfect boyfriend or the TV Queen award. Creds: Face Magazine
