39 year old Sammy Leung recently made his debut in a television series. His first TVB series, Friendly Fire, premiered last week. [FACE] reporter and photographer especially did a photo shoot with Sammy designed to bring back the old cops and robbers 'flavor' and the set of photos serves as the theme for this exclusive interview.
Sammy is also a well-known DJ, so in the photos, he plays two roles, one as a police officer and the other as a DJ. Of course this was a challenge for him, but Sammy isn't your average DJ. He joined CRHK at the age of 20 and by age 25, he was already the most popular radio program host. Sammy wasn't just a DJ long ago, he also worked as a scriptwriter, composer, the lead vocalist in a boyband, a stage play actor, stand-up comedian, film actor, television host and in 2007, he wrote and directed his very own romantic series Colours of Love. In addition, he gained 10 pounds for his police role in Friendly Fire, so he can show off his muscles and do passionate kiss scenes with his on-screen partner. Sammy, you are the Chokest DJ in HK Radio history.
Sammy grew up in Kwai Shing West Estate, and currently lives in a luxary home in Kowloon Tong with his wife and two kids. His son is 10 years old and his daughter is 6 years old. His wife drives a Benz, his son goes to La Salle College, [FACE] asked Sammy, his parents must be proud and honored that their son jumped from Kwai Shing to Kowloon Tong and he's good at everything? Sammy recalls his mother kneeling to St. Francis of Assisi's Caritas School and his father putting a plastic bag over his head pushing their broken car in the rain just so Sammy could get to school at La Salle on time. Sammy starts tearing up every time he thinks about that, and several times he cried so much, he couldn't speak: "So bad... when I'm asked to cry during filming, I can't get my tears out. The things my parents done for me, I may not be able to do the same for my children, but I'm always forcing them to accept my views...I'm not my parents' pride, my thoughts are strange. I feel ashamed." Sammy's father was a firefighter, and worked part-time as a taxi driver to take him to school and his mother was a housewife.
Thomas Edison & Albert Einstein Just Like Me, ADD! At 3pm, [FACE] sat with Sammy at Shek Kip Mei's shopping mall to continue the interview, but Sammy's mouth couldn't stop running and his eyes just kept looking all over the place. Sammy said 5 or 6 years ago, his doctor said once he sits down, his eyes never stops moving and he can't sit still and suspected he has ADHD/ADD. Sammy said: "The doctor said I'm definitely not good in school, I said no that's not true. I was very good in school. The doctor said, 'Then you must be naturally talented!' Wahahah...so as I would say, those with ADHD/ADD, don't be discouraged, Thomas Edison and Albert Einstein was the same as me, ADHD/ADD!"
Sammy expressed: "The concept I believe in, many people from HK don't believe, that is to be hardworking. You must be hardworking, eloquent and have confidence in your acting. It is all from training. Because I'm a DJ, everyone thinks I'm a good speaker, but actually the challenging part is writing articles. I've been a DJ for over 10 years and the things I say each day are all from a written script; I designed every gag. Being a MC or host, I've accepted these jobs, big or small, over my 10 years in the business, and acculmulated the experience from countless flaws. I'm not good at telling jokes, but I watch and rewatch Dayo Wong's Standup Comedy shows over and over again, I take the jokes from other people and came up with a formula and then design the jokes based on that formula. Every night, I go to Lan Kwai Fong with friends and tell the jokes to people I don't know. If people don't laugh, then I go home and make modifications! Having to be a Chok actor, I never thought I could do it. When Paco Wong signed me, I told him I want to be Ng Mang Tat, but he said to me, I must set my goals higher. Goals shoots at the moon, while the moon shoots at the stars, but it is possible there will be missed shots at the stars, so that's why he gave me the lead actor role in My Sweetie!"
