Mingpao Weekly: Interview with Felix Wong (黃日華)

This particular article is actually old (from December 2010). The interview was done around the time "Gun Metal Grey" was airing. I had actually translated this article for AF back during that time, but for some reason, didn't think to post it on my blog -- since I've been in a nostalgic mood recently and have been chatting about the 5 Tigers with others on their blogs, I figured I would post this as a 'treat' for me and for my fellow 80s HK entertainment fanatics (LOL)!

Enjoy!!  :-)

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Mingpao Interview: Felix Wong does not chase after fame and fortune, chases after soccer balls

Original article published 12/12/2010
Source: Mingpao (reposted on TVB Channel)

Translated by llwy12

Picture credits as listed

Felix Wong – a 30 year veteran in the HK entertainment industry -- graduated from TVB’s Acting Class in 1980 and almost immediately took on the role of leading actor in TV series. He’s known for being a bit ‘explosive’ at times when it comes to his work, but that is because he takes his work seriously and has high expectations – in other words, Felix is merely trying to do his job well. Felix does not fight for any awards and actually feels that earning too much money is troublesome, so in terms of chasing after fame and fortune, there’s no need to include him – he is perfectly happy living a quiet, leisurely life doing what he loves best: ‘chasing balls’ on the soccer field. So then, what is it that has motivated Felix to film so many classic and memorable television series all these years? Felix replies: “Since I promised to do the job, I have to do it well! Actually, I don’t like this career (being an actor) at all and do not have an ‘acting addiction’ – to me, this is purely a ‘job’, but I still have to do it well!”

Even though he has been doing this ‘job’ for 30 years, Felix never mentions anything about having a passion for acting; instead, he claims that he only ‘loves’ soccer.

Felix: “After graduating from high school, I tried enrolling in the army, but was not successful, so I applied for TVB’s Acting Class. My personality is not a good fit for the entertainment industry, as I dislike being hypocritical and am not the type to ‘network’ or be sociable – I feel that trying to force myself to change in order to accommodate someone else is extremely painful. Even when my work became very difficult and exhausting, I never thought about giving up – I guess this is one of the attributes of those born in the 60s: willingness to endure hardship. I also don’t like changing to new environments, so if I had not entered the entertainment industry, I would probably be a soccer player. Luckily though, I was not drafted to any soccer teams back then because the career of a professional soccer player only lasts about 10 years, so it would have been hard for me to make the type of living that I did in order to have a good life now. I never did too well in school, however those from my generation who did do well in school may not have the same type of leisurely and carefree lifestyle that I have now either. In my opinion, those who are easily satisfied are the happiest.”

More Money = More Troubles

In the past 10 years, Felix has not ‘worked’ a whole lot and gave up on many opportunities to earn money. Why? Because he chose to allow himself to ‘slow down’.

Felix: “I worked very hard in the 1980s because at that time, I had a mortgage to pay; it wasn’t until I had accumulated a decent amount of savings and no longer had to worry about being burdened financially that I was able to choose for myself the life that I wanted to live. The amount of money that I earn from filming series in mainland China is several times greater than what I earn in Hong Kong, plus the filming schedule is already determined at the time the contract is signed, so it’s not as exhausting, however it would require me to be away from home for 4 to 6 months in the year, which won’t work for me. Filming in HK is more exhausting and difficult, but at least I’m able to go home to rest – that’s why I rejected a lot of opportunities to film series in mainland China. Even if it’s live stage performances in China, I try not to do too many either – though if I were willing to accept those job offers, I could have bought several houses already! Actually, my thought is that more money equals more troubles. A person needs to be able to pick up and let go – if the more you are willing to give up physically, the more you’ll eventually gain.” Though the opportunities to earn money are right in front of Felix, he doesn’t bother to pursue them. Even Felix’s assistant admits that when he arranges jobs for Felix, the primary ‘requirement’ is to ensure that the work does not affect his ‘Happy Wednesdays’, as that is the day that he has soccer practice with the HK Celebrity Soccer Team.


