Mingpao Weekly’s Special Tribute to So Hang Suen: Felix Wong and Michael Tao recount working with their ‘benevolent mother’

MP Weekly recently published a 2 part series (of articles) dedicated to veteran actress So Hang Suen (who passed away on June  ).  Suen Jeh (Sister Suen) was a great actress and definitely a favorite veteran of mine whom I grew up watching in the 80s and early 90s.   She was most famous for her ‘benevolent mother’ roles and rightfully so, as she portrayed the character so well that I would dare to say it was near perfection.  I, for one, remember majority of her motherly characters from many of TVB’s most classic series and to this day, I don’t feel that any other actress could have portrayed those roles as ‘perfectly’ as she did.  Even though Suen Jeh was known for her ‘benevolent mother’ roles, it doesn’t mean she wasn’t good at other roles – in reality, she excelled at every role she played and her superb acting always left a deep impression on audiences (even audiences like me who watched many of her series when I was only a child and probably didn’t even understand completely everything that went on) – the affinity that audiences felt with her were akin to that of a relative or close family member (yes, she was THAT GOOD in her acting).  Throughout the years, Suen Jeh always had a special place in my heart (as a lot of the veterans I grew up watching in the 80s did), so of course when I heard about her passing last month, I was absolutely devastated, especially since she was relatively ‘young’ too by today’s standards (she was 64 when she passed). 

Of course, in my opinion, each of Suen Jeh’s performances were superb and memorable, to the point that I feel listing out only a few of those roles here really doesn’t do justice to her illustrious career.  Therefore, I will let the article do the talking and through that, recount the memories I have of Suen Jeh’s great performances.

The below is part 2 of the tribute article that MP did – I decided to translate this part only because part 1 delves more into Suen Jeh’s early career, which audiences might be less familiar with.  Part 2 of the article is the one that actually starts with Suen Jeh’s career in the 80s and going into the 90s, which was truly the era where Suen Jeh had most of her representative works.

Of course, being a ‘fan’ of TVB’s older series from the 80s and 90s, I definitely enjoyed reading the below article – not only is it a fitting tribute to Suen Jeh told from the perspective of those who had the opportunity to work with her most (in terms of her onscreen ‘children’, Felix Wong and Michael Tao were definitely the ones who collaborated with her the most as far as I can remember), it also brings back many fond memories of some of TVB’s most classic series (i.e. Police Cadet, Looking Back in Anger, Files of Justice, Detective Investigation Files, etc.).  Just to show how ‘classic’ these series were -- I actually remember every scene from the above series that were described in the article as well as captioned in the pictures…..to the point that I actually had those particular scenes in my head as I was reading (I guess when you watch and re-watch those series as many times as I have, certain scenes start to become etched into memory….).

Anyway….once again, great ‘special feature’ article from Mingpao!  Hope that reading the article brings back the same fond memories of Suen Jeh and the mentioned series for you as it did for me!

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Mingpao Weekly’s Special Tribute to So Hang Suen:  Felix Wong and Michael Tao recount working with their ‘benevolent mother’

MingpaoWeekly Issue 2329

Translation:  llwy12

Entering the 1980s era, So Hang Suen (蘇杏璇) started taking on ‘motherly’ roles and almost every character she played was more than 10 years older than her real age.  Being the professional actress that she was, Suen Jeh took her work seriously and shined in each of her roles – however, she also made it part of her job to guide and support the younger artists she worked with.

Having played Suen Jeh’s son in 1983’s Legend of the Condor Heroes (射鵰英雄傳) as well as 1989’s Looking Back in Anger (義不容情), Felix Wong (黃日華) expressed:  “Suen Jeh would constantly ‘put money in my pocket’!   When people say that I acted well in those series, the credit should really be given to Suen Jeh and the rest of the senior actors I worked with!”

Looking Back in Anger has been hailed as one of the most outstanding series to come out of the 1980s era.  The series’ famous ‘open ending’-style final scene where a ‘mystery woman’ leaves a note for Felix’s character Ting Yau Kin in a chapel and wipes tears from his face has been a subject of ‘debate’ for more than 2 decades:  so was the ‘mystery woman’ truly Felix’s wife in the series Carina Lau (劉嘉玲), or was it his sister in the series, Carrie Ho (何嘉麗)?   Felix personally reveals the truth behind that much-talked about ending scene…

Helena Law doesn’t feel being ‘fierce’ is exhaustive; Felix Wong gladly endures being scolded

Most of us who grew up watching So Hang Suen in TV series during the 1980s era most likely share the same general misconception:  the thought that Suen Jeh must already be at least 50 years old – this was ‘reasonable’ given the motherly figures [with grown children] that she constantly portrayed onscreen.  With this ‘misconception’ in mind, in August 1988, [Mingpao’s reporter] was shocked to read a headline in the entertainment section of the local paper:  ‘So Hang Suen gives birth to a Dragon boy’.  With her mature, ‘benevolent mother with grown children’ image so deeply ingrained in our hearts, how is it possible that in real life, she had ‘just given birth’ for the first time?

When she was alive, Suen Jeh always used to laugh about the ‘misconception’ towards her age.  She would fondly recount how actress Maggie Cheung (張曼玉) once questioned her ‘early maturity’ while they were filming 1984’s Police Cadet (新紮師兄) together:  “Age-wise, I’m actually not that old -- at the time [while filming Police Cadet], I was only 32 years old.  Maggie and I were in the restroom together one day when she told me: ‘Suen Jeh, with your age, having you play Tony’s [Tony Leung (梁朝偉)] older sister is already a stretch!  How is it possible to play his mother?’  I told her: ‘As long as the end result that comes out is believable, then it’s fine.’”

For us audiences to have such a ‘misconception’ about Suen Jeh’s age and maturity is of course a testament to her superb acting skills – at the same time though, collaborating with other remarkable and talented artists is also a huge bonus.  In Police Cadet, Suen Jeh’s ability to establish her character Hui Chau Ping’s ‘status’ as the ultimate ‘benevolent mother’ can partly be attributed to being contrasted with her ‘love rival’ in the series, the ‘fierce second wife’ character Lee Lai Kuen played by Helena Law (羅蘭).  It’s actually a bit ironic because in real life, Helena is one of the nicest, most affable senior actresses you’ll ever meet – for her to play such a fierce character who does nothing but scold people all day, was it exhaustive?  “No, not exhaustive at all!  Actually, back then, practically all my roles were ‘noisy’ characters – like in Return of the Condor Heroes (神鵰俠侶) with the character of Kau Chin Chak, I also had to scream alot.” 

Suen Jeh and Helena had many opportunities to work together and so on a personal level, they became close friends, despite their opposite religious backgrounds (Helena is a devout Catholic while Suen Jeh is very dedicated to Buddhism).  Helena expressed that the difference in religions did not affect their friendship in any way:  “Actually, all religions guide people to be charitable, emphasize tolerance and forgiveness, love one another, don’t be stubborn and yell at people for no reason, etc.  Suen Jeh and I are very close – I remember one time when I visited her vegetarian restaurant, we even chatted until closing time!”

As the saying goes:  ‘A peony flower may be good in and of itself, but still requires its green leaves to support it.’  The ‘green leaf’ veteran artists in the past were very willing to mentor their juniors and did so happily in the hopes that these young ‘flowers’ would one day blossom and flourish.  A young Felix Wong – merely a ‘newbie’ at the time – had the privilege of receiving ‘mentorship’ from Suen Jeh as well as other senior artists back in the day:  “The seniors back then were very willing to guide and support newcomers!  To be honest, back when I filmed Legend of the Condor Heroes [TN: abbreviated LOTCH going forward], I basically didn’t have to do much – just listen to the seniors and I was all set!   Barbara Yung (翁美玲) actually excelled in this area [listening to the senior artists] – she was very smart and had high comprehension skills, so she was able to learn a lot from the seniors;  I was a lot slower in comparisons.”  But isn’t that exactly the type of ‘not very smart’ temperament that [his character in LOTCH] Kwok Jing should have?  In response, Felix laughed and expressed:  “Perhaps Uncle Tin Lam [the series’ producer Wong Tin Lam (王天林)] had seen me before and felt that I had the same ‘simplistic’ and ‘honest’ personality that Kwok Jing had, so he felt that it would be easier for me to grasp my character.”

