NEW ICON Issue #40 Month: December 2008 / January 2009 Note: * This is a journal penned down by a reporter during her interview with Fung at a studio. * Words in Bold: Fung A COOL LOOKING MAN WITH A SINCERE HEART When I first met Lam Fung, he gave me an impression that he is a cool and composed person, liken to someone who is from the affluent society, so cool that he seemed unapproachable. Based on the role as ‘Goon Ga Jai’, an undeniable fact is that he has risen to fame. This would be my second meeting with Lam Fung. In actual fact, he smiles a lot. It’s two totally different person and I was confused for awhile as to whether he is truly being himself. However, after spending 4 hours with him, I can tell you this: He is not pretentious at all. In fact, he is an affectionate person but give him a slice of your time, slowly but surely, you get to see the warm side of him. When we talk about Lam Fung, what do we talk about? Ten Years, he has come a long way It’s a known fact that Fung came from a well-to-do family, his father, a property developer tychoon, is known as “Xiamen’s Li Ka Shing”. [I was thinking : Even if he has the ‘siu-ye’ attitude, it’s understandable] As he stepped into the studio, he looked rather tired and he grimly greeted the studio crew and workers. After the make-up artist and hairstylist were done with him only did I muster the courage to approach him. When I approached him, his eyes were shut and when he heard me he suddenly had his eyes opened, he rolled his eyes, trying to stay awake and nodded his head and said : [Yes, you may ask me]. I looked at him, he was still looking tired. When I posed questions to him, I was especially careful and I went fairly slow with him. The freezingly cold air-conditioned studio suddenly became warm because of Fung’s deep unfathomable voice. Fung seems to be more noticeable over the last few years. It has been 10 years ever since he got his foot on the entertainment circle as a TV host until the present time, in acting and singing. Along the way, Fung did not seem to be spared from baffling rumours about what he has achieved today was purely owing to his relationship with the top executives in the company. But in my humble opinion, if he was given special treatment based on his family background and relationship with the company, why did he have to wait for 10 years? He is a man of few words, does not like making explanations and clarifications to the public to dismiss rumours as he thinks that the truth always stands. Besides luck, it is all his hard-work, persistence and his total commitment towards his job that has got him to where he is today. Fung: For the past 10 years, apart from the working experiences that I have gained, most importantly, I have learnt about the principles of life and how to be a better person. When I first entered the industry, I was just 18 years old, this is my first job. My learning experiences and my perspective about life that I still carry with me today were all imparted and taught to me by the people around me. Fung: I would consider myself to be rather lucky, even though there were times I was bouncing back from the ups and downs of life. I am very grateful that I have gotten to know a group of friends who supported and encouraged me during those challenging times. Acting, There Is No End to Learning From [A Step Into The Past – Chiu Pun/Yeng Zheng]; [Le Femme Desperado – Chai Fun]; [Heart of Greed – Cheng Leong] to the rating record breaking [Moonlight Resonance – Goon Ga Jai], I believe everyone has seen Lam Fung’s significant transformation in his acting skills. Which TV series would Fung think that he was given recognition and gained acceptance from? Fung: Everyone has different views and I have not thought about this, but I would like to know the audience/viewers’ opinion about each and every role that I play/played in each series. As for me personally, every series presents itself with a huge space for exploration and creativity, therefore, I put in loads of effort into every series given to me. With that, I am able to learn different things at different levels, for instance, with my collaborating partners, ways of portraying certain roles and so forth. When asked about what kind of roles that he would like to pull off, he answered assuredly : Fung: Whether it is my image or the role in the given series, I do not wish to be affixed with a certain image. As a matter of fact, being a TV actor, it’s very easy for us to unknowingly slip into the habitual generalization of acting because when we start filming a series, we film day and night, there is indeed very limited space for us to pause and ponder upon what we can do to explore further and to improvise. On the contrary, if I am to stumble upon different things with an aim to learn new things, I can work my brain out a little: for instance, if I can portray the same role in different series at different stages, I will certainly acquire different level of understanding and experience about the given role and hence, the outcome may also be different. I am able to accept the same role all over and over, but I will try to bring it out differently. In my opinion, if you wish to gain acceptance from the viewers, you must first grasp the main gist of the series, put all your heart and strength into it and you’d be amazed when you will finally succeed in drawing the viewers' attention. There are still a great deal for me to learn and grasp in this industry, needless to mention about the 10 years, give me another 100 years, perhaps I will never finish learning everything. There is no end to learning. As an actor, continuous self-learning and personal development are important, if we do not cultivate a learning attitude, we will be disconnected from the ever changing and advancing society. Undoubtedly, this statement made by Fung is a useful reminder for everyone at all levels. Goals – Let things take its own course Fung is not someone who thinks too far ahead. Fung: Whatever that I do, I will let things take its own course, letting it flow by its nature but once I have made a decision about certain things, I will persist on. I personally think that the disadvantage of setting a long-term goal would be if what we have set to do becomes unachievable due to some reasons, there will be a loss of motivation to move on. Setting short term goals and achieving them progressively will enable us to continually experience the sense of achievement and I believe our lives will be more fulfilled and happy. Fung has certainly gained much throughout the 10 years in the industry. I asked him if there is anything that that he has lost with time. He answered without much hesitation : Fung: I am trying to make up to the lost time-spent with my family members. My family members are currently residing in China and also due to business requirements, they travel frequently. I hope that I am able to spend more time with my family members. Singing – A Childhood Dream Fung’s healthy skin tone is very close to that of honey, no wonder he is now an ambassador for Nugeno Men Cool. He is full of spirit and energy, I wonder if he is an active and extroverted person by nature? Fung: I am an extremist. If I have no job in hand, I can stay home for 5 consecutive days. I love to stay home and laze around because home is the most secure and comfortable place to be. At the same time, I do love to be around people, sometimes I will hang out with friends, cruising out to the sea, swimming and playing basketball. With all these seemingly non-challenging questions, Fung started to loosen out quite a fair bit by now and he appeared to be more relaxed. Do not be deceived by his quiet disposition, he used to be an outgoing person during school days and university days, he led in choirs, swimming competition team and others. He started music lessons when he was in junior school and during summer breaks, he took up singing lessons, guitar lessons and even attended dancing classes. Has he ever thought that his childhood dream would one day become a reality? The fact is, yes, his childhood dream has become part of his career and life. Towards the end of November 2007, Fung officially embarked onto the music industry and released his first album. His voice left off a deep impression in the minds of the general public. This year, he released his 2nd album (Your Love), the subtheme song of Moonlight Resonance (Love Without Regret) and as you would expect of Fung, this song became a well-known song, sung by many. Before he left, I grab the opportunity to take a picture with him, he gave me a ‘V’ sign. All's well, ends well too. I will always remember Fung for his noble mannerisms and personality. You say Fung is cool and distant, I would say, he is an affectionate person but give him a slice of your time, slowly but surely, you get to see the warm side of him. Type: Magazine English Translation Translated by : Choccho @ asianfanatics.net