Teaches younger generation to build a solid foundation

Earlier, when Felix agreed to film the series 'Gun Metal Grey', he had to sacrifice his ‘Happy Wednesdays’ – now that the series has finished airing, Felix expresses that after not filming a TVB series for 9 years, this was a new experience for him.

Felix: “The artists I collaborated with in this series are all very hard-working and really threw themselves into their roles – it was a very happy experience. I didn’t put myself on a pedestal when interacting with the newer artists, but rather I chose to act as a role model for them by fully preparing my scenes before entering the studio. A newbie once asked for my opinion, saying that he has been in the industry for a year already but still has not encountered many opportunities for growth. I told him to look at artists such as Wayne Lai and Evergreen Mak – they worked for 20 plus years before they encountered such an opportunity. In this industry, a lot depends on fate as well as luck – there are even more older generation artists who never get such an opportunity in their entire lifetimes. Before trying to ‘stand out’ and be above everyone else, it’s necessary to first perform one’s own duties well; once that solid foundation is built, then the opportunities will come. I was one of the lucky few, as I entered the television industry during its golden era, so I was already playing the lead role in my very first series, 'The Lonely Hunter'. I was also most fortunate to encounter many seniors (older generation artists) who were willing to teach me.”

He continues: “In the past, filming series was really about working as a team and even though everyone spent most of the energy hard at work, emphasis was on team spirit. This time, when I returned to TVB, I felt that things have become more ‘systematic’ and no one dares to overstep their bounds. True, the company is physically ‘bigger’, but there is less of that family-like feel – luckily, I had already prepared myself emotionally for the ‘change’ in the work environment, so it was a matter of getting used to it. If TVB asked me to film another series, I’m willing to think about it – if it could be a comedy, that would be great, but most important is to be able to work with a group of colleagues who take their work seriously. My only ‘requirement’ would be to make sure I get good lighting so that I can look younger on screen and the audience can’t see the bags under my eyes…haha!”


Award ‘in the bag’ but ‘fell’ out

Felix’s performance in 'Gun Metal Grey' brought him a TV King nomination, but in the end, he lost out. Does he regret not winning any awards?

Felix: “The awards ceremony is merely a game and I already made it clear that I would not participate. The fact that the series itself garnered good feedback and word of mouth, I am already very happy; I don’t need awards. I’ve never been ‘lucky’ in terms of winning awards and I’ve already accepted this fact – I once had a good chance of winning an award, to the point of it being ‘in the bag’, but in the end, it ‘fell’ out. Back in 1997, during the first year of the anniversary awards, I was nominated for my role as Kiu Fung in 'The Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils 1997', the performance was not bad and the fighting scenes were done well – at the time, I thought that I had a pretty big chance at winning TV King, but in the end, I lost to Gallen Lo. It was the same with movies – I was nominated for Best Supporting Actor twice, but the first time I lost by one point to Anthony Wong and the second time, because I did not attend the Asian Film Festival, a Korean actor won instead. If you win an award, you still have to work and if you don’t win one, you’ll still get job opportunities – awards only bring fleeting happiness. If I was asked to film a series / movie for the purposes of winning an award, I definitely wouldn’t do it, as I don’t want the added pressure.”


Enjoy life and it will last longer

Slow down, enjoy life, and it will last longer. These are words of wisdom from Felix Wong.

Felix: “The amount of working I did in the first 20 years of my career is equivalent to 40 years worth of work for someone else, so I should be allowed to rest now, right? This industry is very weird – when I’m working hard, people advise me that I should slow down and rest, but then when I’m ‘resting’, people are endlessly asking me when I will be going back to work. Looks like the best thing to do is knead me together with Andy Lau, then redistribute, as he is quite the opposite – I’m constantly advising him to rest, but he always tells me it’s not exhausting and he likes working.”

Other than his Wednesday soccer practices and occasionally performing in mainland China, how else does Felix keep himself busy?

“Haha! I’m very busy! I ‘hang out’ at home playing video games, watching TV, gardening…also, there are 2 new ‘members’ of the family now, 2 dogs that I have to take care of. I also need to take my daughter to school and take care of some matters related to the Celebrity Soccer Team. Who says that I have a lot of free time? I’m also constantly re-watching my old series – recently, I re-watched 'The Lonely Hunter' as well as 'Legend of the Condor Heroes'. In doing so, I realized that back then, I didn’t know how to act at all! When I watch my performances from back then, I can’t help but laugh at myself!”