In LOTCH, Suen Jeh played another character named ‘Ah Ping’ – this time, she played the role of Kwok Jing’s mother Lee Ping, which meant that she had a lot of scenes together with Felix:  “Our scenes together were more focused in the earlier half of the series when the story was about our lives in the desert.”  (Real filming in the desert?  That’s so expensive!)  “No, it was actually Lantau Island [in HK] – we filmed there for about 2 to 3 weeks.”   Since all the artists were usually very busy during filming and also outside of work, Felix would take advantage of rehearsal time to ‘do his homework’ [TN: get mentorship from the seniors]:  “Suen Jeh would always study the script diligently in advance, so she always had a very thorough understanding of the storyline, characters, relationship lines, etc.  Therefore, during rehearsals, she always asked us if there was anything we didn’t understand or needed help with.  The advice she usually gave me was to try not to be too ‘deliberate’ with my acting and also to work on my facial expressions.”  For artists who are slow learners and therefore might have a lot of NGs [aka outtakes], did they often get scolded by the seniors?  “Back then, being scolded was actually a good thing because when the senior artists scold you, they are actually ‘putting money in your pocket’.  Whenever a mistake was made, it would be addressed and rectified right away – it helped us to learn and improve quicker.  When filming LOTCH, I was actually scolded the most by Kenneth Tsang (曾江) – his standards were very high and if you weren’t able to meet them, he had no problem scolding: ‘Hey kid, can’t you do it any better?’  If the seniors are willing to scold you, that means they are willing to teach you!”

Felix recalls that back during his ‘newbie’ days, the hardest thing was restraining himself from bursting out in laughter, especially in front of such fun and playful seniors as Lau Dan (劉丹) and Chun Wong (秦煌) for example:  “During rehearsals, the seniors often don’t show their skills completely, instead, they wait until the cameras officially roll to come at you with full force, so for newbies like us, it was easy to get nervous and have a lot of outtakes.”  Back in 1981 when he filmed the series Come Rain, Come Shine (風雨晴), Felix set a new ‘personal record’ when he NG’ed 50 times straight in one scene – luckily, he hasn’t broken that record since:  “I remember that was a night scene that we were filming on location and I had to argue heatedly with someone in the scene.  At the time, I didn’t understand a thing about acting and also couldn’t articulate myself clearly, so I got really nervous – the more nervous I got, the more NGs I had.  The other artists present at the time were Kam Jeh [Lee Heung Kam (李香琴)], Uncle Sun [late veteran actor Wong Sun (黃新)], brother Shek Sau (石修), and Shirley Yim (雪梨)…they kept trying to calm me and encouraged me to slow down and not push myself so hard – unfortunately, I was a huge mess at the time.”

Almost did not get the part of ‘Ting Yau Kin’; the truth about Looking Back in Anger’s ‘mystery’ ending

8 years after LOTCH, Suen Jeh and Felix got the chance to continue their mother/son relationship in the series Looking Back in Anger [TN: abbreviated LBIA going forward] – however, truth be told, this ‘affinity’ almost didn’t happen.  Suen Jeh once revealed that she had thought about turning down the series:  “I definitely have to thank Felix and [producer] Wai Ka Fai!  At the time, I had just given birth to my eldest son and was already back at work filming another series when I was invited to film LBIA– I didn’t know if I’d be able to handle both series, so I thought about turning it down.  Then one day, Felix came to the makeup room and told me ‘Suen Jeh, if you’re not going to film it, then I won’t either!’” 

Asked about this, Felix’s memory of the situation started to come back:  “Now that you mention it, the memory is coming back….yes, when I first heard Wai Ka Fai read me the plot summary, I had felt that Suen Jeh was perfect for the role of ‘Auntie Wan’.  To tell you the truth though, I actually almost didn’t get to play the role of ‘Ting Yau Kin’ either.  At the time, TVB’s higher ups didn’t want to use me because earlier in 1987, I had already expressed to them that I wouldn’t be renewing my contract once it expired in 1990.  It was Wai Ka Fai who insisted on using me – he told the bosses that if he can’t cast Felix Wong in the series, then he’s not going to produce the series…the higher ups had no choice but to give in.”

Unlike the later trend of ‘flying paper’ scripts, LBIA actually had a 100% complete script ready prior to filming – as soon as Felix read through the script, he already knew that this would be a great series:  “Receiving such an awesome script in your hands, of course you will naturally want to pour in all your effort to do a great job!  There were a lot of intense scenes that we had to film and it definitely took its toll both physically and mentally – I would get headaches every day from the lack of sleep due to the intensity of filming.”  Felix had already taken up the habit of smoking back then and with the hectic filming schedules and lack of sleep, he admits that smoking helped keep him more awake and alert:  “Whenever I felt exhausted, I would go have a cigarette or two with Carina and immediately would feel better!”  Back then, Suen Jeh would often encourage Felix to quit smoking and adopt healthier eating habits:  “Aiye…I wanted to [quit smoking], but it was easier said than done!  Suen Jeh also constantly reminded me that not everyone is as lucky as I am with the opportunities I had gotten and so I should value them and work even harder – this advice has been engraved in my heart!”

With such a highly acclaimed series, there are bound to be many memorable scenes.  One particular segment that touched Felix the most was the scene that talked about how Ting Yau Kin (Felix), Ngai Chor Kwan (Carina Lau), and Yeung Pak Cho (Gilbert Lam) were asked to film a special program for a TV station because the 3 of them happened to be born on exactly the same date – in that scene, Ting Yau Kin ends up crying because he had just lost 2 jobs and was under a lot of stress:  “That segment was filmed halfway through the series – by that time, I was already very familiar with the character of ‘Ting Yau Kin’, so even though the scene involved several pages of dialogue, it didn’t take too much time to film.  After we successfully finished filming that segment, everyone in the studio clapped.”  Looking out into the crowd after filming that scene, Felix noticed someone standing there who wasn’t part of the LBIA production team:  “That night, Paul Chun (秦沛) was filming next door and when he heard that I would be filming this particular scene, he especially came over to watch – I didn’t know he was there until after I had finished that scene.  When he saw me, he gave me a thumbs up – for me, getting praise from seniors is especially gratifying.”

For LBIA’s ending, producer Wai Ka Fai chose to utilize an ‘open-ending’ style – in the final scene, Ting Yau Kin waits for his beloved wife Chor Kwan to return to the chapel to fulfill their 10 year reunion promise; after he falls asleep, a ‘mystery woman’ walks in, wipes tears from his face, and leaves a note with the simple words ‘Kwan is [already] dead, please forget [her]’.  Over the years, there has been much ‘debate’ over the identity of the ‘mystery woman’ in the ending scene – it has been said that the woman is Ting Yau Kin’s sister Chan Siu Ling (played by Carrie Ho), however the woman’s legs in the scene closely resembled Carina’s.  Towards this, Felix laughed and revealed that the script itself actually did not specify who the ‘mystery woman’ was:  “The script did not state who the woman was – perhaps they wanted to maintain a sense of mystery.  However, I did ask the producer (Wai Ka Fai) later on about the identity of the ‘mystery’ woman – was she my wife Chor Kwan (Carina) or my sister Siu Ling (Carrie)?  He very clearly responded:  ‘She [the mystery woman] was truly your sister (Siu Ling), as Ah Kwan had already died.’”  But a ‘question’ still remained – Carrie Ho has a petite, smaller stature and judging by the size and shape of the woman’s legs in that scene, it didn’t look like her at all….Felix goes on to reveal ‘the truth’ behind that scene:  “Carina was actually the one who filmed that scene – those legs are hers!  At the time, both the director and producer felt that Carina’s legs were prettier, so they had her film it, since the face isn’t shown anyway -- besides, the ‘illusionary’ feeling of that scene would give audiences something to talk about.”  [TN:  Haha…smart move!  The ending scene to LBIA has been a topic of discussion for the past 25 years!]

A ‘serious’ actress with ‘zero’ outtakes

A similar ‘benevolent mother’ character can have a different ‘feel’ to it.  In 1992, So Hang Suen participated in the lawyer-themed series Files of Justice (壹號皇庭) [which later went on to became a popular 5 installment franchise].  In the series, Suen Jeh plays a famed barrister who also happened to be a benevolent single mother with 2 grown children played by Michael Tao (陶大宇) and Eugenia Lau (劉美娟).  “[The series producer] Gary Tang (鄧特希) took a less ‘deliberate’ approach when it came to describing the family relationships – for example, it’s known that we didn’t have a father, but doesn’t go into detail on our background and such.”   Michael Tao’s memory of Suen Jeh is that of a very serious, strict, and highly revered senior actress – when she was present, no one dared to fool around:  “We were a fun-loving bunch who liked to play and joke around a lot, but whenever Suen Jeh was present, we didn’t dare mess around – it wasn’t until Suen Jeh took the initiative to joke with us that we dared to joke back.  Later on though, I think the chemistry of the team started to rub off on her, as she started joking with us more.  Suen Jeh isn’t one of those rigid, inflexible artists who wants things done only one way – she’s very flexible and willing to adjust her acting style based on the environment she is in and the atmosphere.  She’s a serious actress, but not inflexible.”  After thinking some more, Michael added:  “I’m not exaggerating – as far as I remember, Suen Jeh rarely has outtakes...my feeling is that she has zero outtakes!”

