***SPOILERS*** The Confidant <大太監> is already more than halfway over, and despite reports of bloopers popping up in the series, the heavy favorite to win the Best Series Award is steam rolling along with impressive ratings and terrific reception. Wayne Lai (黎耀祥), who brilliantly portrays Li Lianying (李連英) in the series, is called unstoppable in winning his third Best Actor award. Wayne recently returned from Malaysia after completing filming of the movie, Hero of the Beggars <丐世英雄>. He is currently filming new drama, The Love Firm <傳愛事務所>. Amidst his busy schedule, Wayne continues to promote The Confidant in Hong Kong and China. Wayne said he has heard only praises for the series. He hopes the series can perform well at the Anniversary Awards in multiple categories, as the entire cast and crew did a wonderful job. Wayne Lai: “Overlook the Bloopers” When asked about the recent bloopers discovered by netizens, Wayne was a bit unhappy and annoyed. He asked viewers not to nitpick at every little thing, as everyone in the series has done their best. When asked if the reported endings of Empress Dowager Cixi (Michelle Yim 米雪) and Li Lianying will affect the viewers’ urge to keep watching, Wayne said this is not a suspense drama. Most can already predict the ending of the series, but they are watching how the characters are interpreted by the actors and actresses. Li Lianying’s Transformation More than half the episodes have been aired, and Li Lianying is still the nice eunuch in the series. So how did the kinder and gentler Lianying turn into the historic character? Wayne said An Dehei’s (Raymond Cho 曹永廉) execution will be Lianying’s first life changing event. After his best friend’s death, Lianying contemplates leaving the imperial palace. Wayne recommends audiences to watch his farewell scene with Cixi. He said “Michelle Yim did a superb job with her tears rolling down while maintaining a stern expression.” Wayne said the second event, which is also the reason why he preferred the sad ending, that changes Lianying life is the murder of Sin Yung (Nancy Wu 胡定欣). It will depict his favorite apprentice, Ling Tim Sau (Edwin Siu 蕭正楠), murdering Sin Yung, the love of Lianying’s life. This setback will accelerate Lianying’s transformation into a ruthless character like history describes. Although he enjoyed his portrayal of Lau Sing from No Regrets <巾幗梟雄之義海豪情> the most, Wayne said Lianying is among the top of his favorite roles. Looking forward to the Anniversary Awards ceremony, Wayne believes he has a 50 percent chance of winning the Best Actor award. He hopes viewers will cast their votes to show their support. “The voting system is like a survey. Many people think the ratings of a series is not a reflection of how good the actors and the actresses perform, so now it’s their chance to voice their opinions. In addition to whose acting they appreciate most, the audience’s votes will also tell the station what kind of dramas they want to see,” Wayne commented. When asked whether the Anniversary Awards are fixed (as stated in multiple media reports) and whether Raymond Lam’s (林峰) large fan base guarantees him the Best Actor award, Wayne joked and said that he found the rumors to be overly dramatic and even more exciting than the plot of some TV series. Wayne’s Picks for the Winners Wayne, like most of the viewers, is a big TV series fan. When asked for his predictions of this year’s award winners, he selected the following: Best Series – The Confidant Best Actor – Kenneth Ma (馬國明) in The Hippocratic Crush <On Call 36小時> Best Actress – Michelle Yim (米雪) in The Confidant <大太監> Best Supporting Actor – Power Chan in The Confidant Best Supporting Actress – Nancy Wu (胡定欣) in Gloves Come Off <拳王> Most Improved Male Artist – Edwin Siu (蕭正楠) Most Improved Female Artiste – Mandy Wong (黃智雯)
