Shooting for A Great Way to Care 2 <仁心解碼II> has gotten Yoyo Mung (蒙嘉慧) to realize one thing – everyone is insane. “I’ve been having ‘psychiatric problems’ for as long as I could remember,” said Yoyo. “If I didn’t have them, how would I be able to survive in this circle? When we are faced with hurt, we tend to activate an automatic protective response to forget the pain.” Yoyo supported her claim with an example from A Great Way to Care 2, TVB’s medical drama on criminal psychiatry, which will premiere in Hong Kong this Monday, March 18. “There was one case that involved a child having to witness his parents’ death. He lost his ability to communicate with others due to the emotional trauma. “Whenever someone is hurt, their bodies will automatically adjust to a function that will allow them to forget the incident. It is out of self-protection. To survive in this entertainment circle, we all must learn a way to protect ourselves. This circle is surrounded with gossip and quarrels. There are often times when it is impossible for us to confront these problems.” Many artists, especially those in the Hong Kong entertainment circle, are often bombarded with media harassment. Entertainment executives are exceptionally harsh, unforgiving, and it definitely takes one with great courage and emotional quotient in order to reach success and excellence in the ever-changing entertainment industry. Yoyo considers herself to be lucky. She has struggled, but her days of adversity were not long-lasting. She did not receive many job offers when she debuted, but she was not unemployed. Yoyo’s lack of direction in her humdrum career was the main reason for emotional breakdown. The worrying became stress, and the stress excelled to depression. “When I was still a newcomer, I didn’t know anything. Always getting scolded, and always committing outtakes because the scolding made me very nervous. I was so wooden. I would be in a daze and get stage frights. At that time, I kept on thinking to myself – was I suitable to work in this industry? But that also worried me. If I didn’t have enough jobs, I would not be able to provide for my family. At the time, I genuinely thought about if I was really insane. When I wake up the next morning, I would get scared, worrying about what my next job would be. How come no one contacted me? I get worried… and then I get teary. Maybe I had a little depression.” Yoyo’s most difficult memory of her career struggles was when she almost went in debt. “At the time, I just graduated. I moved into a new home, which was still renovating, and I seriously injured myself in an accident. I had to be admitted to a hospital. I was faced with over $100,000 HKD of medical bills. Although I had insurance, I had to pay the bills beforehand. At the time, $100,000 HKD was a big burden to my bank account. What should I do? Borrow money from the bank? But that could be embarrassing and cause my family to worry. And that shouldn’t be a reason for me to re-mortgage my flat. Luckily, my credit statement’s turnover period saved me. My insurance money paid the bill.” Yoyo married her live-in boyfriend of seven years, Ekin Cheng (鄭伊健), in a simple wedding held into Tokyo, Japan, in January. The couple chose to wed in Tokyo because that was where they had their first vacation together. “I mentioned to him that it would be wonderful if we could hold our wedding in Japan. It would be a special memory, and he fulfilled it. That is Ekin. He promises me things, but he will not acknowledge that he remembers what I tell him. He remembers our promises. It is not until he fulfills them when I realize that he actually remembered every word I said. He is someone who believes that action speaks louder than words.” Yoyo did not feel as if her life has changed after becoming Mrs. Cheng. In fact, she prefers people to still refer to her as Ah Yo. “Nothing has really changed. Our address hasn’t changed. Our furniture hasn’t moved. The only difference is that I now wear an extra ring on my finger, and the ring is a little loose! I will only be wearing it for a little while.” Yoyo denied that A Great Way to Care 2 would be her last project in the showbiz. Although Yoyo chose not to renew her TVB artist contract, which expired in March, she assured that she is still in a good relationship with TVB and is looking forward to working with TVB again. “TVB is an organization I respect very much. They are the first station who hired me to film their dramas, and I am very thankful to them. If I read a script I like, I will definitely return. I told my manager to handle all aspects of my contract. I don’t want to be involved with it too much. For example, once you get attached to a certain style that you like, you wouldn’t want to have a change. If you learn how to let go and not give any input, you may eventually experience a new breakthrough. I used to be very strict in everything I do, but now, I will not be as stubborn.” In regards to rumors of Yoyo planning to sign into Ricky Wong’s (王維基) HKTV, Yoyo admitted that her manager is currently in talks with the station. “I am interested in working with different teams. As an actress, I just want to act. Acting is above everything. All that matters is that I can have a stage for me to perform. It doesn’t matter if it’s TVB, HKTV, or RTHK; I will consider all of them.” Creds: ihktv