When he heard the news of Suen Jeh’s passing, Michael expressed that the memories of their experience filming together immediately came back into his mind – the various scenes that they had together all started to reappear:  “There was a scene where I had just gotten into an argument with my girlfriend in the series [played by Iwanbeo Leung (梁婉靜)] and so she ran off to Singapore to avoid me, leaving me behind in HK debating whether I should go find her.  Gary Tang wrote a lot of dialogue between Suen Jeh and myself in that scene and even though it was obvious that the scene focused on my character and Suen Jeh’s character wouldn’t have much development, she still put more than her best effort into that scene and helped me finish that scene comfortably.  It also gave audiences a good feel toward our mother/son relationship in the series.  Suen Jeh was truly a great actress!”

After Files of Justice, the next series  that Suen Jeh and Michael collaborated in was Detective Investigation Files (刑事偵緝檔案) – except in that series, they no longer played mother and son:  “She played Kenix Kwok’s (郭可盈) mother in the series and because the background of her character is that her husband used to be a cop who died in the line of duty, she was very opposed to my character (a cop) dating her daughter.  As a professional actress, Suen Jeh was very much into her character at the time and ‘hated’ my character to the point that even after the cameras stopped rolling, she would still react coldly towards me as though she was mad at me.”  In one particular scene, Michael, Kenix, and Suen Jeh had to work together on a case that involved pulling back a metal screen and breaking open the door to get inside a house – Michael was so much into the scene that he accidentally hurt his finger when pulling open the screen.  When Suen Jeh saw what happened, she immediately scolded him for not being careful and injuring himself – towards this, Michael didn’t get angry at all:  “To others, it might seem like I got hurt and she’s still scolding me, but I know that she did it out of concern for me, she just expresses it in a different way.”

One time, Michael and Bobby AuYeung (歐陽震華) visited Suen Jeh at her vegetarian restaurant and her reaction left a deep impression on them:  “Bobby and I went there to eat as a way to silently support Suen Jeh – we weren’t expecting any special treatment or anything.  Without mentioning it, Suen Jeh seemed to already understand us -- when she saw us, she greeted us and showed us to our table, then continued to go about her business.”  This special relationship that they had will always remain in Michael’s heart:  “Suen Jeh was truly a great teacher and senior – in her presence, I will forever be a little kid.”

Oriental Daily Interview with Felix Wong [Part 2]: Felix’s personality similar to ‘Kwok Jing’

Here's part 2 of Felix's interview with Oriental Daily...

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Oriental Daily Interview with Felix Wong [Part 2]:    Felix’s personality similar to ‘Kwok Jing’

Source:  Oriental Daily

Translation:  llwy12

In the 1980s, Felix Wong left a deep impression on audiences with his role as ‘Kwok Jing’ in the 1983 version of Legend of the Condor Heroes 《射鵰英雄傳》– many of his other works, such as The Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils 《天龍八部》 (80s and 90s versions), Looking Back in Anger《義不容情》, Racing Peak 《馬場大亨》, etc. also became ‘classics’. Though Felix achieved fame and fortune as a result of those ‘classics’, all of that came at a ‘price’, in the form of blood, sweat, and tears.


Felix Wong reveals some of the hardships he endured filming series for TVB back in the days, including the time when he did not get to sleep for 7 days straight and eventually fell ill.


*** Felix speaks:

Back when we filmed Legend of the Condor Heroes, director [producer] Wong Tin Lam (王天林) [TN: Wong Jing’s father] was the one who specifically cast me for the role [of ‘Kwok Jing’] -- when he first saw me, he said: “You have an honest face – that’s good…the character suits you!” Thinking back now, I actually do feel that I resembled ‘Kwok Jing’ in terms of personality: we were both blunt, simple-minded, and hard working!

Filming series back then was truly very exhausting! We didn’t have assistants following us around back then so we pretty much had to do everything ourselves. The worst experience I had was having to film for 7 days and 7 nights straight without any sleep – every day, all I could think about was when I’d be able to get off work! With that type of lifestyle, how would we even be able to think clearly?


Overjoyed at getting the chance to rest

Actually, I wasn’t the only one who had that type of crazy schedule – back then, a lot of siu sangs had to film 6 to 7 series a year….plus we had less than 10 days of vacation each year. Looking back now, it was pretty amazing – don’t know how we managed to pull through! I did that for 3 years straight and then finally, one day, I couldn’t take it anymore – while filming, I suddenly fell ill and broke out in a sweat…after getting checked at the hospital, it was confirmed that I had developed hepatitis and so needed to take 18 days off from work to rest. Wah! I was so happy! Finally, I got the chance to rest!


Envious of Michael Miu getting to earn ‘extra’ money outside

Even though back then, work was very exhausting and I had to endure a lot of hardship, I never thought about complaining to the company – I just knew that I had to continue filming…because I understood that each day I got to work meant that I was earning money. You might not believe it, but when I first became a ‘siu sang’ [lead actor], my pay was only 1200 HKD a month – even at the height of popularity, my pay was only 3000 HKD a month….I made less than when I was a ‘ke le fe’! [extras/minor non-speaking roles]. Plus, filming series was very time-consuming, so there really was no way for us to go out and earn extra money [through stage performances and such]. Seeing other artists such as Dodo Jeh [Dodo Cheng鄭裕玲], Fat Gor [Chow Yun Fat周潤發], Ah Miu [Michael Miu苗僑偉] getting the chance to earn extra money outside, I was truly very envious….but in all honesty, I can’t say that the company [TVB] was ‘inhumane’ – I can only blame myself for not knowing how to fight for things. Thinking back now, I do feel that I was pretty foolish!

Oriental Daily Interview with Felix Wong (黃日華) -- PART 1

For those of you who, like me, can never get enough of 80s/90s TVB nostalgia…well, I’ve got some great news: Oriental Daily did an interview with Felix Wong recently and the interview is being published as a 5-parter this week. Of course I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to post about Felix and the 5 Tigers (LOL), so no doubt that I will be ‘following’ this interview the entire week and posting up the translations as they come out!


Here’s the first of the interviews (which was published this past Sunday), along with some supplemental commentary that Oriental Daily also published about Felix’s series.

Enjoy!

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Oriental Daily Interview with Felix Wong [Part 1]: “I was never mad at Tony [Leung]!”

Source:  Oriental Daily -- PART 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d

Translation:  llwy12

The HK television industry of the 1980s was full of talented artists – that was also the era that brought us TVB’s 5 Tigers: Felix Wong (黃日華), Tony Leung (梁朝偉), Michael Miu (苗僑偉), Kent Tong (湯鎮業), and Andy Lau (劉德華). Despite being promoted together, all 5 siu sangs had different personalities and ended up going down different paths, both in life and career. A few years ago, when the Tigers reunited to film a movie, Tony Leung was not part of the group, leading to rumors that the ‘brothers’ relationship had ruptured and media speculation that perhaps Tony was the cause.

For the next 5 days, during our an interview with Oriental Daily, Felix Wong will talk about the various trials and tribulations behind the 5 Tiger relationship. In addition, he will also speak candidly about the marriage ‘crisis’ he and his wife had experienced, his path to fame as well as how his life was like working for TVB back in the 80s.


** Felix speaks:

Back then, TVB was going through a ‘poaching’ crisis and the company lost quite a few siu sangs – therefore, they decided to push the newer siu sangs up to take their place. The strategy was to take the current popular siu sangs with the most potential and put them together – I was picked as one of those to be promoted, along with Michael [Miu], Kent [Tong], Tony [Leung], etc. Actually, at the time, the 5 of us had never officially worked together – our first collaboration was in a charity event in 1982 where we performed various stunts together. Since there was some difficulty to the stunts that we had to do, we all practiced together for close to 2 months – we saw each other practically day and night at the time, so that’s how we become more familiar with one another. To be honest, we never really spent a whole lot of time together outside of those 2 months – once the charity event was over, we pretty much only saw each other in the makeup room, though our relationship overall remained pretty good. You might not believe it, but all these years, the only TV series that all 5 of us collaborated in was The Yang’s Saga《楊家將》.


