Fala Chen Reveals Why She Left TVB
After working at TVB for seven years, Fala Chen (陳法拉) decided not to renew her contract after it expired in May. Fala opted to fly out to the United States and continue her studies. Earlier, it was reported that Fala and her boyfriend, Daniel Sit (薛世恆), had a fight because his parents did not approve of Fala’s spending needs for her new entertainment company. Despite the breakup, Fala maintains a positive attitude and often provides updates via her Weibo blog.
Holly is Fala’s Reflection?
Triumph in the Skies 2 <衝上雲霄II> hit the TV screens today and the interviewer asked if Fala’s own life was mirrored in her character, Holly, who suffers a bad breakup and eventually finds her direction again with the help of Francis Ng (吳鎮宇) and Chilam Cheung’s (張智霖) characters. She responded, “I’ve also thought about this because there are a lot of similarities. Holly lacks direction and only found her confidence when she decided to become a pilot. She’s somewhat like me; we’re both slightly lost but we have ambition, and that’s what will drive me to overcome obstacles.”
When she was filming for Triumph in the Skies 2 last year alongside Francis, Fala noticed that there were major differences between them. During the filming process, she was tired and felt like she was going to snap, unlike Francis who maintained a calm demeanor. It was then she realized that she needed a break from the pressure. However, she does not put the blame on TVB and states that it is her own stubborn personality that put her in this position. “I grasp every opportunity when it comes without thinking whether or not it is suited for me. Because of this, I’ve been exhausted, and worst of all, I’ve neglected loved ones along the way.”
Remaining Years To Come
Dubbed as the second Michelle Ye (葉璇), who left TVB in order to pursue higher dreams and ambition, Fala believes that there are many actors nowadays who simply look for the fame and fortune behind acting. She states that her main goal is to create work that stretches across decades and remain in people’s hearts for generations.
Fala has already spent the last 7 years acting in non-fulfilling roles and at the age of 31, she no longer has time to waste. Putting her plans in action, she enrolled in acting classes in the United States to enable her to continue growing as an actress to fulfill her dreams.
“I am an actress and will continue to focus on my career. The least that I should do is to have a common ground with the audience, instead of continuing to throw small tricks. I left because I wanted to clear the tricks from the last 7 years.”
Source: ihktv.com
This article is written by Su for JayneStars.com.
I don’t understand her at all. :O
I also do not really understand her… It is great that she is continuing to act and build her career…
Another overrated actress……..she’s just gonna dwell slowly out of the limelight and will have to hook up with a rich old guy when her career dies down.
That’s what they said bout Michelle Ye.
she wants so be another hollywood star.
I don’t understand too… Jajajajaj Btw she really need to study more… Since her performance as crying in episode if triumph in the skies 2 bad perform of her.
i understand her but there is no need to be so direct. she may offend people with this. which may work against her in the future.
I understand her but I don’t see how she could offend anyone with this. She basically just showed what little self-confidence she has in her acting abilities 7 years ago and now, which is why she wants to improve and become good enough to her own standards by leaving her comfortable home TVB and taking acting classes in the US.
There are some quotes of her in the original article, which I think it would have been better is she expressed herself in a bit different way:
(but then ofcourse, it could also be a tactic used by the magazine to portray her differently as now i notice they use some of her quotes and write some comments around it. and I don’t know if the reporter left any related quotes out of the article.)
quotes:
「第一種人，是為了穩定的收入；另一種想出名，得到尊重；有人想在演戲上自我滿足，對我來說，這比較重要；還有第四種人，是為了留些好作品，紀錄這一代的故事，給下一代去看，這對社會好有意義，我的野心來自於此，我希望做一個有價值的演員。」
The first type of people: they do it for stable income.
Another type: they do it for fame and recognition.
There are also people who do it to gain self satisfaction, which is also important to me.
And there is the last type of people who wants to leave a good works, record a generations story for the following generations to watch. This is meaningful for the society. My ambition stems from this. I hope to become a worthwhile actrice.
Another quote about her studies in US:
「教授話，沒聽過有人像我這樣長時間演戲，原來我七年內演的時間可能已長過美國演員一生演的，究竟我還被榨剩甚麼渣？他也好有興趣收我這個病人。」
“Professors says, he never heard of anyone who has been acting for such a long time. It turns out that the time I spend on acting in these 7 years is comparable if not more to a complete career of an retired US actor, is there anything left to squeeze out of me? He is really interested to cure me (this patient).
ps: I’m not a professional translator. I’m sure there are many people who can do better translation. I tried my best to convey the messages/quotes.
I wonder what is her plan?
she doesn’t need to report what her plan is to us.
after all, didn’t you say you didnt like her?
What a sweeping statement. Then why bother making press statements about leaving TVB. Why bother at all?
It was a sincere question but it seems these days I make 1 statement and gets thrown a whole lot of others and negating my right to question, to wonder. I didn’t say I don’t like her. Surely you can differentiate between not liking a character, a person and a persona? You can’t? I can.
