Here's another great interview that I came across -- of course, since I grew up watching TVB series, I was a 'fan' of the Five Tigers. Michael was one of my favorites back in the 80s (though it's really hard to pick a favorite among those five, since they each have their own unique talents)and since it's rare to find an in-depth interview with the 80s actors, I definitely wouldn't pass up this one! :-)
Just my two cents regarding the article:
.-- I like Michael's outlook on life. With the entertainment industry being such a pressure cooker, it's definitely a good thing to have a positive attitude.
.-- Not surprisingly, Michael is often asked about Barbara in interviews and such (and this particular one is no exception). Despite how much he hopes for 'bygones to be bygones', I doubt that people are going to stop asking him. Either way, I definitely agree with him that the whole situation was a huge tragedy and no matter what our individual opinions are of why Barbara committed suicide, nothing is going to change that fact.
.-- It's interesting that alot of people didn't feel that Michael Miu and Jamie Chik's marriage would last (probably because of Michael's 'image' from his many ancient series from the 80s). Whatever the case, they have been married for 21 years now and their relationship is still as strong as ever! Who says that relationships in the entertainment industry don't last long?
.-- Aww, the part where the article talks about how the Five Tigers came to be brought back so many memories! And Michael's comparison of how the environment was back then to how it is now is so true!
.-- Having been in the business world for more than a decade myself, I can definitely relate to Michael's sentiments in terms of how complicated and stressful the business sector can be. I admire his ability to be able to give up such a lucrative business and return to his acting roots -- it's not an easy decision to make at all!
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Interview with Michael Miu: Letting go of the past, living in the present, and looking to the future
Article originally published on August 25, 2011
Source:
Sina News
Translated by: llwy12
He likes people to call him ‘Third Brother’ (三哥), however it seems that people are already more used to calling him ‘Yeung Hong’ (杨康)
[TN: his character’s name in 《Legend of the Condor Heroes》]. No matter how much he tries to break away from the ‘Five Tigers’ era, he is unable to avoid the constant questions and fond memories that many people still have towards that era. Throughout his life and career, he has experienced many peaks and valleys, highs and lows – starting as an obscure actor and eventually making a name for himself in the entertainment industry, he later became a businessman, earning millions in the business sector. Recently, with his return to the entertainment industry, it can be said that he has now come full circle. He is Michael Miu, and this week, his new Mainland series《金枝玉葉》[loosely translated as “Noble Beauty”] has officially premiered on CCTV-8 throughout Mainland China.
[TN: The series is considered the Mainland version of TVB’s 2008 series 《The Gem of Life》]
Currently 50 years old, the passing of time hasn’t carved too many wrinkles in Michael’s forehead – rather, we see elements of calmness, wisdom, and ease. He doesn’t like to look back on the past, as doing so halts progress forward; instead, he hopes that from this moment on, audiences will get to know him as someone who enjoys life and views filming series as his way of having some ‘playful fun’.
A
tragic and unfortunate accident
Not only was the 1983 version of 《Legend of the Condor Heroes》 one of the earliest HK series to become popular in the Mainland, it was also an important symbol of the success of HK series in that era. In the prime of their careers back then, the stars of the series are no longer the ‘young kids’ they once were – among them, some have enjoyed the fruits of their popularity, some have retired to a more peaceful life, and some still continue to silently toil….but for many of us, the one we are least able to forget is the one who currently resides in Heaven – our ‘Wong Yung’, Barbara Yung. Such a young and delicate life with a promising career, tragically cut short, leaving behind much grief and a feeling of what could have been…
Back then, none of Barbara’s friends ever imagined that she would choose such an extreme path of ending her own life. 26 years later, upon hearing mention of his close friend Barbara, Michael sighs and states: “Originally, she was such a cheerful, vibrant girl. Whenever I filmed with her, I rarely treated her as a girl – she was like a good ‘brother’ of mine! No one ever thought that she would end her life in such manner.” It is widely understood and believed by many people that Barbara committed suicide due to relationship issues, however it less widely known that perhaps she never really intended to leave this world. As Michael himself states: “I believe that she originally wasn’t intending to die, perhaps she just wanted to ‘scare’ a certain person – the unfortunate part is that it went too far and turned into a tragic accident. It’s a huge tragedy and loss – we all miss her very much.”