Kent Tong was known for being the most good-looking one

Over the years, I know there have been a lot of rumors surrounding the 5 Tigers. One of the rumors was that our relationship with Tony was ‘ruptured’ because he was rarely seen together in public with us. To tell you the truth, back when we [the Tigers] were at the height of our popularity, there truly were a lot of ‘crises’ that we had to endure. At the time [back in 1984], TVB wanted all of their artists to sign a long 5 year contract with them, however quite a few artists had already started movie careers outside of TVB – in order not to be tied down, we had once discussed among ourselves about not signing the contract. One day, we suddenly received word that Tony had already signed the [5 year] contract – of course we were shocked because we didn’t understand what was going on at the time, however I wouldn’t say that we felt ‘betrayed’ because everyone has the right to pursue a career path that works best for them. Besides, it’s not like we had actually come to an agreement not to sign – it was just something we had lightly talked about, so of course we wouldn’t be mad at Tony [for signing].

Michael and I were classmates in the same year Acting Class and since we pretty much ‘grew up’ together, our relationship is especially close. Kent is actually considered our ‘senior’, since he graduated from the Acting Class right before ours, however we were still able to get along pretty well – amongst us Tigers, Kent was known for being the most good-looking one. As for Tony, he truly was the most reclusive one in the group – he didn’t like to talk much and in fact, he could actually go an entire day without saying a word! We once tried to ‘influence’ him and get him to talk more – it worked for awhile, but he very quickly went back to his old ways again.


Tony likes to stay at home, turns down socializing opportunities

Even though he likes to be silent, Tony truly does take his work very seriously. As soon as he starts working, he is 100% focused on what he is doing and doesn’t play around, though he does sometimes have a brief conversation with those he’s working with on a particular scene. Even after work, Tony is the type who leaves quickly and doesn’t participate in any social activities -- he has his own little world. Every time we invite him to go out, even if we get Michael to ask him, Tony’s answer is always the same: “No, you guys go play, I’m going to head home.”


Informed about Barbara Yung’s death, Felix’s initial reaction was: “Stop playing!”

Back when we filmed Legend of the Condor Heroes《射鵰英雄傳》together, Barbara Yung (翁美玲) was actually a newbie at the time. I feel that she was a very smart woman who took her work seriously, worked hard, and had good relationships with each of her colleagues – she got along well with pretty much everyone. Even though I knew that she and Kent were dating, we actually didn’t see each other often because I was very busy with work. Later on, I remember very clearly that I was on vacation in Malaysia one day when a colleague called to tell me that Barbara had passed away – I couldn’t believe it and even told the colleague: “Stop playing!” However, after I found out it was true, I immediately cancelled the rest of my vacation and rushed back to HK to help with pall bearing responsibilities [at the funeral].


Carina Lau would have been crowned TV Queen

During his tenure at TVB, Felix had collaborated with many of the station’s most popular leading actresses -- his collaboration with Carina Lau (劉嘉玲) in 1989’s Looking Back in Anger《義不容情》 is considered a ‘classic’ in the TV industry. Speaking of his ‘old partner’, Felix laughed and stated: “Her character was a pretty big challenge, as she went from being a willful rich girl to a mature woman who was willing to give up the person she loved to someone else. As the filming went on, Carina threw herself more and more into her character. If there was such a thing as the TV Queen award back then, she would have gotten it for sure!

As for his co-star in 1995’s Racing Peak《馬場大亨》, actress Amy Chan (陳秀雯), Felix indicated that their collaboration was a very happy one. In the series, Amy’s character was quite ‘extreme’, as she not only smoked, drank, and had a gambling habit, she also was money-crazy – even Amy herself said that her performance back then was so ‘borderline’ that she wouldn’t let her son watch the series. In any case, Felix and Amy had great chemistry in the series and both had fun filming it.

It is known that Felix likes to help out newcomers by giving them advice on acting. Back when he filmed the series Time Off 《生命有take 2》 [produced in 1998, aired in 2000], lead actress Charmaine Sheh (佘詩曼) was a newbie who had just come out of the Miss HK pageant. Having to take on a lead role with little to no acting experience, Charmaine was under a lot of pressure – at the time, she didn’t even understand how the camera positions worked. Seeing this, Felix gave Charmaine some acting tips and advice. Even though later on, Charmaine herself said that her performance [in that series] was not up to standard, Felix felt that she did okay: “For a newbie, her performance wasn’t bad – she was able to pick up on things fairly quickly!”


Felix chooses his favorite performances

Felix Wong achieved fame during the TV industry’s ‘golden era’ and throughout that time, he participated in many popular classics. Out of all the series that he had filmed in his career, there are 4 that he views as his most satisfactory performances:

.—Soldier of Fortune《香城浪子》: In the series, Felix portrays Wai Lok, a rascal of sorts who grew up in a shady part of town but ends up developing a relationship with a wealthy heiress played by Patricia Chong (莊靜而). His character’s catchphrase in the series (吹乒乓) became one of the most popular phrases amongst audiences at the time. Felix’s meticulous performance in that series helped to secure his ‘first-line siu sang’ position at the time.

.—Legend of the Condor Heroes《射鵰英雄傳》: Felix Wong and Barbara Yung’s portrayal of Kwok Jing and Wong Yung was extremely well-received by audiences and still considered ‘classic’ even today. Felix’s portrayal of the overly honest yet extremely righteous Kwok Jing brought the character to life and made him a household name with audiences.

.—Looking Back in Anger《義不容情》: Felix Wong and Deric Wan’s (溫兆倫) portrayal of two brothers with a conflicted relationship who end up becoming enemies proved to be breakthrough roles for both actors, whose popularity quickly rose back when the series aired. With his performance, Felix’s skill as a ‘talent-path’ actor was finally established.

.—Racing Peak《馬場大亨》: This series paired 2 strong actors Felix Wong and Amy Chan together as a married couple and under the leadership of series producer Wai Ka Fai (韋家輝), their pairing proved to have great chemistry. Felix’s convincing portrayal of the main character’s ‘rags to riches’ story as well as his eccentric personality in the series both left deep impressions on audiences.

ND Daily’s exclusive interview with Barbara Yung’s ex-boyfriend Rob: “She is a person who is willing to give up everything for love

Here's a very interesting and touching interview that Barbara Yung's ex-boyfriend from Holland did for ND Daily. There's actually a part 2 to this post (see Translator's Notes at the end of this post), which I will be posting up later on. Meanwhile, hope that this interview gives everyone more insight into Barbara as a person.

*****

ND Daily’s exclusive interview with Barbara Yung’s ex-boyfriend Rob:  “She is a person who is willing to give up everything for love”

Source: Nan Do Daily News

Translation: llwy12

Earlier this month (June), Rob – the ex-boyfriend of late actress Barbara Yung (翁美玲) – suddenly became a popular search topic on the Internet. The main reason for this is because 3 years ago, Rob started working on a memorial website to commemorate his ex-girlfriend Barbara – the project was finally completed in April of this year (2012). The website -- which chronicles Rob and Barbara’s ‘Cambridge love story’ through many priceless pictures and stories from their years together in England – stirred up many fond memories of the actress for fans and visitors to the site.

In many people’s hearts, Barbara will always be their favorite ‘Wong Yung’. Though her career in the entertainment industry was very short, it was still glorious and unforgettable. She entered the industry in 1982 after participating in that year’s Miss Hong Kong pageant. The next year, in 1983, her memorable performance as ‘Wong Yung’ in TVB’s Legend of the Condor Heroes《射雕英雄传》shot her to instant fame and along with it came endless opportunities to film series, perform at events, sing, host, etc. In May of 1985, at the height of her career, Barbara suddenly decided to end her life – she was 26 years old. Almost immediately after Barbara’s suicide, her boyfriend at the time, actor Kent Tong (湯鎮業), became an instant target of ‘attack’ by shocked fans and audiences, many of whom made the assumption that Barbara killed herself because of issues in the couple’s relationship.

For many years, these ‘assumptions’ cast a tragic light on Barbara’s love life – every time the topic of Barbara’s relationships would come up, Kent Tong’s name would inevitably be mentioned. Therefore, when Rob’s existence as Barbara’s ex-boyfriend became known, many people were surprised and astonished. Even though Rob and Barbara’s relationship also did not last, the many stories from their 5 year ‘Cambridge love story’ touched many people’s hearts. At the same time, these glimpses into her life in England also presented to the world a different side of Barbara that was previously ‘undiscovered’ by audiences. As some of her fans stated: “reading these stories was like peeling an onion – each story revealed a part of Barbara that most audiences did not know, bringing us closer to the ‘real Barbara’ in the process.”