Coco was only expressing her view just how you are.
aren’t you doing the same thing to her?
funn:” I make 1 statement and gets thrown a whole lot of others and negating my right to question”
never mind funn there will always positive or negative response if you speak out your opinion,remember you have many supporters on this site who likes your reviews,keep up the good work!
Surely you can differentiate between not liking a character, a person and a persona? You can’t? I can.
^ sounds like a personal attack to me.
never mind funn there will always positive or negative response if you speak out your opinion,remember you have many supporters on this site who likes your reviews,keep up the good work!
^ I am sure she knows that herself and she’s backed up by Jayne .
I agree with you completely. If you didn’t like her, then you should blog here.
It’s nice to find out why she left TVB.
You over-reacted to Funn’s question. It was just a simple question, you didn’t have to be so rude.
@Coco
“t was just a simple question, you didn’t have to be so rude.”
I think you’re the one who are overreacting. Coco’s comment was direct and simple.
Coco is right because Fala doesn’t need to report what her current plan is to us. Just how CC doesn’t need to report back on why she chose Surrey to live, instead of other suburb cities in Vancouver.
It wasn’t a personal attack.
@Cassie
First of all, I never said that Coco was wrong. But like you said, it was “direct” but more than that, it was TOO direct. It sounded like Coco was trying to attack Funn because of her question: “after all, didn’t you say you didnt like her?”.
Second, Surrey is a completely different topic on a completely different article so there is really absolutely no reason to bring that up since I also did not say anything about that.
Last but not least, unless you are Coco, you have no right to say whether or not “it wasn’t a personal attack” because only Coco would know that.
Victoria,
you also have no right to say that Coco over-reacted. How would you know that Coco over-reacted.
Perhaps, the way Coco asked Funn if she didn’t like Fala was a bit too direct but it didn’t seem it was a personal attack, just a question that was asked in a wrong tone.
@Mandee,
I do have a right to say that Coco over-reacted because that is just how I feel. It is just my opinion and I don’t need anyone’s approval or agreement on it. We are all entitled to our own opinions. However, no one has the right to represent someone else unless they are their guardian/parent, spouse, or can somehow magically know what the other person is thinking.
Also, indeed Coco might not have meant for it to be a personal attack but it just sounded so. Even you agree that it was a bit too direct and done in a wrong tone. With that, how can a misunderstanding not happen, if it really is a misunderstanding.
Why do you all keep saying you have a “right” to say something or think something? just come right out and say “cause I said so” it’s that simple.
@Funn,
Agreed, what is her plan? Does Fala have one?
Even Fala knows that her acting is an issue so why is she the female lead in TITS2?
Fala left TVB after that article about Eliza Sam being higher paid than Fala. Maybe this is another reason Fala left?
Sorry, but why do I keep seeing a man’s face up there?
“but why do I keep seeing a man’s face up there?”
Oh come on, she is pretty. I mean she looks great in those costume drams. Definitely not a man’s face, if anything just not a good picture.
I am still looking forward to her appearance in Da Mo Yao.
Her plan was probably to marry daniel sit… guess not now
“no money = no love”
Again?
Fala is not like that, ive actually met in person
Her*
Just meeting someone in person does not prove anything… You can know someone personally for years and years or even your whole life and not know them that well..
@ HeTieShou
Quite true. Just like reading a couple of articles about a person doesn’t mean you know the person or even that the articles are true to begin with!
Funn,
her plan:
“The first is to stabilize income; second is to become famous; third is to be respected. I want to be a valuable actor. In the future I will focus on the cause in acting. Every woman’s dream is for a man to give her the sky, but ultimately it is up to us.”
I would say a valid plan. of course naysayers will say…
The first is to stabilize income – an actor’s income is never stabilized. Some may say her relationship with an income generator is already good enough.
second is to become famous – I thought she is?
third is to be respected – I suppose that’s why she left TVB. She got bored.
It seems like she is hinting on trouble in paradise and now it is up to herself to earn a living.
Da MO Yao may give her 1, 2 and 3. Again I am highly anticipating that series.
Based on these, it’s very vague.
because she isn’t contracted, a freelance artiste, her income is very instable right now.
2. famous- probably to be famous on the movie stage?
3. valuable actor- probably will lead her to selecting roles and the script. Sounds like Jessica Hsuan/Charmaine Sheh.
Good luck! 😀
“The first is to stabilize income”
Maybe Fala thought she had this part down (with Danial Sit)? Who will replace Daniel?
“second is to become famous”
I didn’t think her star is THAT big either.
“third is to be respected”
Well, maybe Fala needs to respect others first (like peers, SO, etc.)?
“Every woman’s dream is for a man to give her the sky, but ultimately it is up to us.”
And, will the woman give the man his dream?
Good luck to Fala!
It’s important to be able to refocus and to leave a deep impression on audience. I also believe that if an actor/actress can leave a deep impression on just one person, that’s pretty good.
She never impressed me either with the her look or acting. And her accent was kind of weird too.
“During the filming process, she was tired and felt like she was going to snap, unlike Francis who maintained a calm demeanor.”
I guess this is why there are negative rumors about Fala and the Triumph2 cast and crew?
