Loves reading novels
Last weekend, Hong Kong artistes Wayne Lai, Michael Tse and Shirley Yeung accepted an interview when they came to Singapore to promote their new dramas. Wayne revealed that he loves the Chinese culture and adores writing as well.
"When I first started memorising Tang poetry in primary school, because there weren't any games for us to play, and my brother loved culture, so we siblings competed with each other to see who can memorise the poetry fastest. As such, now I am able to memorise my scripts very quickly, haha!"
Wayne loves reading novels. He held up a book titled "The Alchemist: A Fable About Following Your Dream" (牧羊少年奇幻之旅) and said, "This book complements my views on life. I feel that everything in life has been arranged. I believe in destiny."
The tone sounded a bit negative at first, but after listening to Wayne's explanation, the whole thing sounded very positive.
"Everybody has his own route to walk. No matter what decisions one makes during the journey, the most important thing is the enjoy the experience, and not to just focus on the outcome. We can learn a lot from all these."
It is thus no wonder that he loves No Regrets' Lau Sing the most. He describes Lau Sing as a person who represents the destiny of all Chinese people. He was unable to choose when he was born, so he can only fulfill his responsibilities as a person of that era.
"Many people have said that I have suffered a lot in order to be what I am today. However, I don't feel any sufferings at all. Everybody has to work. In the past, when I was playing just small roles, I was also very happy. The company pays my salary."
Wayne Lai does not only measure success by the amount of money he has made, but also by how his dramas have impacted the lives of the audience.
The "ending" is not everything
Life is like a drama, and Wayne relishes the filming processes. However, the "end" of it is not everything.
When he was filming No Regrets, Lau Sing made him feel as if he is reenacting his own life.
"Lau Sing is like me, because he had married 2 times. When Lau Sing's sister passed away, it was like my own mother passing away as well. This role made me live through my life again."
Wayne used the word "fate" to describe the failure of his first marriage. "Divorce is also what destiny has arranged for us. 2 people are not together for just 1 or 2 days, but for a few years. We are unable to choose how we want to change. It is only at the end that we realised that everybody has changed."
As what he has written in his book, "The outcome is not important. The most important thing is what lessons you have learnt through the process itself. An artiste has to be very experienced before the audience is able to understand what he wants to portray."
No end to achievements in the entertainment sector
In 2009, Wayne won the My Favourite Male Character, tvb.com and the Best Actor awards based on his role as Chai Gau in Rosy Business, becoming the first actor to win 3 awards in one night.
Last year, he became a male lead again in No Regrets, winning the Best Actor award the second time round.
Wayne may have hit a new peak in his career and has become the advertisers' favourite, but he is humble about his achievements. "There is no end to what you can achieve in the entertainment sector. For example, I may think that Andy Lau is very successful, but he may think that Chow Yun Fatt is more successful than he is."
Meaning of life?
He answered in a zen-like manner, "I am still finding and searching for the purpose of life."
- Credits to Lianhe Zaobao
Comments: Haha, it's pretty interesting to note that Wayne loves Tang poetry. While I do love Tang poetry as well, I only started memorising them properly in secondary school, because well, I was forced to lol. =P
Wayne still hasn't changed his attitude towards life despite his success in his career. I wish him all the best! I'm really looking forward to both Forensic Heroes 3 (they should change the name seriously!) and The Great Eunuch! ^^
*PLEASE CREDIT DREAMLUCKY IF REPOSTED! THANKS! ^^
reading his interviews makes me admire him not only as an actor but as a person as well
ReplyDeleteThanks for translating the interview. Reading this, especially Wayne's love for Tang poetry, reminds me of how scholarly people in ancient times read and study so they can go to take the national test for a place in court.
ReplyDelete@Anonymous You're welcomed! ^^ I'm glad to be able to let people know more about Wayne as a person, because that's how his personality has shaped the roles he play... =D
ReplyDeleteI personally do love Tang poetry as well, but I find it a chore to memorise them. xD Do you happen to like Tang poetry?