In addition to re-acquainting ourselves with Barbara, Rob’s existence also evoked feelings of curiosity about him among fans and the Media alike. What kind of a person is Rob in real life? How much ‘sweat and blood’ was put into the 3 year production of his website in Barbara’s memory? With the 30 years that have passed, how are the memories of their relationship so vividly and clearly ingrained in his brain? Were there any regrets in their relationship? Towards this woman whom he had once loved deeply, what are his feelings now? Why did Barbara’s last words of “Darling, I love you” leave a feeling of regret in his heart? So many unanswered questions prompted us [ND Daily’s reporters] to ‘cross borders’ and reach out to Rob in Holland for an interview.

From the time the interview was scheduled to when it was completed, it took nearly a month. During the process, Rob had expressed hesitation at one point – he explained to ND Daily’s reporter that prior to this, he had never done any interviews before. Even though he was contacted by many Media outlets recently requesting interviews, he expressed that he hopes to maintain a low profile as much as possible. In the end, he only agreed to accept interviews with 2 Media outlets – one is a Chinese Media outlet in his home country of Holland and, very fortunately, the second one is this interview with us (ND Daily).

In his response back to us, Rob wrote: “I responded to all of your questions truthfully – nothing at all was concealed.”

PART 1
Regarding his website: Never thought that it would receive the massive attention it did

Thanks to the Internet and social media, Rob and Barbara’s love story became known to the world.

In December 2009, Rob did a small experiment on-line. He wanted to see how much information there was about him online, so he did a quick search and was amazed to find that there was actually quite a lot of info about him on the Internet. This made him wonder – how much information would there be about people who existed prior to the dawn of the Internet (and social media)? The first person that came to mind for him was Barbara Yung, who had already passed away decades ago: “I couldn’t believe what I saw! I read some stuff about Barbara in Wikipedia and subsequently started to read some of the things written about Barbara by fans on their sites. I noticed that there was no information whatsoever about my relationship with Barbara on any of the Internet sites. Therefore, I wrote to a few websites and told them that I had some memories and old pictures to share, but never received any responses. I also noticed that in recent years, there wasn’t much new information regarding Barbara being released -- in fact, some of the websites [dedicated to her] didn’t even exist anymore! I assumed that with all the years that have passed, everyone had probably already forgotten Barbara.”

During New Year’s, Rob and his family decided to create a video clip commemorating Barbara – his dad dug up a lot of old photographs of the couple, which Rob included in the clip, then uploaded it to the Internet with the title ‘A Love Story That No One Knew About’. Afterwards, the fansites that he had written to previously voluntarily contacted him – many of them emailed him inquiring about his memories of Barbara and that’s when he started recording the memories of their relationship down on paper. That was the year 2010 – coincidentally, it was also the 25th anniversary of Barbara’s death.

Throughout the past 3 years, Rob has been recounting the story of his relationship with Barbara via pictures on his website. When the website was still in its infant stages, the few pictures he had uploaded were already being re-posted to other sites. By the time he finally completed his website in April 2012, he had already added dozens more photos, including a few more ‘intimate’ ones where he and Barbara were holding hands or kissing. The couple’s love story slowly started to spread to various Chinese websites and with that, various Media outlets started reporting on his website, making it known to a lot of people. The site quickly garnered an overwhelming number of hits, to the point that the servers the website was on could no longer support it, causing the site to freeze up and become inaccessible. On June 6th, Rob had to shut down the website in order to performance maintenance on it and re-opened it a week later.

Q and A

ND: Throughout the course of creating this website, what were some of the feelings that you experienced?

Rob: It was a very happy feeling – it felt as though I was transported back to those days. When the rest of my family was asleep, I started writing down the stories – in the silence of the night, my memory went back 30 years and everything started coming back very clearly. I felt like I had entered a movie.

ND: As a medical student, creating websites probably wasn’t a strength of yours, right?

Rob: I’ve never had any experience creating websites. When I was working on this site, I actually had a week off, so I asked one of my neighbors and he gave me some advice on how to go about doing it.

ND: How did you arrange the time to work on the website? Did it interfere with your job and regular family life?

Rob: No, it didn’t interfere much. I would pretty much wait until Sunday night each week and work on the website while the rest of my family was asleep. Of course, I would check the website everyday for abusive and insulting comments from people – which unfortunately happened more often than not – and sometimes, I would end up having to delete those comments. I don’t mind people criticizing me or being opposed to what I’m doing, but I do mind when people post comments that are overly disrespectful.

ND: Many of the pictures on the site are still in such good condition. We’re curious how you were able to maintain them like that for so long? Did both you and Barbara keep a set of the same pictures?

Rob: I really have to thank my father, who passed away last year. He’s a person with a very orderly lifestyle, which extended to maintaining family photos and keepsakes. He was very good about marking down the time/date and location on every single photo we had in the family and then storing them in a safe place. Barbara never kept copies of the photos because she was afraid that her mother would find out about our relationship, which would’ve definitely caused a lot of issues.

ND: It’s obvious that you put a lot of effort into creating this website. In addition to the old photographs, you had also returned to the same places the two of you visited and took new pictures as well, right?

Rob: Yes, I went back and re-visited some of the places, mainly because I had many beautiful memories there. Some of the places I had actually revisited with my friends from England – it was great because they were able to re-live some of those beautiful memories as well.

ND: Through your writings, you chronologically recorded the various stories between you and Barbara. Many of the writings are very detailed – is this your first time doing such long writings?

Rob: Sometimes, I do write in my journal, especially during the days when I’m off. I also enjoy writing letters – on occasion, some of my friends might receive a long, detailed letter from me. In the last few months though, I haven’t had time to do it anymore.

ND: Do you remember the first day that your website officially went public?

Rob: After I published my website, I checked back frequently to see if people were able to find it. It was very exciting! I remember the very first comment on the site was from Carina, who is my contact from Barbara’s fan club in HK, praising the work that I had done. To a certain extent, I feel this would help people have deeper memories of Barbara because they went through similar experiences as her and not merely remember her as ‘that beautiful actress’. I feel that she [Barbara] would have been proud of me!

ND: It took you 3 years to complete the website. Besides taking up a lot of your time and energy, did it also cost a lot of money?

Rob: I did not hire any professionals to help with the site. In the past, the website didn’t cost too much money because I would use the least expensive server I could find that was able to accommodate 200 hits [people visiting the site] per day. But last month, with the overwhelming increase in people visiting the site, the server ended up crashing. I had to work with a company that provided a larger capacity server – the service package is excellent, but unfortunately, I have to pay a large sum of money every month to maintain the server. That’s one of the reasons why I added a section to the website for donations.

ND: Were you expecting the massive number of visitors to the site? Did the enthusiasm of netizens visiting the site exceed your expectations?

Rob: In the past, I would do a posting on the website every Wednesday and there were a few people who consistently followed the stories – but after the stories were completed, the number of visitors were less frequent. Based on my research of Barbara’s life in HK, I would consistently update my site with various types of information, including translated articles, links to radio and television interviews, etc. I had never thought that Barbara would continue to remain so popular even today, as she passed away close to 30 years ago and her acting career was very short-lived – only 2 ½ years or so. For the website to receive such massive attention is completely beyond my imagination.”

PART 2
Memories: When her family tried to end the relationship, she protested with her life

Through his writings, photographs, and video links, Rob tried the best he could to record the story of his relationship with Barbara Yung. Rob writes in English, however each time, he would ask his friend to help him translate his writings into Chinese and then publish both versions so that non-English speakers would have the chance to read his writings as well.

The clarity with which Rob remembers the details of his relationship with Barbara is astonishing. Their story started when they first met back in 1976. Even though Barbara’s family was vehemently opposed to it, the 2 of them insisted on starting a relationship – throughout the 5 years they were together, their lives were blissful, but at the same time, they had to carefully protect the relationship that they knew might not last in the long term. Their romantic days at Cambridge, their apprehensive New Year’s rendezvous, their blissful Italy trip, their comical ‘walking the dog’ experience, their ‘perfect and romantic’ engagement ceremony, the dreaded meeting with the parents, the 2 painful and heartwrenching breakups…..Rob recorded all of these experiences in great detail – even some of the conversations that they had were recorded at great length. Rob expressed that even he is unable to understand how he is able to remember everything with such great clarity.