Fala Chen, I wish you luck. However, if you want to be successful in the entertainment industries, you need to be more flexible. Acting is important, but good social skills and flexibility are just as important to a professional artiste.
I agree with you cherry, I think her priorities on making money is higher than acting. I’ve seen most of her dramas ever since she came out of the pageant and her acting still isn’t all that great. I think the acting class she is taking is probably a cover up or excuse to leave TVB and look for better opportunities.
LMAO, that is not at all what Sandcherry said so it’s hilarious that you “agree” with her.
@advo I agree she needs to be flexible if she wants to succeed and I just added in my point of view on it. I don’t know how that’s funny. I’m glad you find it funny though.
If you say so, lol
Exactly. It’s good that she has ambitions, and people may like her because she’s so honest and direct and not “goody goody,” but that’s just not how it works in any industry, much less the entertainment. You have to be a team player and have people skills, and sometimes you have to take one for the team.
And to be honest, her acting is not that great anyways. She’s very bland, like Linda Chung and Niki Chow. Not horrible, but pretty much forgettable. I feel that they can’t connect with the audience when they’re acting.
goodbye Fala! Bring on Fala II clone.
lol u referring to Rebecca Zhu? I think she’s even worse especially in Silver Spoon.
Rebecca Zhu looks like Fala Chen at some angles. However, it will take her a long time to reach Fala’s level – Cantonese and acting skills. It is true that TVB may promote her highly to replace Fala.
Fala has always been known for being straight forward and I appreciate that. Many artistes just say what the company wanted them to say but she’s one of the few that actually speak for herself. I’ve never been a huge fan of hers but I liked her personality as an artiste, she doesn’t seem superficial.
Her first job was at TVB so therefore she didn’t really get a chance to explore other opportunities and now she’s taking classes and participating in films to help her decide what’s suitable for her. I do remember seeing her post about the series on weibo several times so I doubt the source of this article is legit. Every artiste have haters and I’m assuming someone really didn’t like her so therefore they start rumors about her.
I also like Fala as an artiste. However, her strong attitudes and lack of flexibility and social skills will jeopardize her a lot in achieving her success in her acting career. Good acting skills are just a bonus to an artiste, but too many artistes still survive and achieve big success without any good acting skills because they know how to get good connections and please producers, directors, and investors. If an artiste does not get any opportunities to act or film, he or she will never be successful no matter how good his or her acting skills are.
I hope Fala will understand the rules.
I’m pretty sure she understand how the rules goes given she’s been in the industry for 7 years she is well aware of how it works in the industry. I think she just refuse to suck up to executives and please other people, she doesn’t seem like that type at all. She just want to get the success without depending too much on others. I guess her personality is similar to mine, I’m really direct as well even if it may offend others but I’m sure there are some people that appreciate that quality of hers. She gets opportunities for sure it’s just that some executives or producers are use to being pleased by the artistes and she’s just one of the few that doesn’t. Even though she may not get much opportunities as others but I think she’s the type that would appreciate more if people recognized her as a good actress than those that just get the recognition they deserved because of other reasons. She’s not a very consistent actress but she’s definitely not the worst, she’s definitely improved over the years. I think it’s too early to judge her in Triumph In The Skies 2. She have a lot of principles and and I respect that she’s sticking to it.
you say fala doesn’t have opportunities? kidding right? what about her two supporting actress award? what about her many first lead roles? fala also hot to be female lead in laughing gor movie! if fala ‘doesn’t get opportunies’ then nancy and elaine must be equivalent of homeless in tvb!
it’s just this. fala has much higher ambition than what tvb can offer her. she wants to be a movie actress when tvb can only give her the tv box and wants extreme freedom. she shouldn’t have gotten into tvb in the first place since she should be aware that tvb won’t be able to make her a movie queen that she wanted.
I don’t think Fala wants to be a movie actress, did you read the article? She wants to try other opportunities while she still gets the chance too. You think everyone who signed to TVB want to keep on participating in TV series forever? They want to try TV series, movies, short films, stage….etc. She signed to TVB because she wants to give it a try, it’s not like she never appreciated it. Out of Kate, Myolie, Linda and Tavia….Fala is the least well known she definitely gets teh least opportunities compare to the,. It’s not relevant bringing up Elaine or Nancy, they’re second line actresses at most where Fala’s place is above them. Even though she won awards it doesn’t really mean much, Led Zeppelin never won a Grammy but it doesn’t mean they suck(one of the greatest band alive). To be honest about half of the awards some artistes at TVB gets is undeserving and we all know that.
Fala said she wants to win an oscar in her previous interview. If she doesnt want to be in the movies, how is she gonna win an oscar?