Admires wife’s unwavering devotion to taking care of their family
In the series 《金枝玉葉》, Michael plays a rich real estate developer, which coincidentally draws some similarities to his former real life status as the “King of Eyeglasses”
[TN: after Michael left the entertainment industry back in the late 80s,/early 90s he went into the lucrative business of selling eyeglasses and earned lots of money.] All the complications of surviving in the business world – including the fickleness of the private sector and the often pressure-filled climb up the corporate ladder – that the characters in the series encounter are all too familiar to someone like Michael, who has toiled in the business sector for over a decade. However, what attracted Michael to the series the most is the unwavering love and devotion that the main male character has towards the main female character – a love and devotion that is very similar to his real life relationship with his wife of more than 20 years, Jamie Chik. In an industry where breaking up is just as common as starting a relationship, there were very few people who believed that this couple would truly be able to remain together for so long. Back during that ‘Golden Era’ of TVB, there were many celebrity couples who ‘loved vigorously, but broke up thoroughly’ – looking back now, Michael and Jamie’s relationship is one of the few that has withstood the test of time.
Michael expressed that what he admires most about his wife is her “unwavering devotion to taking care of the family, taking care of the kids, and taking care of me.” He further states: “One of the most important things in a relationship is mutual respect as well as tolerance of each other’s flaws and weaknesses – not only in a relationship between husband and wife, but also between friends and co-workers, it should be this way. Each person has their own unique personalities and it’s important for one to be able to tolerate the other’s flaws in order to become friends; the same concept applies in a marriage – when you take a step back, the sea and the sky become boundless.”
Did everything without complaint
The series 《金枝玉葉》explores a wide range of real life issues, such as ‘wealthy second generation’, inflation of real estate prices, etc., -- the most interesting by far is how the series inadvertently brings to light one of today’s ‘unwritten rules’ of the entertainment industry – the fact that young artists are oftentimes required to give up their dreams and even their dignity in order to get to where they want to be in the shortest amount of time. Looking back to the HK entertainment industry of 30 years ago, the young artists of that generation were a lot more naïve and simple-minded – as Michael describes it: “We were just a group of young boys with nothing to our names – no experience, no money, nothing – all we had was a type of stubborn enthusiasm. Everyday, we would put our heads down and throw ourselves into filming series – we didn’t understand anything about fighting for certain privileges, striving for fame, or adhering to unwritten rules.”
In the early 80s, five energetic youth – Tony Leung, Andy Lau, Felix Wong, Michael Miu, and Kent Tong -- caught the eye of certain people at TVB and quickly, the company decided to push their careers forward. In 1983, during one of TVB’s flagship large-scale variety shows《星光熠熠劲争辉》, the 5 youth formulated a group called ‘the Five Tiger Generals’ (五虎將) and performed a series of acrobatic stunts on stage – the highlight of the performance was Andy Lau lying on a bench and having a huge slab of rock shattered on his chest
[TN: 80s TVB fanatics will surely remember that famous performance]. Thinking back to those days, Michael fondly states: “Back then, we were grateful that the company gave us the opportunity to perform, so we threw our heart and soul into it, with the goal of doing the best job possible. For instance, there were certain stunts that people thought we would never be able to do, such as backflips, somersaults, and of course, the shattering of the rock – these stunts that were usually undertaken by professional stuntmen, we went and practiced them, then performed for the audiences. At the time, all of us were full of energy and enthusiasm and were happy to have the opportunity to perform for the audiences – we did it willingly and without complaint.”
When people think of Michael Miu, they think of the year 1983
The glory days of the ‘Five Tigers’ era officially ended in 1991 when the action film 《五虎将之决裂》[English title《The Tigers》] debuted in theaters – from that moment on, the 5 Tigers went down different career as well as life paths. The film also marked the last time (and only time) that the Five Tigers reunited to collaborate in a movie.
Not surprisingly, when people think of the title of the movie, they can’t help but draw comparisons to real life and wonder whether these 5 Tiger brothers really accumulated years of resentment and grudges toward each other offscreen. Hearing this, Michael laughs and states: “Well, the title of the film does sound like there’s some hidden meaning and I could understand why people would think that way – however, the movie was not a reflection of real life. We never had any conflicts or breaking off of that nature – rather, we ended up going down different paths because our goals were different. That’s the reality of the entertainment industry -- each of us have our own busy careers and may not see each other for years, yet when we do get the chance to meet up, it’s as though we never separated. Even throughout the many years when I went into business, I never lost contact with my friends in the entertainment industry – Eric Tsang, Andy Lau, Alan Tam, etc., we’re all good friends and we never ‘broke off’ any relationships.”
