With the rave reviews The Confidant <大太監> is generating, will Wayne Lai (黎耀祥) and Michelle Yim (米雪) bring home the coveted TV King and Queen awards next month? Audiences have already recognized Wayne and Michelle’s acting talents for many years, thus they will not think about the awards too much. They had enjoying portraying the challenging roles of Empress Dowager Cixi and Li Lianying, enjoying the acting exchange and tipping audiences of exciting scenes to watch in upcoming episodes of The Confidant. An Even Match Wayne compared his scenes with Michelle to playing table tennis. As they were volleying at each other, viewers will enjoy watching the match. As to who is the better of the two, Wayne said they are both as good. He said The Confidant is another masterpiece after Rosy Business <巾幗梟雄>. Michelle admires Wayne’s strong work ethic. Even when they were working overtime and suffered from lack of sleep, Wayne still held up his part without any display of temper. Wayne, in return, admires Michelle’s onscreen rendition of the empress, in which she conveyed her stern image effortlessly. Wayne found Michelle’s acting, costumes, and handling of her lines are simply outstanding. Michelle’s role in The Confidant called for a very solemn look. She reminded herself to limit her facial expressions, so she had to act with her eyes and tone of voice. She wanted people to fear her simply because of her presence. Although this is not her first time portraying Empress Dowager Cixi, there are significant differences compared to her other series, ATV’s The Rise and Fall of Qing Dynasty <滿清十三皇朝>, ranging from the costumes to her rendition of Cixi. To master the script, Michelle sacrificed much of her personal time including her Lunar New Year holidays, and began eating packed lunches instead of going out to eat, so that she could spend more time researching for the role. After boyfriend Wan Chi Keung (尹志強) succumbed to cancer a few years ago, Michelle has been spending most of her time on work, and the remaining time volunteering. As for the possibility of a future partner, Michelle said she is not young anymore and frankly is not optimistic about this. However, with so much going on in her life, she hardly considers herself being lonely. TV Awards Michelle picked Wayne as her favorite to win the TV King title for the third time. As for the TV Queen award, Michelle said there are many talented actresses, so she is already happy with a nomination. Wayne believes that this year’s voting process makes it harder to predict the outcome. “All in all, the awards are an encouragement to the artists. They also will draw more viewers to the series. The more the audiences are engaged in determining the award winners, the better it is for the industry. Based on the voting, the company can discover what the viewers prefer,” Wayne commented. Although Wayne has a large fan base, whether or not they will spend the time voting is another matter. Winner or not, he will take it easy. Wayne also said the competition will be very tough this year, as the potential nominees for TV King each possess their own unique personalities and fit their roles well, such as Raymond Lam (林峰) in Highs and Lows <雷霆掃毒>, and Moses Chan (陳豪) in Master of Play <心戰> and When Heaven Burns <天與地>. Wayne said, “If I were to play their roles, it may have turned into a disaster. As an actor, I enjoy the acting part of my job, and hope that the viewers will enjoy the results.” Wayne explained that the fortune that follows the awards really does not matter since most leading actors already command top fees. Wayne said, “Raymond Lam cannot raise his ticket price if he wins, right?” To Wayne, “It’s a game! So let’s have a party and have fun!” Recommended Scenes There are many memorable moments in The Confidant, so it was surprising that both Michelle and Wayne picked the same scene as their favorite. The scene describes how Lianying requests to leave the palace after being reprimanded by the Empress. Although she is unwilling, Cixi decides it is time to let go of Lianying. Before Lianying leaves the palace, the two enjoy a bicycle ride for one last time. It was an emotional farewell, illustrating the respect and admiration between the master and the servant. Creds: ihktv