I’m pretty sure winning an Oscar is almost every artiste’s dream, I don’t think she solely wants to be a movie actress I just think she wants to be in a different environment right now.
good one nicole. and austin do you hear other artistes talk about want to win an oscar? how are you so sure? only fala in tvb ever talk about it seriously. she should’ve joined the movie industry from the start and not lament now about her stalled 7 years in tvb when she should’ve known the limit that tvb can offer! don’t tell me she doesn’t know. besides fala already got great treatment and promotion along her 7 years compared to better actresses who still haven’t got as much opportunities as her
Just because Fala mentioned it once doesn’t really mean anything, I know other artistes have similar ambitions. Besides I don’t see what the fuss is about she just wants to find other opportunities than in TVB like Steven, Kevin, Jessica, and Sammul does. I don’t see how that can be a negative thing to explore other opportunities. I’m not saying she don’t get opportunities but she’s not really well known compared to other leading actresses and there is a reason for that. Look at Tony Leung, he was a TVB actor then became a film actor. He never regretted it. It’s like choosing a major like you were interested in Psychology for years then later on decide to change it because you’re done with it and found out it’s not suitable for you so you change it. She’s human, the only way to make decisions and live life is to try different things and that’s exactly what Fala is doing I don’t see why we should criticize her for living life and wanting to do something different when she reached to a certain part of her life where she’s no longer the same person she was when she signed with TVB especially when she had different goals and ambition from when she joined the company and leave the company.
Especially when we all been through that stage in life.
People may have that dream, but if i dont even see sheren or gallen or [insert name of any hk actor] proclaiming so.
Maybe you think that she is just telling everyone her dream, but think if christine kuo says “i want to win an oscar”, how bad will the backlash be from the netizens?
Well, falas acting may be better than christine, but not that much better. They are both still light years away from cate blanchett.
I remember her comment on winning an Oscar now and that was years ago, shouldn’t really take that seriously. Her ambition now is to try different things, I’ve seen teen starts starting out saying they want to win an Oscar too. When I was a freshman in high school my ambition was getting into the honors roll and a scholarship but as time went by through my experiences that ambition and dream faded away and I started to have different ambitions and goals. I don’t think it’s fair to compare her dream to Sheren and other actors who are way above her, winning an Oscar leads more to the younger generation. As one gets older their dream and ambition changes all the time.
You said it yourself. When you are a freshman, your goals are getting on the honor roll, etc. Achievable goals, not earning more than warren buffett. Perhaps you do dream of earning more than warren buffet, but would you go on the news and proclaim that to the world when you are a geeky freshman?
Fala was much older (26-27?) than a freshman when she make her announcement to the media, much more experienced.
but she still havent learnt how to handle the media.
Perhaps you say you appreciate her honesty, but think of it this way. One day you see a very fat woman on the road. A child goes up to her and say shes very fat. Is the child honest? Yes, but his/her parents will reprimand her for being rude. Correct?
Honesty may not be the best policy in certain circumstances. I am a very straight forward person myself, and continue to be that in my own leisure, but learnt and corrected myself in the workplace. Someone else might have the worst proposal, or the most slapdash reports, but theres always a better way of telling them than honesty.
I was just using that as an example since I’m no where near Fala’s age so therefore I can’t provide another example which I experienced. I’m just saying even people older than her make changes in life whether they’re in their 30’s or 40’s, she just realized that TVB may not be the right place for her so she leaves. There is a different between that honesty and being rude, I don’t think Fala is being rude at all. She didn’t blame anyone for that but herself.
@ Nicole
Interesting analogy, except you know it makes no sense. Fala isn’t the kid in that situation, she’s the fat lady looking at herself in the mirror and admitting she’s fat.
@ Austin
Let me once again point you to the misogynistic ways of society. It’s OK for a man to say he wants to reach for the stars – he’ll only be admired and applauded for it. But if a woman has the audacity to do the same, shame on her! Woman are only allowed say they dream of getting married and having children, never openly speak of your ambitions for power, money and fame! Just look at Tavia vs. Kenneth. Both have openly spoken about their monetary ambitions, and every time Tavia is being called materialistic, greedy etc. while no one ever blinks an eye about Kenneth saying the same things.
The reason for the different treatment between tavia and kenneth, tavia has been talking about money in her interviews for years. Kenneth had been popular for a year, so there werent many interviews done on him, and not so many interviews for him to express his money mindedness. Remember when kenneth kept talking about his perverted ways, people were criticising him. Likewise, if someone says “im a christian”, ok cool. But someone who keeps saying christian virgin christian virgin christian virgin christian virgin christian. And don’t blame it on sexism. Both grace wong and vanness wu get trashed.
Are you seriously comparing monetary ambitions with sexual pervations? Talk about applea and oranges.
Kenneth has spoken about his ambitions for years. Given that both Tavia and Kenneth gain popularity due to THC, I fail to see this huge discrepency between their statuses. Tavia has her gang of die hard stans, but that has never translated into mainstream success.
No idea what you mean by Grace Wong and Vanness Wu but I never argued there are no exceptions.
She’s still rough as an actress but I appreciate that she realises that and are looking to improve. Fala is awfully blunt – which comes off as offensive to the PC police. If she was only like that about other people, it might be a negative trait, however she is also very honest about herself and her abilities/limitations. Therefore, I don’t think she comes off as arrogant. She’s just the straightforward type. Had she been a man, she would have been applauded for her honesty but as she is a woman, it’s considered bad style and something that needs “corrected”.