A lot of times, Michael doesn’t feel like talking about those ‘glory days’ of the past: “For a lot of people, when they think of me, they think of 1983 and the Five Tigers – everyone always asks me and sometimes I feel a bit helpless. All of that is in the past, there’s no point dwelling on it anymore. Rather than remembering me as ‘Yeung Hong’, I actually hope that people will call me ‘Third Brother’ when they see me. If everyone started calling me ‘Yeung Hong’ all the time, I don’t know how I should respond – all of that happened in the 80s. I feel that if we’re constantly thinking about the past, it’s as though we are constantly stuck in time and not moving forward. I like living in the present and looking to the future – the way I am now is the ‘true’ me. I hope that audiences know me for who I am now.”
The complexity of the business world is hard to fathom for some
Michael Miu’s nickname ‘Third Brother’ is actually the name of a character he portrayed in the 1988 triad-themed film <
>; after the film debuted, people started calling him ‘Third Brother’ in real life as well. Even after Michael became a successful businessman and a prominent figure in the business world, many people still continued to affectionately call him ‘Third Brother’. Michael often jokes about this and constantly tells people: “As long as you don’t call me ‘Big Brother’, then it’s fine – being called ‘Big Brother’ is a dangerous thing!”
After 1983’s 《Legend of the Condor Heroes》, Michael starred in numerous series and was heavily promoted by TVB. Yet, when his acting career was at its peak, Michael decided to leave the industry and enter the business world, successfully taking over the biggest eyeglasses chain store in HK and running the business for more than a decade. Due to his success in the business world, it is said that Michael is the HK entertainment industry’s very first multi-millionaire.
Throughout the past 2 decades, there have been various ‘rumors’ about Michael’s decision to leave the entertainment industry at the peak of his career – some say that it was due to Barbara Yung’s death, others say that he was ‘frozen’ by TVB so he had no choice but leave, and still others claim that built up animosity between the 5 Tigers triggered his decision to split. The truth, as Michael reveals, is no where close to what was rumored. In reality, Michael didn’t just brazenly abandon his acting career and go into business – actually, back when he was filming series, he was already helping out with the family business on the side [TN: his family owned an eyeglasses business]. One day, he discovered that there was potential with the family business and at the same time, his acting career was bottlenecked, so he decided to let go of his acting career: “Actually, there was never really a ‘peak’ in my acting career – at the time, I felt that there wasn’t much room for further development in my acting and wasn’t sure how to keep going down that path; I was lost without a sense of direction. Coincidentally, the family eyeglasses business was going quite well, so naturally, I decided to place more focus there and that’s where I remained for the next 17 years. Having the opportunity to be in a completely different environment and encounter completely different experiences was definitely an eye-opener – it helped me to know myself better and later on, when I returned to the entertainment industry, it also helped me improve in terms of my acting.”
It can be said that the business world is similar to a war zone. With all the complexities and struggles that could take place, these 17 years surely have not been easy for Michael: “HK was very much impacted by the financial crisis as well as SARS – also, in the business world, so many things are profit-driven, plus there is the pressure of maintaining the business – the complexity of the business world can be very difficult for some people to fathom. Fortunately, we were able to survive that period and get through each difficult stage in one piece.”
Doesn’t care about being first or second brother
After the SARS crisis, HK’s economy was greatly affected – during this time, Michael decided to sell his business and return to the entertainment industry: “Having a business is a gamble – the competition in the market can get very intense and when reality set in, it made sense to sell the business. Also, at the same time, I was invited to participate in a filming project, plus a lot of people have been asking when I would return to the industry, so I thought, why not? Besides, I discovered that I still had an interest in acting. A lot of people say that the entertainment industry is complicated, but in my opinion, nothing can be more complicated than the business world. After experiencing so many ups and downs in the business world, being an actor is way easier and more relaxing in comparisons.”
But the landscape of today’s entertainment industry in HK has changed and has given rise to a new generation of artists. Amongst the ‘Five Tigers’, Tony Leung and Andy Lau have had the most successful acting careers, with both being multiple ‘Best Actor’ winners and maintaining their immense popularity even today. After being away for so long, how does Michael compare to his Tiger brothers in popularity? Actually, Michael does not care about this: “Returning anew, I realized the entire environment and landscape had changed, but it actually felt very refreshing – I was like a newbie entering the industry for the first time. I didn’t feel any apprehension, in fact, it felt quite casual and unrestrained – who cares about being a first brother or second brother? The important thing is doing your own job well. As actors, we are all friends – if we place too much importance on fame and fortune and put that in front of all else, it would be difficult to get through each day. I won’t put that type of pressure on myself – if all day long, I’m comparing myself to them and lamenting why someone has an award and I don’t, I would never be happy. I would much rather maintain a relaxed, casual attitude and happily enjoy each day!”
