When Raymond Wong debuted, he was spotted by director Johnnie To, who brought him into the film industry. However because Johnnie saw no improvement in his acting, Raymond went through a period of time where he had absolutely no jobs. This happened about 6 years ago before he joined TVB. From this past experience of seeing no future, Raymond learned to cherish his career and family.
Fear of Having to Pay the Crew's Lunch BillReporter: Before entering TVB, how did you get through 9 months of no work?
Raymond: I relied on my family and savings to survive. People are inert. When one does not know what type of job they will be facing, it is difficult to try and advance on anything, so then just hea your life away! Actually I felt really discouraged those 9 months before entering TVB. I basically just had enough for basic living expenses. I went to work first by taking the subway and then connecting to a bus. During my lunch hour, I would eat elsewhere because I didn't dare to eat with the staff, I was afraid they would ask me to pay for the bill!
Reporter: When you first went from the film industry into the TV industry, did you feel like you got demoted?
Raymond: I didn't think that way. I just wasn't used to a lot of it and it seems like my acting was worse than before! In the beginning, I was avoiding work and it was a pretty big deal! It wasn't until
Sweetness in the Salt that things started picking up again. My interests came back then.
Reporter: Avoid going to work, that big of a deal! Have you thought of giving up?
Raymond: Nope! I was under a contract! I was feeling unhappy, but it was just because of the transition, I thought I could handle it.
Reporter: You're not a 'biological son' (TVB management artist), why did TVB still let you take on the leading roles?
Raymond: Five years ago, the competition was still very fierce. In the recent years, Kevin Cheng, Ron Ng, Bosco Wong and many Siu Sangs went out to make more money, so more opportunities landed on me.
Handsome is UselessReporter: You've been married for 7 years, do you and your wife still have romantic times? Has your wife complained you're boring?
Raymond: For many years already! My life is totally boring! My wife likes to go out and try different foods, but I'm always eating at the canteen. I won't try out new things. My wife says: "You weren't like this when we were dating!" I answered: "Every man isn't like how they were before marriage. That time I was trying to marry you!" But I think its good to try out new things from time to time, so nowadays I usually invite friends out to eat and have them do the recommendations.
Reporter: Does your wife usually accommodate you?
Raymond: She does! She's the one who gave up on her dream, I can still pursue mines.
Reporter: What is her dream?
Raymond: She wants to open an art exhibition, but actually she studied oil painting at the art school Emily Carr Institute in Canada before. The same school Wing Shya studied in. The school only accepts a few Chinese students each year. My wife also hopes to develop her career further, but she has to look after our two sons now, so she doesn't have the time anymore.
Reporter: Your wife came from a wealthy family, was there pressure on you?
Raymond: My wife and her family are completely financially independent. Back then, she worked part-time while studying to make her own money because her father was 10 times more strict than my father. My father-in-law believes discipline will help his kids be able to survive where ever they go, so my wife is trained well. She's very tough, she can take care of the entire garden on her own. People in the industry know she's very strong. Even if the director did something wrong, she will go tell him off!
Reporter: Consider having more children?
Raymond: No more, can't handle it! Don't even mention the financial issue, can't distribute the love evenly! Luckily my oldest son loves his little brother a lot. Usually he's very rough, but then he'll go secretly give his brother a kiss, smile and then walk off. It's rare, but this was one of my hopes.
Reporter: Do you think you're handsome?
Raymond: In terms of my five sense organs, of course I cannot say I'm ugly, but there are so many people in the country, there are handsome guys everywhere! I think its useless being handsome in this industry. The reality is the females cannot make it to the front line without beauty, but the males can still be on the front line without being handsome! As an artist, the most important is to encounter a good role and acceptance from the audience. Also, its about how much effort you put into the performance, the looks are secondary.
Kevin Cheng Warns Him to be CarefulReporter: How do you counter entice from the opposite sex?
Raymond: It is difficult to maintain a marriage. I might be going to Mainland for work soon, many people warned me to be careful, especially Kevin Cheng. He said: "Brother, you have a wife. You really have to be careful, you might get into trouble at any point in time!" Today, I came here to do this interview with you, I still hope to keep my family forever, but perhaps two weeks later or two years later, the media might catch me with another girl. Life is difficult to predict, it's hard to promise anything!
Reporter: If it really has to happen, then it could happen in HK too!
Raymond: I don't have too much of a craving for this! I try to avoid as much as I can. If I don't have a close friend or my manager with me, I try my best to avoid nightlife. Even during social gatherings with drinking involved, I keep it at a minimum and decline to others' request of taking pictures with them. Also, when I'm out at night, I keep my alcohol expenses low, around HK$2000 or HK$200. Unless I'm out to meet girls, otherwise without a purpose, I could just tell my friends to come over to my house and we drink there! Working in this industry is so tiring, is it really worth taking the chances to lose everything all at once?
Source: Oriental Sunday #806, HKChannel
Translated by: aZnangel @ AsianEU Forum