I think whether being straight forward is a good quality is subjective as some may find it offensive but some may appreciate the honesty. I personally like that personality trait of hers, at least we know she’s not fake. I don’t think she needs to change for anyone, she’s adored by people for who she is not someone who she pretends to be if that makes sense. Out of the other lead actresses she’s definitely one of the weaker ones but I give her credit for realizing that and is striving hard to achieve that success.
Honestly, I think TVB would be better off without her. I mean she is pretty and all, but her acting just isn’t quite there yet.
Agreed, the bottom line is … TVB needs to improve quality, which means filling each role with the best actor/actress. Sorry, Fala is not the best actress for the female lead role in TITS2. And, it is good that Funn is being straightforward about it in her episode recaps/critiques.
“The truth may hurt but sometimes it is very necessary.”
I didn’t know that based on the performance of an actress for first three episodes, it can determine if an actress is suitable or not.
I personally think that is quick to judge!
If Fala isn’t quite there yet, I would say that majority of the current TVB top fadans are not there yet!
Compared to other veteran actresses, such as Sheren Tang, Ada Choi, Maggie Cheung, Charmaine Sheh, it is true that Fala isn’t there yet. However, if we compare her with Linda Chung, Kate Tsui, Myolie Wu, she is about the same as these new top fadans.
I agree. I always thought that Linda Chung and Fala Chen enterred into tvb around the same time.
I mean linda chung= late 2003/4
fala chen= 2005.
Linda and Myolie are way above Fala in terms of acting. Kate has even jumped way ahead of her in the past year or so. The acting lessons would be good for Fala
Don’t quite agree. Personally I think Myolie Wu is the worst actress (in terms of her seniority) among the top fadans. I hope she will improve her acting skills eventually to deserve her TV Queen title. I haven’t seen much improvement yet.
For someone who couldn’t speak and understand Cantonese, I think Fala is doing great. Linda Chung spoke Cantonese when she entered TVB, and the rest of the fadans are local Hongkongers. Fala’s acting is pretty good now. If she can get rid of her accents, she will excel in her acting career.
Taking more acting lessons for any artistes will always be good to improve their acting skills. I hope Fala will get the benefits of her acting course.
Taking more acting lessons for any artistes will always be good to improve their acting skills. I hope Fala will get the benefits of her acting course.
^ Yeah that is true, or even taking a break from acting to recharge is also great!
Even if you ignore her accent, Fala’s acting is not that great. Also, she knew cantonese when she entered tvb, it’s just that she’s more fluent in mandarin i believe.
and I disagree about Myolie. 🙂
I seriously don’t think anyone in TVB right now should even be called a fadan. Like I think as of now, TVB is fadan-less.
agree. fala’s acting isn’t there yet. she still can’t carry a series on her own.
Crystal:
I agree with you – TVB does not have any decent fadans. None of the top 5 is good compared to the ones in old days, like Ada Choi, Kenix Kwok, Flora Chan, Jessica Husan, Charmaine Sheh, etc.
I still do not consider Charmaine a fadan, though she is a star, that is undeniable. The brightest star that TVB had because her generation and the ones before either got married, quit, moved away etc and the generations behind her who weren’t developed quite just yet.
In terms of acting, I would say that Charmaine Sheh is a better actress than Jessica Husan and even Flora Chan. Both Jessica and Flora speak their dialogues with just the same tone, very boring. I never think too highly of Jessica or even Flora. Sheren Tang, Ada Choi and Maggie Cheung Ho Yee are very good actresses to me.
I think the 90s fadans are quite good but some lacks range too. They are just quite set in a specific type of characters – because TVB also always gave them those.
The better ones are those who can more seamlessly move between good, grey and bad characters. In that sense, I agree that Flora and Jessica are lacking because they rarely go out of their comfort zone. But I disagree that they are boring to watch and that’s there main difference from the current fadans.
Speaking of the new crop of fadans, they have also been groomed to specific types of characters. Then in later years, they are attempting to cross over in “breakthrough” roles. E.g Tavia, Myolie and Linda with BROC, COTRH and GOL. As for how successful they were in those roles, I’ll leave that up for discussion. Fala is an example of the opposite direction. She went from bad seed roles to goody-goody roles. Some more successful than others e.g. MR vs. LO.
@sandcherry
Her acting isn’t quite there yet compared to the past fadans… the ones you mentioned.
I agree with what Anti-NoTalentDiva said. TVB needs to find more talented actors/actresses to fill in roles.
@cassie That’s my judgement of her so far from the number of different dramas she filmed and this one. Personally, I do hope her acting improves as the drama progresses because I do not want her to ruin the original TITS franchise.
out of the current fadan, fala is the one i admire the most.
good luck to her!
Besides acting, I really really like Fala’s personality.
Yea watever she said is kinda true, each needs to get a life. Goodluck to u Fala Chen! Her acting is not bad btw all she needs is confidence n acceptance.
She’s smart, pretty and her acting skill has improved, the most complete “Fa Dan” between another 4 : Tavia, Myolie, Kate, Linda. Good luck to Fala for her decision to leave TVB after 7 years contract 🙂
Fala Chen may become another Maggie Cheung Man-Yuk in film industries if she works hard on her acting skills and Cantonese. Agree that she is (at least to me) the prettiest, young, and smart actress among the other four. Her face is good for ancient and modern drama series/movies. Once her Cantonese is close to perfect, she can act any types of drama series and movies.