.----.
Chinese version:
苗侨伟：往事不必再提 翁美玲是一个悲剧
撰文、编辑/白郁虹 摄影/王同
他喜欢人们称他“三哥”，但更多人习惯性地喊他“杨康”；他想和“五虎将”时代做一次彻底“决裂”，但总避免不了人们对那个时代的追问和记忆。他的人生起起落落，看尽沧海浮沉，从籍籍无名的小演员到驰骋商海的亿万富翁，如今回归原点，重返娱乐圈。他是苗侨伟，本周，由他出演的电视剧《金枝玉叶》登陆央视八套。
50年光阴，岁月刻在他额头的不是沟壑，是从容、智慧、洒脱，他不再回望过往，因为回望会让人止步不前，他希望从现在起，观众认识的是一个享受生活和把拍戏当“玩乐”的——“三哥”苗侨伟。
“翁美玲是一个悲剧，其实她并不想死，只是想吓唬某一个人。”
83版《射雕》是最早引入内地的港产剧，也是港产剧的时代标杆，当年风华正茂的年轻人已经迈入不惑之年，这其中，有人红得发紫，有人隐退江湖，有人还在默默奋斗……但我们最不该忘记的是生活在天堂里的“俏黄蓉”，一个年轻娇好的生命如同烟花绽放般绚烂又转瞬即逝，空留下几多哀怨，几多叹息。
当年的“郭靖”“杨康”们，谁也没有留意身边的“俏黄蓉”会以如此极端的方式舍命赴死。26年过去了，重提翁美玲，曾经的红颜知己，苗侨伟仍然叹息不已，他说：“原本她是一个开朗活泼的女孩，跟她一起拍戏，从来没把她当做女孩子，她就像我们的一个好兄弟，谁也没有想到她会用这种方式结束生命。”谁都知道，翁美玲为情自杀，不知道的是，翁美玲也许从没想过真的要告别人间。就像苗侨伟所说：“原本她不是想去死的，可能只是想吓吓某一个人，但不幸的是出了意外。那是一个悲剧，我们都非常怀念她。”
“我最欣赏她的就是全心全意照顾家，照顾孩子，照顾我。”
在《金枝玉叶》中，苗侨伟饰演房地产大亨，与他曾经的“眼镜大王”的商人身份颇有几分暗合。剧中的人情冷暖、商场角斗，是苗侨伟再熟悉不过的场景，但更让他倾心的是男主人公对女主人公的专一感情，就像现实生活里他和太太戚美珍二十多年颠扑不破的爱情。在娱乐圈司空见惯的分合大戏中，几乎很少有人相信这对神仙眷侣真的可以走过风雨20年。当年的无线艺人们，爱的疯狂，分的也彻底，如今再回首，唯有苗侨伟与戚美珍的爱情，可以面对似水的流年。
苗侨伟最欣赏妻子的就是“全心全意照顾家，照顾孩子，照顾我”。他说：“人与人相处最重要的是尊重、包容，不仅夫妻，朋友同事之间也要如此。每个人都有自己的个性，你容忍对方的缺点才可能跟他做朋友。做夫妻也一样，退一步海阔天空。”
“空翻、碎大石，所有武行做的我们都去做，毫无怨言。”
《金枝玉叶》涉及了不少现实话题，富二代、房价飞涨等等，其中更影射了娱乐圈中的潜规则，年轻人为了走捷径不惜放下尊严、梦想。时光回溯到30年前的香港娱乐圈，当年的小演员大多思想单纯，就像苗侨伟说的：“一群毛头小伙，什么都没有，只有一把蛮劲，每天低头拼命拍戏，什么功利心、潜规则，完全不懂。”
80年代初，五个精力充沛的年轻人梁朝伟、刘德华、黄日华、苗侨伟、汤镇业(微博)让无线另眼相看，公司有意将他们推上更高峰。1983年，无线举办大型综合性节目“星光熠熠劲争辉”，五人组成“五虎将”上台表演杂技，刘德华还亲自表演了胸口碎大石。想起当年的情景，苗侨伟不由感叹道：“那个时候公司让我们表演，我们都全力以赴做到最好。比如大家认为我们不能做的，打空翻啊、碎大石啊，这些武行做的动作，我们都会去练习，然后表演给大家看。那时候的我们，充满激情，也心甘情愿，没有一点怨言。”
“很多人看到我就想起1983年，每一个人都问我，让我太无奈了，一切都过去了。”