Rob’s description of Barbara is a woman who is beautiful and outstanding, yet sensitive and fragile; she’s also very willful, gets jealous, and knows how to ‘pretend’ when circumstances warrant – when someone tries to get in the way of her love relationship, she can be determined to the point of sacrificing her life to ‘protest’ it.

Barbara once told Rob that she hopes when the two of them are 50 years old, they can be like Rob’s parents – still holding hands, hugging, and madly in love with each other. Unfortunately, even such a romantic love story could not survive the harshness of reality, as the couple eventually broke up. Rob states: “Looking back, not being able to keep in contact with each other for fear of disturbing each other’s current lives was the biggest mistake that the two of us made.”

Indeed, this is an optimistic thought to ponder: if the two of them had not broken up, or, if the two of them had kept in touch after they broke up, how would things have turned out?

Q and A

ND: Of all the stories that you told of your relationship with Barbara, which one is your favorite?

Rob: My favorite is the ‘Almost Discovered’ story, mainly because I very clearly remember every single minute from that moment – imagine how I felt lying underneath the blanket, holding my breath, and hearing the footsteps of Barbara’s mother coming up the stairs….whenever I write about or recall that moment even now, I can still feel the sweat on my skin from the nervousness. (At that moment, my oldest daughter would ask me: ‘Dad, why are you smiling like that?’)

ND: What about Barbara attracted you the most?

Rob: Her unconditional love. I have never encountered such a woman as her who was so willing to sacrifice everything for love.

ND: In one of your writings, you mentioned that one impact Barbara had on you was that you became more energetic and proactive. Any specific examples?

Rob: At that time, I wasn’t ambitious and would just muddle my way through life – the only thing I cared about in life was whether I was happy. In comparisons, Barbara was a lot more serious and she had a lot more life experience – at the time, in addition to going to school, she also worked at a place that sold fish and chips. She taught me that people are not always as they seem on the surface. In the past, I would believe pretty much every single thing that people told me, whereas Barbara was more cautious and suspicious about things. For example, one time when we were walking down the street in London, a stranger approached and asked if I wanted to go drinking at a bar with him – I thought ‘why not?’ – luckily, Barbara convinced me that going out for a drink with a stranger was not a good idea. Of course, she was right.

ND: 30 years may have passed, but you still have beautiful memories of your life with Barbara. Do you regret breaking up with her?

Rob: Both of us knew that being together wouldn’t work out in the future. But I actually didn’t find out until recently how unhappy her life was after we broke up. I feel regretful and guilty for not keeping in touch with her after we broke up.

ND: Any regrets in the relationship itself?

Rob: No. If you guys were able to see all the efforts we had put in to be together, you would understand why. I feel that we already did everything we could have at that time. In terms of the tremendous effort that we had put towards our relationship, I don’t feel anyone can criticize us in that area.

ND: Ever thought that Barbara would choose a career in acting? After you found out she became an actress, were you surprised?

Rob: I was very surprised! If she had chosen to become a model, then no, I wouldn’t be surprised, but the fact that she chose to go into acting definitely surprised me!

ND: When you two were dating, were you able to see that she had acting potential?

Rob: I was never aware that Barbara had acting potential and she never expressed to me that she was interested in acting. I feel that in Legend of the Condor Heroes, she did a good job playing the character.

ND: Have you ever thought about what would’ve happened if you and Barbara had never broken up?

Rob: If we were still together, we definitely would have been married already, as Barbara would not have accepted it otherwise. I feel that we would still be very intimate, as my girlfriend and I still hold hands and hug even now. To me, that kind of thing is a normal part of a relationship. If we had not broken up, I am absolutely sure that my life right now would be very different because Barbara and I have very different personalities, whereas my current girlfriend and I have very similar personalities. With the differences in our background and personalities, I can’t imagine how we’d be able to raise children or start a business together, or even resolve cultural differences and family issues. I don’t feel that we would be arguing all the time, but it’s inevitable that one person would need to give in and compromise – I’m afraid that person would most likely be me, since Barbara has a stronger personality than I do.

PART 3
What if: “If I had a chance to meet Kent Tong, I believe we would have a lot to talk about”

In 1985, Rob received a letter from his friend DI. In the letter, DI told him about Barbara’s death and how when he was visiting the grave of a friend’s grandmother in Cambridge, he happened to come across Barbara’s grave. In the subsequent weeks, Rob constantly felt sad and at a loss – he expressed that his sorrow was because the woman he had once loved is gone forever. In his writings, it’s obvious that Rob has beautiful memories of his relationship with Barbara that are difficult to part with – asked what his current feelings are towards Barbara, he replied that he felt pity, regret, and also a bit of guilt: “because she truly deserved to have a happy life!”

Q and A

ND: Recently, when you politely rejected an invitation to be interviewed by a HK magazine [FACE Magazine], you had included in your email response: “When I heard that Barbara had committed suicide, I actually was not surprised.” Based on your understanding of Barbara, do you feel that she is the type of person who tries to avoid reality?

Rob: The reason I said that was because back in England, I had already gone through the experience of Barbara trying to commit suicide once before [by taking sleeping pills]. I know that if she had to endure huge emotional pressure, she most likely would have chosen suicide as her way to avoid having to face it. Those who read my writings will discover that emotionally, Barbara is a very fragile person. When it comes to her love relationships, she is willing to sacrifice everything – if she were ever to feel that my love and consideration for her was any less than what it was, she would feel very uncomfortable and also get very emotional.

ND: On May 14th, 1985, Barbara was discovered dead in her home due to the poison from the gas fumes. At the time, she had left a ‘note’ on her calendar that merely said ‘Darling, I love you.’ In one of your stories, you had mentioned this and didn’t understand why she would write down those words in English. Do you feel those last words were meant for you? Or do you wish that they were?

Rob: I don’t know why she wrote those words in English. When I was first told about it, my first reaction was: ‘No! I hope those words weren’t meant for me!’ I started to look through all the information about her life to see if I could find anything about her having another English-speaking boyfriend after we broke up, but I couldn’t find any. I definitely hope that those words were not meant for me because that would imply that all this time, she was not able to let go of our relationship – if that were the case, it would make me feel extremely guilty because she absolutely deserves to have a happy and joyous life.

ND: What are your feelings toward Barbara now? Do you still have feelings of love toward her or just feelings of cherishing her memory?

Rob: Neither one actually – I feel regret that she was not able to experience the joys of family life like I’m experiencing now. I truly did love Barbara at one point, but later on, I found a new love relationship and discovered a different type of joy. I hoped for the same for her. To be honest though, she will always have a place in my heart, a place that will always be reserved for her.

ND: After Barbara’s death, the general public placed most of the blame on her boyfriend at the time, Kent Tong…were you aware of that? What are your thoughts on this?

Rob: I did read up a bit about Kent Tong – I don’t know him personally, so I don’t have any comment toward him. But I suspect that he probably did not know how fragile Barbara was emotionally because she most likely did not tell him about her life in England or about our past relationship. I don’t mind meeting him – I believe we would have many things we could talk about. If he were able to share about his relationship with Barbara on my website, that would be even better.

ND: Initially after you two broke up, you did write some letters to each other. If there were mailmen who could deliver letters to her in Heaven, would you still write to her now? If so, what would you say to her?

Rob: Yes, I definitely would write to her – the same kind of long, beautiful letter! I would also have her visit my website so we could re-live the beautiful, happy memories together.

ND: Based on everything that you’ve done for Barbara, it’s apparent that you’re the type of person who cherishes relationships. From your writings, we understand that right now, you have a steady girlfriend, and 3 lively, cute daughters – your family life is very harmonious and happy. Currently, what is your view towards love and marriage?

Rob: I believe that if you truly love each other and guard each other, not getting married won’t have much impact. To me, marriage just helps provide a ‘guarantee’ to those who may find it difficult to guard each other otherwise. In reality, I’ve already witnessed many examples of marriages breaking apart and ending in divorce.

*** TO BE CONTINUED****

[TN: After the interview, Rob shared some more memories of Barbara and recounted a few more stories that he had never shared before on his website (those stories are being told for the first time in this interview). The additional stories as well as the reporter’s concluding comments will be included in a follow up (part 2) to this article.]