Good luck, Fala. With your stubbornness and strong will, I am sure you can do it.
Perfect cantonese isnt important as long as she can communicate. HK isnt where the money are these days. She can speak mandarin, her market can be in china. She can speak english, we have dealt with accented english in hollywood movies.
Yeah. Fala will be good for Mainland Chinese market. It will not easy for her though to enter Hollywood markets. Hollywood movies don’t usually have strong roles for Asian actresses.
She can always start on tv, theres always the token asian role on us tv series. She might end up like lucy liu. Other ways include being half asian(maggie q), learning kung fu(zzy) or running the red carpet marathon like fan bing bing.
I’ve said it before, but I think her age is against her for entering both the Mainland and Hollywood market.
IMO, her best chances is just taking challenging work wherever, whenever to build up her skills, versatility and credibility.
TVB actors are like dull knives. Get used too much and hardly ever any sharpening.
It’s not just Fala that has left TVB that has been many more in the last year or so and most have directed their interest to Mainland China because better work condition,more $$ and more interesting/substantial storyline. Others have gone on to the new CTI TV station – which I must add have alot of great TV series. They uploaded a few series on Youtube and the quality is by far better than TVB!!
Actors including Fala has obviously had enough of TVB and she has probably found that she needs to “spread her wings” and cultivate herself and improve on what she is lacking hence why she decide to go to acting school.
In terms of someone making a comment that she cant act/has a strange accent- well to be honest there are alot that have far worse than Fala Chan:
-Eliza Sam
-Christine Kuo
-Ocean Zhu
-Leanne Li
and suprisingly they are all Miss Chinese International winners (inclusive of Fala). They are obviously from overseas and their first language is NOT Cantonese.
The worse of all of them is Ocean Zhu. Her acting is awful, Cantonese pronunciation is awful yet TVB still gives her numerous opportunity in being in many TV series! WAT are they thinking? SHE looks like a man, but Fala!!
Talking about the above non-Cantonese speaking actresses, Leanne Li seems to be the least successful one. She won Miss Chinese International in 2005, same year as Fala Chen. In other words, both of them entered TVB in the same year and they both spoke only Mandarin at that time. Fala is quite fluent and good in Cantonese now compared to Leanne Li. Moreover, Fala’s acting is way better than Leanne’s. Leanne is not even a 1st supporting actress in any drama series, and Fala took a few 1st lead roles. How can we say Fala is not a good actress vs. Leanne Li?
Eliza Sam is fairly new. We should give her more time.
Christine Kuo has been with TVB for quite a few years and her Cantonese and acting are still quite bad. She has done many supporting roles already.
Oceane Zhu – I don’t know her well. Just noticed her in TITS 2, and she spoke mostly Mandarin. Is her Cantonese that bad?
In fact, there are some good supporting actresses with good acting skills, such as Nancy Wu, Elaine Yiu and Mandy Wong. I think TVB should promote them more and let them act 1st lead roles in some small productions.
Leanne is not successful, because she lacks ambition, she already spoke about that in her interview. Someone ambitious would have used her connection with WCL to get good roles in his series. Can you imagine, if she says cast me in “that cousin show” or you are not getting it. But she doesnt make use of her boyfriend.
Fala on the other hand, is very ambitious, as you can see from her aspirations. the way she managed to get the laughing gor role from rebecca zhu. And probably stomped on a lot of toes on her way, thats why theres always so many bad news about fala.
It would be nice if they can both find a balance. Both extremes arent that great.
Oceane Zhu has appeared in quite a number of series in the last few years, especially 2012. Someone a while ago made a comment that it was very annoying to see her in those 2 regular sitcoms, and then again see her in drama series that airs at 8.30pm and at 9.30pm! Its like WTF was TVB thinking ..in giving her soo much air time!!
Yeh her Cantonese is awful! Haha thats why she had to speak in Mandarin for TITS2 I rekon! Who knows!
The TVB series she’s appeared in were:
Be Home for Dinner (誰家灶頭無煙火) -current sitcom
Come, Home Love(愛·回家)- current sitcom
Super Snoops (加福祿壽探案)
When Heaven Burns (天與地) – Cameo
Queens of Diamonds and Hearts (東西宮略) – cameo, Fala was lead actress
Season of Love
Seargent Tabload (女警愛作戰)
A Great way to Care 2
Slow Boat Home
****
I agree Leanne Li has been the least successful, perhaps she was too slow in making an effort to improve her Cantonese, and hence why she only did hosting roles on TVB8 channel. TVB took Fala on giving her opportunity in better series than Leanne Li. I remember 1 of the very fast drama series in 2006 was Fala in Heart of Greed. That series was really good. Whereas for Leanne, she appeared in Love Guaranteed, which was a crap series. Its about the opportunity given to a newbie and i guess Leanne just didnt make the cut . Perhaps had to promote 2 new pageant girls in the same year?