'The Lonely Hunter', 'Legend of the Condor Heroes', and 'Soldier of Fortune' are all classic TV series from the 80s, however many of those born in the 90s and after have never seen these series (including Felix’s daughter Zi-Ching). Asked for recommendations, Felix suggests re-watching 'Racking Peak', 'Looking Back in Anger', and 'Secret of the Heart', all series that he really likes. As for series from the 80s, he says that 'Soldier of Fortune' is definitely worth re-watching.

Felix is currently 49 years old – next year, he’ll be at the ‘half century’ mark (50 years old).

Felix: “Next year, I am going to change my name to『半百人』(‘half century person’) or『50人』(’50 person’). I don’t worry about age, as many people who are 50 or 60 years old are still quite healthy and energetic in today’s world. A fan once commented that ‘Felix Wong certainly looks like he has aged!’. Of course, it’s normal for me to look like I’ve aged, as I’m certainly not young anymore, unless I go get plastic surgery, then maybe I can still keep my face looking youthful. Hey, come to think about it…in the past, I never felt that I needed plastic surgery, but in recent years, I’ve been more accepting of it…perhaps I should go get surgery done for the bags under my eyes! Hahaha!!”


Good husband, good father

Felix Wong and former TVB actress Annie Leung married in 1988. Annie was Felix’s ‘first love’ – they dated for 8 years before getting married, so this year, they celebrate 30 years together. All these years, they’ve stood together to face life’s ups and downs and even to this day, Felix has never wavered in his determination to be a good husband and a good father.

Felix’s 20-year old daughter Zi-Ching is the beloved ‘pearl in his palm’ – he plays the part of chauffeur every day driving her to and from school. Ever the benevolent father, Felix even accompanied his daughter last year to meet her idol, Taiwanese boy band Lollipop-F – his great love for his daughter is obvious! As for his relationship with his wife Annie, some of HK’s gossip mags have used words such as ‘boring’, ‘dull’, and ‘each have their own fun’ to describe it.

Felix: “I love soccer and she loves Cantonese opera, so I guess you could say that we do have ‘our own fun’. However, recently, when we had personal gatherings with the GMG cast and crew, she participated as well. As for our marriage, it’s actually not ‘boring’ or ‘dull’ at all, rather, it has ascended to the highest level – being able to understand each other’s thoughts completely and having mutual respect and concern for each other, it has actually made our marriage even stronger. In the past 10 years, as I’ve reduced my workload, I’ve truly been able to enjoy our romance more; plus our daughter is grown up now and is dating, so my wife and I have more one-on-one time together. In the past, I would be working non-stop and any little free time I had would be spent sleeping. But now, I have the time to do the ‘ordinary’ activities that I never got a chance to do before, such as taking a stroll down the street with my wife, going to see a movie, going on vacations, etc. For me, being able to spend that time with my wife doing ‘ordinary’ things, it’s definitely a joy.”

Asked which places Felix likes to take his wife to for a nice dinner, he replied that there are a few places in Tsim Sha Tsui and Kowloon Tong that they go to often. Another ‘hot spot’ for them is the ‘BB Happy Restaurant, a small eatery in the Tai Po district – in fact, when asked where he wanted to do this interview, he picked this particular restaurant. As soon as he sat down at the restaurant, the owner already filled the table with all his favorite dishes and drinks (he didn’t even need to look at the menu)!


Three famous songs

Felix Wong and fellow actor Eddie Cheung are good friends and the 2 of them often perform in mainland China together in one of their famous ‘Fai Wong’ concerts [TN: ‘Fai’ is Eddie’s Chinese name Cheung Siu Fai and ‘Wong’ is of course Felix’s surname]. Every year, they do 20 to 30 shows and sometimes, they even travel outside of HK and China for their shows.