*****

Chinese version:

“她是一个愿意为爱情付出所有的人”


南都亚洲独家专访翁美玲荷兰籍前男友Rob，尽诉他与翁美玲30年前的爱情生活


这个6月初，已逝女星翁美玲（Barbara）的前男友、荷兰籍男子Rob忽然变成了互联网搜索的热门人物。成为热门的主要原因是，Rob三年前开始为翁美玲制作的纪念网站，终于在今年4月中旬宣布“竣工”，并于网上加载了不少他与前女友相恋时的珍贵旧照。图文并茂的网站，一段动人的“剑桥恋情”，唤起了不少人对翁美玲的思念和回忆。(来源:南方都市报 南都网)

她是许多人心中永远的“俏黄蓉”。她在娱乐圈的轨迹短暂却辉煌，于1982年参选香港小姐出道，1983年即因主演《射雕英雄传》的“黄蓉”一角一炮而红，随后登台、演唱、主持、演戏，各类片约蜂拥而至。1985年5月，在演艺事业如日中天之际，她却突然自杀身亡，终年26岁。香销玉殒，坊间将矛头直指翁美玲当年的男友汤镇业，猜测她因与其发生感情问题而开煤气自杀。

这样的揣测为翁美玲的爱情披上了不少悲情的色彩。每每谈及她的恋情，外界总离不开“汤镇业”这个名字。Rob的出现，让不少人颇感惊讶。尽管他与她之间又是一段无疾而终的恋情，但两人长达五年的“剑桥之恋”，当中的细节故事打动了不少人。同时，这还向外界展现了一个“从未被发现”的翁美玲，正如有的影迷所说“读这些故事仿似剥洋葱，每个故事仿似揭开一层Barbara（翁美玲英文名）不为大众所知的一面，从而离真实的她更近一些。”

重新认识翁美玲的同时，Rob的存在也让影迷和传媒倍感好奇。实际生活中的他到底是一个怎样的人？耗时三年制作的网站究竟花费了他多少的心血？30年前的记忆缘何能如此清晰地印记在他脑海里？他与她在这段恋情中是否曾有过遗憾？对于曾经深爱过的这个女孩，他现在心怀着怎样的情感？翁美玲那句英文遗言“Darling，I loveyou”为何让他耿耿于怀、期盼解答……太多的疑惑促使了我们这次跨国的追访。

从约访到完成采访，耗时大半个月。过程中，Rob曾就接受采访而犹豫过，他向南方都市报记者解释，此前的他并没有做过任何的专访，而近段时间有许多不同的媒体约访，他希望尽可能地保持低调。最终，他只答应了其中两家媒体的采访邀约———一家是荷兰当地的华人媒体，很幸运地，另一家就是南方都市报。收到Rob的答复时，他在信件中写了这么一句：“我对所有的问题都诚实作答，对你们没有做半点隐瞒”。



Part1

网站：从未预料过会受到这么大的关注

“我从来没有想过翁美玲至今仍这么受欢迎。因为她离开已经将近30年了，而她作为演员只不过是两年半的时间。（网站）获得如此大的关注完全超乎我的想象。”

得益于神奇的互联网，R ob和翁美玲的爱情才得以被大家知晓。

2009年圣诞节，R ob在网上做了一个小实验。他想看看自己在网上有多少公开的信息。结果网上显示了他不少的信息，这让他感到吃惊。随后，他又开始思考，互联网产生前的人会不会也有信息？他首先想到的是离世多年的翁美玲，“我都不敢相信自己看到了什么。我读到了Wikipedia上的一篇关于B arbara的文章，然后我开始在网上读影迷的文章及浏览他们的网站。我留意到网上没有任何有关我们关系的文字。于是我给一些网站写信，说我有一些回忆和照片，但没有回音。我注意到近期不再有新的消息发表，一些网站甚至不再存在。我猜想这么多年过去了，Barbara已被遗忘了。”新年期间，R ob和家人决定做一个回忆翁美玲的视频，R ob的父亲找到了许多的照片。R ob将视频命名为“无人知道的爱情故事”，然后发布在网上。之后，R ob先前联系过的影迷会主动联系他，有影迷发邮件问他关于翁美玲的记忆，他开始记录下相关的故事。那年是2010年，正好是翁美玲逝世25周年。

三年以来，R ob在网上以图文并茂的方式，持续地更新他与翁美玲之间的故事。网页最初成立时，他上传的相片已开始在网上流传。直至今年4月，R ob表示整个网站已完成，还加载了不少图片，其中有不少是他和翁美玲的牵手或接吻的亲密照。两人的故事开始在华人网络广泛地流传开来，多家媒体对R ob及其网站进行报道，不少人都知道该网站。网站迅速地涌入了大批访问者，这让支撑网站运营的网络服务器难以招架。网站濒临瘫痪，让人一度难以进入。6月6日，因为过于庞大的访问量，R ob不得不关闭网站，从而进行技术调整，一周后才再次开放。

Q&A

南方都市报（以下简称南都）：在建立这个网站的过程中，你最常涌现的感受有哪些？

Rob：这是非常开心的感觉，我就像重新回到以前的日子。在全家人睡着时，我写下了这些故事。如此安静地写作，牵引着我的记忆回到了30多年前，我就像走进了一部电影中，我清晰地记得其中的画面。

南都：作为一个医科专业的学生，做网站应该算不上你的强项吧？

Rob：我从来没有制作网页的经验。建立这个网站时，我有一个礼拜的假期，我咨询了一个邻居，他给了我一些建设网站的建议。

南都：你如何分配时间进行网站建设？这会耽误你平时的工作和生活吗？

Rob：不会（耽误太多时间）。我只是在每周日晚上，当家里人都睡下时才做网站的工作。当然我每天还是会检查网站，以防止一些辱骂性的评论。但很不幸，这种状况时常会发生，这时我就会清理掉这些评论。我不介意一些针对我或者反对我的言论，但是我在意那些不尊重人的评论。

南都：这个纪念网站的照片都完好如初，很好奇你是如何保存的？这些冲晒出来的照片，你和Barbara都有保留一份吗？

Rob：我必须要感谢我的父亲，他在去年去世了。他是一个生活很有条理的人，包括对相片的保存。他将我们拍的每一张照片都附上了时间、地点，然后存档。Barbara从来不会保留我们这些照片，因为她害怕被妈妈发现，这势必会惹来争吵。

南都：看得出，你为建设这个网站倾注了不少心血。除了既有的旧照片外，你还有旧地重游专门拍一些新照片，对吗？

Rob：是，我回去了（一些老地方）。因为我对那些地方拥有非常美好的回忆，有些是我和我的英国朋友一起回去的，更妙的是，他们也可以分享自己美好的回忆。

南都：你通过文字，按照不同的年份记录了你和Barbara的故事。文章写得很详尽，这是你第一次进行这么长篇的文字创作？

Rob：有时候我会写日记，尤其是在假期时。我也很享受写信，一些朋友都有可能收到我写得非常长的信件，但过去几个月我已经没有时间做这事了。

南都：还记得网站第一天正式开放的情景？

Rob：我开放了网站，然后去观察人们是否能够找到它。这是让人兴奋的事情。我记得第一个评论来自Carina，她是我在香港翁美玲粉丝俱乐部的联系人。她称赞了我的工作。在某种程度上，我觉得人们会因为和Barbara有相似的经历对她有更加深刻的记忆，而并非像她现在这样，只是以“美丽的女演员”这个身份被大家记住。我觉得她会替我感到骄傲的。

南都：网站耗时三年才制作完成。除了消耗大量的精力之外，是否还需要财政支出？

Rob：我没有雇佣专人做这个网站。以前这个网站并不会花费我太多金钱，因为我用的是我能找到的最便宜的网络服务器，能足够应付每天200人的访问量。但是，上个月庞大的访问人群，让服务器瘫痪。我必须要和提供专业网络服务器的公司合作，他们提供的网络服务非常好，不幸的是，我必须支付一定的金额购买（服务）。这也是为什么我在网页中设立捐款渠道的原因。

南都：网站吸引了如此庞大的浏览数量，你有曾预料过？网民的热情是不是超乎你的想象了？

Rob：我以前每个礼拜三都发表一篇文章，有粉丝会追我的故事。当这些故事完结之后，访问量就减少了。根据我调查翁美玲在香港的生活，我试图不断更新网站内容，比如文章的翻译，放电台或电视访问等的音视频文件等。我从没有想过翁美玲至今仍这么受欢迎。因为她离开已经将近30年了，而她作为演员只不过是两年半的时间。（网站）获得如此大的关注完全超乎我的想象。



Part2

回忆：爱情受阻挠时，她可以决绝到以死抗议

“现在回头看，没能够保持联系，害怕介入对方的生活，是我们犯的最大的错误！”