It had to be 1 or the other. Tough decision for the TVB execs to make.
Yes, Eliza Sam is new and need to give her more time.
But I am just making a point that the above names mentioned all had problems with speaking the language when they first started out and it took a while for viewers to warm up to anyone of them.
Also it is personal preference to whom people like and dont like. Even though Fala’s accent isnt accurate, she has done quite well for herself and yes I agree that she should consider taking up classes to improve her Cantonese.
AS with Leanne Li – her cantonese has improved dramatically, but perhaps its too late for her…to much competition? She hasnt been in many great series lately! Its a shame.
I toally agree with you that 2nd line actresses need to be given more opportunity! Sharon Chan is also a perfect example.
If you plan to work in the entertainment industries, I think you need to have some kind of ambition (or drive) to make you achieve your goals. Lack of ambition will get you nowhere, especially for a female artiste. A typical example is Leanne Li. She did not do well because she’s lack of ambition. She was given many opportunities when she joined TVB, but she did not make good use of them. Now it is a bit too late for her as there are so many new and young actresses on board. TVB will not promote her highly any more. Therefore, we should not complain that Fala is too ambitious in getting her roles. If she didn’t, she might be another Leanne.
I meant Oceane Zhu looks like a man, not Fala.
TVB has been going downhill for quite sometime in terms of the quality of their drama series. Very evident even with Beauty at War, Awful Lawful, Slow Boat Home, Bullet Train. The current series thats just aired: Karma Rider is just boring/waste of time!
If TVB cant produce quality drama series for their actors/actress, then what incentives are them to stay? There are so many 2nd and 3rd line actors in TVB that has been in the industry for 10 years+ and still havnt had a big break, and not recognised. Although they are under the same company, its hard for people to move up.
Obviously Eric Tsang knows that quality is poor and have made effort to get former 90’s actresses to return and star in the new series: Aerobic girls:
Carman Lee (李若彤),
Angie Cheong (張慧儀),
Rachel Lee (李麗珍),
Elvina Kong (江欣燕),
Fennie Yuen (袁潔瑩),
Gloria Yip (葉蘊儀), and
Flora Chan (陳慧珊)
Now thats a big effort. So many havnt even acted in years! You think big names like those, will help boost up TVB ratings?
It’s a good thing Fala decided to take acting lessons, she needs them. There’s no denying she’s a pretty girl, but somehow she’s uncomfortable to watch. I think it’s partly because she overacts and partly because she sounds awkward when she speaks. She may want to consider taking some speaking lessons to help her articulate herself more naturally.
“She may want to consider taking some speaking lessons to help her articulate herself more naturally.”
——————————————————
You made a good point here. Perhaps that is the reason why so many people don’t like her. Fala may have to learn to speak more “smoothly and naturally”.
I think a lot of people don’t like Fala Chen because of her voice. She has a fairly strong and harsh voice. I think she should learn to speak more softly and lightly, which will be less irritating to most audience. Her acting is not bad, but she can improve the tone when she speaks her dialogues …………. not as harsh.
Put it this way, people expect entertainment industry figures to know how to suck up. If you don’t suck up, you lack that skill. That’s what I get from people. Apparently sucking up is a social skill that is critical and must be acquired, that is why it is a skill. So for those who wish to join the entertainment industry start working on this skill, sucking up. It doesn’t really work in the other fields, but it works well in the entertainment industry.
Perhaps, that is why Fala has all these negativity about her because she refuse to acquire such a skill. Michelle Ye was also another one who said ‘middle finger to you all, I’ll find another way’ Guess where she’s at now? A pretty darn successful business lady + an actress in her own productions… and she ain’t looking back. I hope Fala does something like that too.
Personally, I’d take a human being who speaks from her heart than those who speaks every word out of their bottoms. I think living that way is horrible.. every word that comes out you need to tailor it, re-phrase..repeat the cycle. Pretty sad to me.
I heard that Michelle’s relation to TVB is not that bad, but then again only she would know that for sure…
Well I see it like this.. when she departed and came back, she became second lead e.g. Lost in the Chamber of Love second to Myolie then her last TVB series The Herbalist Manual second to Selena Li.
Probably not bad bad, but she def did not like it there either. Or something about her made her realize she will never fit in. We all live to find ourselves, right? Then she made the more fitting decision
for herself and her success as an entrepreneur speaks for itself.
Fala will probably follow suit, perhaps not an excellent or profound actress as she wants herself to be but whats important is the route she takes and what she experiences. Maybe, she’ll also become a business lady? Who knows. We will see. All the best to her and her future.
Michelle Ye was a super ambitious actress even when she was with TVB. There were a lot of “invisible” fights between her and Charmaine Sheh at that time. TVB seemed to promote Charmaine more; she was not happy and left TVB for ATV. ATV was not doing well, so she got no choice but went to Mainland China. She had to struggle for quite a while because she got more roles to act. She did many supporting roles for a long time.
And it paid off and that’s all that matters.
It’s like would you force yourself to be in a setting where you’re contained for almost an eternity or go out and find something you truly want? I admire their courage, Michelle and Fala, to step up and say “My life, my goals, my future, I determine it and none of you can hold me back.”
