Made in Hong Kong – Maggie Cheung
I didn’t know Maggie Cheung having not worked with Maggie before.
So for this interview, I searched some websites to get to know her.
From the search, there were things such as “Maggie spokeswoman for chest enlargement pills,” “Maggie and Charmaine set the record straight at War and Beauty function,” “Maggie goes to court for driving offence,” “Rumour queen Maggie is rumoured to be on not so friendly terms with William Chang”….
Or that Maggie likes eating mangoes, drinking Iced Cappuccino, is short sighted left eye 1.75, right eye 1.50…..and similar information.
Nonsense! This is not knowing Maggie
To get to know someone is definitely not easy. Browsing websites and hearing others comments definitely does not mean understanding. This is especially so when it comes to understanding a celebrity. Like what Maggie said towards the end of our chat: “Its best that people do not know of your success, also its best if people do not know you have money. It takes a long time for me to understand someone and to trust them.” Correct! It takes time to understand someone, especially I Hong Kong. Everyone has a different take as to how to understand someone, and the definition of understanding is also different for your each person.
A provincial Canton maiden, Maggie went to boarding school in England at the age of 13, living there for 8 years. Having part Westernised personality, after returning to Hong Kong she was involved in the design profession, as well as the stock market, before entering the entertainment circle. In 1991, the record company organized for her to join 3 other girls of similar age to form the all girl group ‘Peanut Girls,’ releasing one record under this name. In 1994, she joined the Miss Hong Kong pageant and received the “Most Acting Potential” award, soon after signing with TVB. She received the Anniversary award for her role in King of Yesterday and Tomorrow, as well as “Most Memorable Character” for her role in Old Time Buddy. Recently, her role of On Sin in War and Beauty also gained popularity. She also had the lead role in To Live and To Love, a big budget Mainland production filmed in China. Maggie has obviously worked hard for these numerous gains. She roamed freely overseas in the past, but silently making a “Hong Kong Maggie Cheung.”
Hong Kong Actress
"You need strong perseverance to work as an actress in Hong Kong, and need to be frequently armed with weapons, as well as really knowing how to pick up opportunities. I think I have been rather lucky, at least I have had many opportunities, and able to seize the opportunities. There is nothing to talk about if there were no opportunities. Since the opportunity has come, you can’t wait to seize this or it will be something you will regret. Being an artist you need to go and learn, watching more foreign performances, like comedies, dramas, singing, or even be a host. Being an artist now requires you to know a lot so you can enrich yourself, and be able to come forward once an opportunity comes your way, this is a really important issue.
“My theory is going up is not difficult, but able to sustain a certain position is hard. Starting from scratch to now hasn’t been too hard for me. The difficulty is how to keep your standard, and sustaining a good result. The most difficult is allowing yourself to progress to that next step. But for an actress, apart from hard work, timing and luck is also really important. This has been my thinking that has not changed ever since entering the industry.”
“In the past I have work in design, and tried a few years in the stock market, and have sat for the exams and have a licence. I return and work there at anytime. But being an actress is fate, I didn’t work for it. Earlier I did sing, but when I participated in Miss Hong Kong I had no intentions, and smoothly entered the acting profession, having now worked for 10 years.”
Hong Kong Woman
“After having acted as many ancient characters, I have been able to experience the feudal laws of the past. A woman today requires freedom, and a woman without freedom is a very painful issue. In Hong Kong, Hong Kong woman can have some degree of freedom, but to enhance your own freedom, you need to be financially independent. Being financially independent can protect your freedom.
“Financial independence requires a lot of time, effort and thinking to get, giving up a little freedom before to gain the added freedom after. That is actual freedom. I think that is considerably worth it, there was also a considerable feeling of satisfaction and prosperity. Being able to protect this is actual freedom. Feelings are different, because you can’t control it. There may not be returns from the feelings you invest in. Others will see your work, the amount of gains results from the amount of effort.”
“Although I have had times when I was dismayed, and this was in relation to my work, and it was pressure from the media because I can’t control it. I will always say [If you invited me to act, I can do it for free. If you invite me to do something as a celebrity, I can’t do it for free.] Because I have to give up a lot of freedom, like I really hate myself when I say I am used to the paparazzi and Hong Kong media, because I really am not used to it.
“I really respect Fu Ming Xia, able to gain success on the Olympic arena, but overnight made a 180 degree transition and married someone, and became a housewife. I really look forward to the day when I can do this, cut off the issues at hand, and cook at home, take the children to school, and look after my husband. I hope that my life has a beginning and an end , and there can be a comparison, not wanting to be an actress but doing it to the end. But I also understand that this should come naturally and is up to God to decide. If he wants you to be an actress until you are 60, then you have to do it until you are 60, its not always you that can decide.”
Life in Hong Kong
“I am a very straight forward person, I will say what I think. For me, life is Hong Kong is very narrow. Hong Kongers are easily influenced by others. Maybe it’s the size of Hong Kong. Like if you see someone successfully doing something, you think you can also do this yourself and compare yourself to them. The work environment, family and friends circles are too close, and you will bump into someone at any time, in any place, able to know their whereabouts. So no matter if its good or bad, you will influence each other. Overseas is rather bigger, and people are rather individual.
“I think that the ideal lifestyle is where there is a balance of friends love and family love, and even the work mode requires some form of balance. Now there basically isn’t any time, no time for leisure, no time to see your family because of filming, only getting three or four hours sleep over two days, and continuing to act in front of the camera despite exhaustion. When one has reached a certain stage, they need some excitement in their life to balance themselves.
“I really want to go and experience nature, like dams. Hong Kong really lacks those expansive natural attractions. Even the harbour is filled with boats, and surrounded by skyscrapers. I like hiking, cycling, and connecting with nature. I really want to go on a Safari, then India, Tibet, where I can be close with nature, these are places where one should experience in your lifetime. I don’t want to go and enjoy these places when I’m too old to run. But Hong Kong had a moment which really touched me, and that was SARS. I deeply felt the unity between Hong Kongers. Together everyone experienced this tragedy, experienced the ups and downs, and experienced happiness and sadness in this valued experience.
Through this photo shoot and interview, I don’t know if I have understood Maggie. But from the photo shoot, and the study of the costumes, makeup, hairstyle and subjects etc, she is really a serious person and has demands on herself. Being an artist, she has respect. Being an interviewee, she has thought about how to answer each question. As the writer, I think I have progressed in my understanding of Maggie, and I will need more time and opportunities to increase my understanding. Worried that the writer is not an artist, the situation is the same. Everyone has a different take as to how to understand someone, and the definition of understanding is also different for your each person.
Image Credits: hoyee4u
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