“我从来没有遇到过一个像她这样愿意为爱情付出所有的人。”

Rob用文字、图片和视频的方式，尽可能详尽地记录着他和翁美玲相处的点滴。他用英文书写过后，还特地请朋友帮忙翻译，推出中文版本，方便华语读者阅读。

Rob对这段恋情的记忆清晰得让人诧异。故事从他们1976年的相遇说起，Rob和Barbara不顾女方家人的反对执意交往，他们在五年的时光里幸福又紧张地守护着这段早知没有结果的恋情———他们在剑桥的浪漫时光，忐忑不安的新年幽会，无比快乐的意大利之旅、滑稽可笑的遛狗经历、完美浪漫的订婚仪式、惊心动魄的家长会面、伤心痛苦的两次分手……R ob将这些多姿多彩的爱情瞬间细致描绘，甚至连两人交谈过的话语都一一尽录。Rob自己有时也搞不明白为什么对这一切依然记忆犹新。

他笔下的B arbara美丽出众、敏感脆弱，会任性会吃醋还会伪装，爱情受阻挠时，她可以决绝到以死抗议。生前的她曾对R ob说，希望两人在50岁时能如R ob的父母般牵手、搂抱，依然挚爱对方。可惜动人故事终抵不过残酷现实，两人终究以分手收场。R ob说：“现在回头看，没能够保持联系，害怕介入对方的生活，是我们犯的最大的错误。”

这让人忍不住心生美好的遐想，假如他们当初没有分开，假如他们分开后保持联系，一切又会怎样？

Q&A

南都：在你书写的这么多和Barbara的回忆片段里，你最喜欢哪一个故事？

Rob：我最喜欢的一篇是《差点被发现》，主要是因为我清楚地记得当中的每一分钟，想象着我所感受的，当时的我在毛毯里屏住呼吸躺着，听着翁美玲母亲上楼梯的脚步声……当我在书写或想起这一幕时，我至今仍能感觉到皮肤的汗水。（我最大的女儿就会问我：“为什么你那样笑，爸爸？”）

南都：这段恋情中，B arbara最吸引你的地方是什么？

Rob：她无条件的爱。我从来没有遇到过一个像她这样愿意为爱情付出所有的人。(来源:南方都市报 南都网)

南都：你在回忆的文字中提到，Barbara对你产生了积极的影响。有具体的事例吗？

Rob：那时我每天得过且过，我对生活唯一在意的是我过得是否快乐。我没有上进心，乐意去尝试做任何事。Barbara比我认真许多，她拥有更多的人生阅历，当时除了上学还要应对鱼肉薯片店的工作。她教育我，人并不总是像你我所看到的那样。我曾经相信人们告诉我的任何事情，而她会表现得更多疑和谨慎。有一次，我们走在伦敦街头，有个陌生人问我要不要跟他一起去喝酒，我当时想为什么不呢？幸运的是，Barbara说服了我，跟陌生人喝酒可能并不是一个好主意。当然，她是对的。

南都：将近三十年过去，你对这段恋情的记忆美好如昔。有没有后悔选择跟她分手？

Rob：我们双方都知道，仍旧在一起是行不通的。但我现在才发现，自打我们分手后，她是多么的不开心。我感到后悔和内疚，我没有和她保持联系。

南都：对这段恋情会有遗憾？

Rob：没有，如果你们能看到我们为了在一起曾有多么地努力。我觉得我们做了所有当时能做的。在说尝试为爱情努力的这方面，我觉得大家对我们不能有任何的责备。

南都：有想过Barbara会选择走演艺这条路？得知她成为演员后，你感到吃惊？

Rob：我非常吃惊。她如果是成为一个模特，我并不会吃惊，但演员的话却是让人非常惊讶。

南都：在你们相恋的时候，你有看出她拥有很好的演艺潜能？

Rob：我从来没觉得B arbara有演戏的潜力，她也没有展示任何演戏的野心。我想她在《射雕英雄传》里，她只是很好地演绎了一个角色。

南都：你是否有过这样的念想，假如当初你和Barbara没有分开，现在的你们会是怎样？

Rob：如果我们能在一起，我一定已经结婚了，否则Barbara一定不会接受的。我觉得我们依然会很亲热，我和我的爱人现在仍然会拥抱和牵手。对我来说，这些是一段正常关系的一部分。假如没有分开，我很确定我的生活会跟现在很不一样，Barbara和我有很不一样的个性，而我如今的爱人和我则有比较多相似的个性。在双方都如此不同的情况下，我无法想象我们如何一起生养孩子、创业、解决文化差异和家庭的问题。我们不会争吵，但必定有一方需要作出妥协，恐怕那一方会是我，因为Babara的个性比我强多了。

Part3

假如：如果我见到汤镇业，

我们可能会有很多话题可以聊

“我知道如果她承受了巨大的精神压力的话，她也许会通过自杀的方式逃离现实。”

“我为她感到惋惜，她没能像我这样经历拥有家庭的这种快乐……她在我心中仍占有一席之地，那个位子一直都是留给她的。”

1985年，R ob收到了朋友D I的来信。D I在信中告诉了他Barbara的死讯，以及在去英国剑桥郊外探望朋友的祖母墓地时，恰巧看到了Barbara的墓碑。接连的好几周，R ob都处于非常难过、失落的状态，他说他的悲伤是因为曾经爱过的人已经永远离开了。R ob在字里行间都透露着对这段恋情无限的怀念和不舍，问现在的他对Barbara是怎样的一种情感？他说有惋惜、有愧疚，“因为她值得拥有幸福快乐的生活！”

Q&A

南都：近期你在礼貌性拒绝香港一本周刊（《Face》）采访时，在邮件里附上一句“听到Barbara自杀的消息我并没有感到惊讶”。依据你对Barbara的了解，你认为她是一个容易逃避现实的人么？

Rob：我之所以这么说，那是因为我在英国已经历过Barbara（吞服安眠药）自杀的历史。我知道如果她承受了巨大精神压力的话，她也许会通过自杀的方式逃离现实。读过我网上的故事就会发现，她是一个情感非常脆弱的人。她在爱情中付出了一切，如果她觉得我对她的关心变少了，她会感到不安，并且变得非常情绪化。

南都：1985年5月14日，Barbara被发现在家中因煤气中毒而身亡。当时她在日历牌上留着一句话“D arling，I love you（亲爱的，我爱你）”。你在故事的结尾处也提及此事，不解为什么她用英文写下了这句话。你觉得这句遗言是她为你而留的？还是你希望如此？

Rob：我不知道她为什么用英文写下了那些字。当我被告知时，我想到的第一件事就是“噢！不！我希望那不是对我说的”。我开始去寻找她的人生故事，希望能找到在我们分手之后，她还有另外说英语的男朋友，但我还没有找到。我当然希望那不是对我说的，那意味着她从来没有走出我们的爱情，会让我对她感觉内疚，因为她值得拥有幸福快乐的生活。

南都：现在的你对Barbara的感情是怎样的？你觉得对她是爱情还是一种怀念？

Rob：不是爱亦不是怀念，我为她感到惋惜，她没能像我这样经历拥有家庭的这种快乐。我曾经的确很爱Barbara，但后来我找到了一段新的爱情，发现新的快乐。我希望她也能一样。但老实说，她在我心中仍占有一席之地，那个位子一直都是留给她的。

南都：Barbara的离开，外界将大部分的原因都归咎于汤镇业，你知道他吗？你如何看待这种观点？(来源:南方都市报 南都网)

Rob：我有读过汤镇业的故事。我不认识他，所以对他没有任何的评论。但我怀疑他也许不知道B arbara是一个感情多么脆弱的人，因为她可能不曾告诉他，她在英国的生活，也不曾告诉他我们的过往。我不介意去见他，我想我们会有很多话题可以聊，如果他能在我的网站上发表他和Barbara的故事就更好了。

南都：你们分手之后有通过书信。假如现在天堂有信差，此刻的您会写信给她么？你在信中会对她说些什么？

Rob：是的，我一定会给她写信，一封漂亮的、长长的信。我也会让她去看我的网站，我们一起重温这些故事会是很棒的时光。

南都：从你为Babara所做的一切，可以知道你是一个很 的人。我们从故事中知道，你现在拥有稳定的伴侣和三个活泼可爱的女儿，家庭相处和睦幸福。现在的你对爱情和婚姻的看法是怎样的？

Rob：我相信当你相爱并相守的时候，没有结婚也不会影响什么。结婚只是给那些不能相守的人提供保证。事实上，我已经看过很多婚姻破裂的例子。