Felix: “It’s a pretty good living. We came up with the 'Fai Wong’ concerts thanks to Liza Wang – one time, she asked me why I don’t try going back to mainland China to perform onstage? I told her that my singing is really bad, but she said not to worry, as the fans won’t mind since I’m not a professional singer – she advised me to learn a few songs very well, then when I get on stage, perform the songs and play a couple games with the fans, and that’s it. So I learned to sing 2 of the themesongs from 'Legend of the Condor Heroes' as well as Liza’s classic song ‘Chinese People’; Eddie also has his own ‘specialty’ songs. For the past 6 years, no matter which event, we pretty much only perform these few songs, however the reaction from the audiences has always been very strong. Finally, I am able to experience the satisfaction that singers get when they receive applause and praise from the audiences.”

Though Felix and Eddie travel to mainland China often, Felix indicates that their wives don’t have to worry, as they don’t participate in any social events over there – in fact, they rarely go outside of their own hotel rooms.

Felix: When we’re performing in mainland China, the only 2 places that we go to are the performance location and the hotel – we refuse all parties and other social events, as it is easy to get in trouble when artists go to KTV places or bars. When we’re not performing, both Eddie and I choose to stay in our hotel rooms and do our own things – Eddie likes to have a cigar and some red wine, while I like listening to music and ‘playing’ Weibo. One time, it was really funny because we traveled to a very underdeveloped city in China and even though we stayed at one of the city’s best hotels, the condition was not too great and there were a lot of flies in the room. The hotel attendant gave me a fly swatter, so that day, my assistant and I played ‘swat the flies’ all day in my room!”


Addicted to Weibo

Felix is an admitted ‘Weibo fanatic’…in addition to ‘bursting out’ at TVB earlier on his Weibo, he also uses the platform to share the latest information about his life and career with more than 70,000 fans.

Felix: “I never thought that Weibo would be so far-reaching! With the ‘outburst’ situation, I was simply expressing what I felt was unfair from an audience’s perspective, didn’t realize the situation would spiral as big as it did. I’m a firm believer that if there’s sufficient evidence to back up a particular situation, it will gain attention and support. When I first started on Weibo, I thought it was merely a promotional platform for artists to interact with their fans, but turns out that it is a good communication tool – in the entertainment industry, artists don’t see each other often and even when we do get together face to face, it’s not always easy to open our mouths to express support for a certain person or situation. With Weibo, it brings us closer together and breaks down some of that awkwardness from a face to face encounter.”

Felix’s daughter is also on Weibo and is also one of his ‘Weibo fans’, however the 2 of them do not interact on-line. She said that she has already ‘followed’ him on Weibo, however Felix admits that he actually does not know his daughter’s Weibo screenname.

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Chinese Version

黃日華不追名利愛追波 微博玩上癮

在娛樂圈工作30年，於1980年無綫藝員訓練班畢業便當劇集男主角，他火爆是因為他對工作認真有要求；黃日華要做好呢份工。不爭獎又嫌錢太多好煩，追名逐利不要預他的份兒，樂得清閒在足球場上追波。支持他多年來拍攝了多部經典電視劇的動力從何而來？黃日華說﹕「答應了的工作一定要做好，其實我唔鍾意做呢行（演員），也沒有很大戲癮，只視為一份工，我就要做好呢份工！」

這份工做了30年，黃日華沒有說自己多熱愛演戲，他只愛踢波。

「中五畢業我投考南華青年軍失敗後才報名無綫藝員訓練班。我的性格不適合娛圈，不喜歡虛偽、打交道，強迫自己改變去遷就別人好痛苦。在工作最辛苦的階段我又未想過放棄，這是60後肯捱的特質；我又唔鍾意轉新環境，若我沒有入娛樂圈，我可能成為足球員。好彩當年未被選入足球隊，職業球員生涯只有10多年，好難掙到我現在的生活。我讀書唔叻，跟我同年代讀書叻的人也未必可以似我現在優游自在生活。人易滿足才會開心。」