At the coffee stand, Sammy praised the female boss' cup of coffee, and that she should be like Moses Chan, have a Coffee Confidental Series. In turn, the female boss praised Sammy, "You're more handsome than Moses Chan!" [FACE] asked Sammy, advancing into the TV industry, does he want to be a Moses Chan? Sammy denied: "At this age, I already done what I could do. Even if I could do something, I already tried and really can't do it. I don't have much motivation to start, but actually thinking of retirement. I just participated in one series, can that bring me to the next level? Where else could I go? What place is like the TV station, we can be working nonstop, day and night for 3 months? After I completed this series, I think I won't be in another series in the next few years."
Biggest Regret: Didn't Take Graduation Pictures with Parents Sammy's birth name is Leung Chi Kin. He graduated high school with a high score to enter famous school New Asia College of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. After graduation, he was recruited by the School of Journalism and Communication. After studying at university for one year, he was hired by CRHK after participating in the Chik Chak DJ competition.
"Many people think its great to be a college graduate and think college is the most important part of life. However, in my first year of college, I already joined CRHK and it was an eye-opener for me. It changed my views on life. I knew the world was big, studying is not the only path to success. Even if I'm the only one who went to college in my family, among my friends and in my neighborhood, but I don't think it's anything big. I even forced my parents to think like me. So, wearing the graduation hat and participating in the graduation ceremony, I never took a picture with my parents. I didn't even tell them to go to the graduation reception! I started regretting 16 years ago, that I never taken a graduation picture with them. I remember in kindergarten, my mom was at the entrance and once she saw the principal coming, she got on her knees and exclaimed, 'Please accept my son into this school!' My grades were pretty good in first and second grade, my father transferred me to La Salle. The day of the admission test, it was raining hard and my father's taxi tie blew out. I was sitting in the car watching my father put a plastic bag over his head and started pushing the car to the gas station...my mom kneeling to the principal, I felt so embarrassed, I just kept telling her to get up, 'If I don't go to this school, then I'll go to another one!' My father transferred me to the school and because I was new to the school, I didn't have any friends, so I was upset at my father for a very long time..."
Sammy continued: "In the past, I thought parents are obligated to care for their children, but now I'm a parent myself, I understand that isn't true. My son got into La Salle on his own, I have never knocked on the school's doors. Classmate reunion parties, I don't want to go, but my wife forces me to go. I see other parents, after talking to the principal, their hands and feet shakes...those parents are a certain age and are big business people, but for their children, their hands and feets shake. You think my mom didn't know it's embarrassing to be on her knees in front of the principal? Everything they did was for me, they knew it wasn't good, but they still did it."
"I am ashamed, I'm a parent myself and I may not do the same for my children. I'm the son and I'm always forcing them to accept my views. I remember in college, I chose to study journalism, and my mom asked me, why didn't I choose to be a doctor. I just refuted back at her, saying 'I don't like it'. Everything they did for me was just so I could go to a good school and get into a good university, but in the end, I didn't even let them go to my graduation ceremony."
In college, Sammy been in two relationships, but it wasn't until after he entered CRHK and met Veronica that he found true love, married her and had two kids. Sammy said: "Let me tell you something, its very funny. I went with my wife to see the doctor, and while we were waiting for the bus, she was looking at flyers related to ADD. Then she said to me, 'Fickleness! Is that a disease? Its talking about you!' I answered her, 'I'm ill, but I don't want to... those people say once married, then won't look at another woman, that is such a lie! I know I'm an unfaithful person, that's why when I go out, I close the door and won't let any woman have the opportunity! I don't want trouble. A man must think of the outcomes, he can control whether he makes mistakes or not. However, my thoughts really can't be controlled, so I always write love stories, radio dramas and produced Colours of Love, so I could satisfy my imaginations!"
Sammy said he doesn't try to be romantic, nor does he try to please his wife. Each day, he doesn't say "I Love You", but rather "You've gotten older!". The only thing he would do is to give his entire income to his wife to handle and that's already a thousand words said: "Of course I'm grateful, there is a woman willing to accept my weaknesses and give up her career to handle everything around the house for me. She treats our kids pretty good, taught them to be so well-behaved!"
Source: FACE Magazine, Credit: HKChannel
Translated by: aZnangel @
AsianEU Forum