“五虎将”的辉煌时代随着电影《五虎将之决裂》的公映而彻底终结，从此五虎将各奔前程，命运结局天地之差，这也是五虎将聚首的最后一部电影。很多人想当然地把影片片名与现实作比照，猜想五虎将之间到底积攒了多少恩怨是非。闻听此言，苗侨伟笑道：“影片听起来确实有点意味深长，但我们哪里有什么决裂、冲突？只不过大家道不同不相为谋吧。娱乐圈就是这样，大家各有各忙，好几年碰不见面，但只要碰到，我们都还会一见如故。就算我做生意的那十几年，我和娱乐圈的朋友也没有断过，曾志伟、刘德华、谭咏麟(微博)都是我的好朋友，我们从来没有‘决裂’过。”
更多时候，苗侨伟不愿提及当年，他说：“很多人看到我就想起1983年，想到五虎将，每个人都来问我，让我太无奈了，都过去了，过去的事就不要想了。我希望大家最好不要记得我是杨康，你们看到我，叫我‘三哥’就好。如果叫我杨康，我都不知道该怎么去回应他们，这都是80年代的事了，如果老是怀念以前，就好像永远在原地踏步，我喜欢往前看，喜欢活在当下，现在的我才是真正的我，我希望观众认识的是现在的我。”
“商场的复杂程度是你想象不到的，但所幸我们活着走到今天。”
三哥是苗侨伟与莫少聪(微博)等人拍摄电影《江湖接班人》时饰演的角色，影片公映后，三哥的名号就传开了。苗侨伟后来转投生意场，呼风唤雨、驰骋江湖，大家仍然亲切地尊称他为“三哥”。苗侨伟常常开玩笑说：“只要不叫我大哥就行，大哥听起来好危险的。”
83版《射雕英雄传》之后，苗侨伟拍摄了很多经典剧集，是无线五虎将中颇受力捧的一位。然而事业高峰时，苗侨伟却选择离开影坛，开始从商，商海十余年，他执掌了香港最大的眼镜连锁店，据说是香港演艺圈中第一个亿万富翁。
说到苗侨伟的隐退，坊间各种传闻，诸如翁美玲之死，遭无线雪藏，五虎将心生嫌隙等等。事实上，苗侨伟称，当年的他并不是一拍脑袋就决定冒险经商的，那时的他已经一边拍戏一边在帮家人打理生意。有一天，当他发现眼镜生意开始有起色，而演艺事业遇到瓶颈时，他决定放手娱乐圈。“其实我的演艺事业从来没有高峰过，那时候觉得在演戏上没有太大进步的空间，我不知道该怎么往下走，找不到方向。刚好我的眼镜生意发展得蛮好，那就顺其自然做我的生意了，一做就是17年。去另一个环境接触另外的事情，对自己也是一种全新的认知，对往后演艺发展也有很大的帮助。”
商场如战场，17年经商路并不好走，利益之争、市场冲击。苗侨伟说：“你知道香港经历过金融风暴、非典，而且商场是有很多利益上的关系，你还要对生意承担很多压力，商场的复杂程度是你想象不到的。但所幸我们活着走到今天，什么难关我们都能闯过去。”
“我从来没有什么心理落差，我觉得我进来得很潇洒，管他什么一哥二哥。”
经历了非典的香港，市场经济出现巨大波动，此时的苗侨伟决定将公司卖掉，重回娱乐圈。“生意就像一场赌博，市场竞争太激烈，也太现实，所以卖掉公司就轻松很多了。那时也刚好有戏找到我，很多人希望我出山，那么，为什么不呢？而且，我发现我对演戏仍然有兴趣。别人都说娱乐圈很复杂，我说娱乐圈再怎么复杂也比不过商场。所以，做生意时碰到很多起起落落，经历过这个阶段后，再复出，会觉得做演员非常轻松简单。”然而，如今的香港娱乐圈早已更新换代，当年“五虎将”中的刘德华、梁朝伟，事业更是如日中天，纷纷坐上了影帝宝座。还有谁记得《射雕》中风流倜傥的杨康，《绝代双娇》中冠绝天下的江枫？
苗侨伟却不在乎这些，他说：“重新回来，所有的环境、局面都不一样了，但对我来说还是很有新鲜感，我好像新人一样再进娱乐圈。我从来没有什么心理落差，我觉得我进来得很潇洒，管他什么一哥二哥。其实，做人也是这样，做好自己的本分就好。大家都是演员，也都是朋友，如果把名利看得太重，日子会很难过。我也不会给自己任何压力，如果总是和他们比较，谁谁做了影帝我没有做，那我永远不会开心。还是看轻松一点，潇洒一点，快乐地享受每一天。”
(责编： 葱尾)