「愈多錢愈多麻煩」

黃日華近10年的工作量不多，有錢唔掙，因為他選擇了讓自己放慢腳步。

「我最搏命搵錢是80年代，因為當時要供樓，直至有積蓄沒有經濟負擔，我可以選擇自己的生活。內地拍戲掙錢是香港的數倍，而且工時是簽約規定，故不辛苦，但要我離開香港4個月、半年便不可以。在香港拍戲更辛苦，但起碼可以回家休息，所以我推掉很多內地劇集。就算接內地登台的次數也不想太多，要是肯多接工作便多買幾層樓了。其實愈多錢便愈多麻煩。做人要拿得起放得低，有捨才有得。」有錢唔掙，華哥的助手為他接工作以不影響他的Happy Wednesday為原則，逢周三是明星足球隊練波的日子。

教後輩打穩基礎

早前黃日華接拍《刑警》也犧牲了他的踢波快樂時光，現在劇集也播完，9年沒有拍TVB劇集，今次讓他有新體驗。

「今次合作一班藝員也很勤力投入，是開心的。我沒有高高在上的跟新一輩相處，以身作則，做好準備才入廠。有新人問我意見，說入行一年也沒有發展機會。我叫他看黎耀祥、麥包，他們做了20多年才遇到機會。做這行一命二運，更多前輩是一世也沒有機會，想出人頭地前不如先做好本分，打穩基礎才有機會。我是少數幸運的，入行正值電視高峰期，第一部劇集《過客》便做主角。最好彩是初出道時遇到很多好前輩給我教導。」

「以前拍劇重團體精神，大家搏命工作，但今次返TVB的感覺是制度化後大家不敢越界。地方大了卻少了親切感，幸好我有心理準備工作環境變了，自己要適應。若果TVB再搵我拍劇，是可以考慮的，最好是喜劇，有一班工作認真的對手便好了；唯一要求是給我好的燈光，令我在熒幕上皮光肉滑，眼袋不太大。」

獎座入袋又跌走

《刑警》問鼎視帝落敗。未曾獲得獎項的榮譽是否遺憾？

「頒獎禮就是遊戲一場，我早聲明不參與的，劇集播映贏得口碑已開心，我不需要獎。我與獎無緣唯有認命，曾遇到有很大機會得獎的，獎座袋了入袋也跌出來。1997年首屆台慶頒獎禮，我在《天龍八部》演喬峰，文戲得、打戲又得，當時以為自己有機會做視帝，但最後輸給羅嘉良的李奇。電影也試過兩次競逐男配角，有次輸了一分給黃秋生，又一次亞太影展因沒有出席，讓韓國演員獲獎了。有獎一樣要工作，無獎一樣有機會，獎項帶來一陣子開心。若果要我拍一部要攞獎的戲，我不會接拍，只怕增壓力。」

享受生活命長久

放慢腳步享受生活，命都長啲，這是黃日華說的。

「入行前20年的工作量是別人做40年的時間，現在也要讓我休息吧。這圈子很奇怪，勤力工作的便有人勸應休息，我休息中卻不斷被追問何時再投入工作。將我跟劉德華搓揉再均分便最好，我經常勸他休息，但他說不辛苦，喜歡工作。」

除了逢周三的踢波日與偶然返內地演出，問華哥如何打發日子？

「我好忙o架！在家中hea，打機、睇電視、種花，最近家中多了兩個新成員，收養了兩隻狗也要照顧。我又要送女兒返學，與處理明星足球隊的會務，誰說我好得閒。我還不時翻看舊作，最近重溫了《過客》與《射鵰》，那時候不懂得演戲，現在看自己的演出也忍不住笑。」

《過客》、《射鵰》與《香城浪子》皆是80年代經典劇，但對「90後」，大部分也未看過，包括華哥的女兒。他強力推介要重溫的劇集是《馬場大亨》、《義不容情》與《天地豪情》皆是他喜歡的。80年代不得不看的是《香城浪子》。

華哥今年49歲，明年便半百（50歲）了。

「明年我會改藝名做 『半百人』或『50人』。我唔介意年紀多大，這年代50、60歲還是壯年。有影迷話歲月催人，黃日華老了！我年紀大了是正常的，除非我整容才保住年輕的樣子。話時話，以前我覺得不需要整容，近年已漸漸接受整容這件事，會考慮整一整眼袋……哈哈哈！」

好老公．好爸爸

黃日華與梁潔華1988年結婚，華女是他的初戀情人，「雙華戀」拍拖8年才結婚，相處了30年。這些年來兩人共同面對風浪，華哥要做好老公、好爸爸的角色從沒鬆懈過。

20歲的女兒芷晴是掌上明珠，每天由父親駕車送返學。去年他還陪女兒追星睇棒棒堂，這個廿四孝父親令人無話可說。但提到他跟太太梁潔華，兩人的生活被周刊形容為「各有各玩」、「平淡無味」。

「我愛踢波，她喜歡粵曲，確實是各有各玩；但最近我跟《刑警》同事聚會，她也有參與。我們的婚姻生活並不平淡，而是昇華到最高境界。互相意會對方的想法與關心，感覺是更鞏固的關係。」

「近10年我將工作量減少才享受到夫妻間的浪漫，女兒長大了，她要拍拖，我跟太太也有二人世界。以前不停工作，有空閒時間便睡覺。現在我有時間做以前未有機會做的事情，逛街、睇戲、去旅行是很平凡的節目，對我而言跟太太有這些活動是享受。」

問華哥跟太太的拍拖勝地在哪裏？他說﹕「我就是習慣了到尖沙嘴、九龍城與又一城食飯。」他們另一熱門蒲點是大美督的「BB開心棧」，正是他提議相約訪問的地點。華哥剛坐下未點菜，老闆娘已將他平日愛吃、喝的堆滿面前。街坊小菜館，沒燭光晚餐兼被蚊叮，他有老婆陪伴便感覺浪漫。

3曲走天涯

黃日華與張兆輝組成「輝黃」經常在內地開騷掙「人仔」，每年平均20至30場，所到的地方遠至海拉爾（近俄羅斯）與鴨綠江等。「山大斬埋有柴，都幾好掙。『輝黃』的組成多謝汪阿姐提點，有次她問我為何不返內地登台？我說因唱得太難聽。阿姐話粉絲不會介意，只要操練幾首歌、在台上玩遊戲便可以。我便專攻《射鵰》的《鐵血丹心》與《世間始終你好》，再加《中國人》；輝哥另有首本名曲。內地很多招商會活動，『輝黃』出馬皆是唱這幾首歌，6年來沒有變。我敢說劉德華在內地唱《中國人》的次數也不及我多。獨自登台時，我也是3曲走天涯。我們每次演出反應很熱烈，我也感受到做歌星獲歡呼支持的滿足感。」

華哥與張兆輝，在內地工作時與異性絕緣，所以沒有機會惹麻煩。

「我們在內地工作的活動範圍就是演出場地與酒店，謝絕額外的應酬。藝人在卡拉OK、夜店易惹麻煩。我們選擇在房間玩『鬥地主』，輝哥愛歎雪加、紅酒，我便聽歌、玩微博。有次到偏遠的地方，難得踏足大草原，我們才走出酒店範圍。最搞笑一次是到二、三線城市演出，住當地最好的酒店，但房間有很多烏蠅，服務員給我烏蠅拍，我便跟助手在房間玩拍烏蠅。」

微博玩上癮

黃日華是「微博瘋」，繼「噴火華」微博現身轟TVB不公平，他也經常向7萬多粉絲分享工作近況，生活感受。

「我意想不到微博威力咁勁，噴火事件我不過將旁觀者認為不公平的意見轉發，竟鬧到滿城風雨。我相信有理據的事情會獲得迴響與支持。當初開微博是認為這是跟粉絲接觸的宣傳平台，原來這也是溝通橋樑，大家娛樂圈中人不經常碰頭，就算面對面也不容易開口說支持！加油！的鼓勵說話。透過微博可以拉近距離，有次我看到巨星二幫的國峰隊長訴苦說不如意，我在網上找了一幅『發脾氣不如爭氣』的圖轉發給他。年輕人需要鼓勵，後來我在台慶亮燈遇見他，大家也傾了一陣子。」

女兒芷晴也是他的微博粉絲，父女卻沒有網上對談，女兒說已「關注」他，但他竟不知道女兒微博的名字。