No one said its going to be easy but Michelle got her bag of goods and is set for the rest of her life. Fala will get there, I strongly believe.
PS. I think the whole Charmaine and Michelle issues was due to Benny Chan. Lol.
Btw, about michelle, isnt some rich guy her godfather? Or were the reports just made up. The most important about the industry is about connections. Michelle had her powerful connections. Fala has/had hers.
Not surprised to hear that Michelle Ye has a rich godfather. She had been struggling for a long time in Mainland China and no one wanted to cast her. Then suddenly in the last 2 years, she became a successful businesswoman having her own production studio filming her own drama series. It is hard to believe it.
Again, good and powerful connections (with some rich investors) will definitely help an artiste fulfill his/her dreams and achieve his/her goals. As many people said, Fala’s rich ex-boyfriend has made it easier for Fala to survive in TVB.
I never heard any news about a rich god father, but I believe you’re referring to her father. Her father is a rich and wealthy business man, but I’m not sure if he is still rich.
As for Michelle and her success with her production company, there are various ways. I mean I’m sure she had savings from filming all those dramas, even supporting roles in China pays more than whatever HK pays their top artists so a start up cost for her should be no problem. All it takes is the right investment to make a company work. If you invest at the right time, with the right people, its actually really really hard to have a failed business.
Crystal, i just googled up michelle ye godfather, and there are tons of news.
http://a-listers.blogspot.com/2006/02/michelle-ye-recieves-999-roses-on-her.html
http://www.freewebs.com/michteahouse/decembernews.html
On her birthday/valentines day, she had dinner with her “godfather”. *mumbles mumbles*
Nicole,
When I read godfather, I was thinking of an actual godfather she had from like childbirth or something.. I didn’t think it was that erm that kind of godfather. LOL
Crystal:
You are very sweet and innocent, or you are not used to the terms used in Hong Kong/Mainland China.
“Godfather” in Hong Kong or Mainland China means “sugar daddy” ………. a guy who provides a woman (usually young and pretty) unlimited financial support.
Sandcherry,
If I didn’t know the term, I probably wouldn’t have confessed that the figurative meaning totally slipped my mind. I just didn’t think of it that way the first time I read Nicole’s comment. Cause in my mind the entire time I thought Nicole mistaken god father with her father cause Michelle does have a rich father. Lol.
No wonder Michelle Ye is so wealthy and successful now …………she has a rich godfather.
I don’t think the “fights” between Michelle Ye and Charmaine Sheh were because of Benny Chan. It was about the roles, screen time and appearances before the media when they were still the “Jea Chai” in TVB. I read many articles in those media magazines about Michelle Ye and Charmaine Sheh. Michelle Ye always wanted to show off and gain more appearances whenever Charmaine was around. That is why I don’t think highly of her. Charmaine worked very hard to improve her acting skills and get her status in TVB.
I am the opposite. I can relate to michelle and fala personalities more than charmaine. I also read charmaine threw a horrible no. 1 sis fit at Niki because she was dating Kevin at the time. That is also another reason why I am not fond of charmaine. Whether she was a wheel or not, idk just not a good vibe.
And also I still do not think highly of charmaines acting. The only.thing she got rid of is her chicken voice… everything else… shes still the same but lets be fair… I havent seen her mainland dramas and I just dont plan to. Lol.
I also read charmaine threw a horrible no. 1 sis fit at Niki because she was dating Kevin at the time.
————————————————————-
I guess Charmaine did it because she knew that Niki was still very much fond of Kevin Cheng at that time. There was nothing to do with her Sis #1 attitude, it was just pure jealousy because of Kevin Cheng.
Michelle Ye did it purely because of getting more publicity and moving up her status in TVB.
If you know Michelle Ye’s personality more, you will agree with me.
Acting is very subjective, and everyone has different tastes, opinions and expectations. I don’t expect that everyone like Charmaine Sheh’s acting. Personally I think she is a lot better and well-rounded actress vs. the so-called current top 5 fadans.
“No wonder Michelle Ye is so wealthy and successful now …………she has a rich godfather.”
That statement is so unfair to Michelle. If the reason why Michelle became so wealthy and successful now is due to her rich godfather, then how come it took her so long? Her godfather came in the picture since 2006, but she didn’t start her own production until 2012. She did struggle for awhile before she became what she is today. I think Michelle should be given more credit than just by having a rich godfather.
A rich godfather (or sugar daddy) definitely helps. If Michelle Ye did not have the money, how could she start her studio and production? Do you think an artiste of her ability could get her there?
I agree that Michelle Ye is a very smart person who knows how to get the best for herself. She showed it when she was in TVB. Her acting is not bad, but she did not get many roles and was not well-paid in Mainland China until maybe recently. How did she get so much money to invest in a studio and production?
@ swtlav3ndar
Agree. While the industry is notorious for casting couches and sugar daddies, it doesn’t mean everyone are subject to it.
If all it took for Michelle to be successful was a sugardaddy then why didn’t she just get one in her early days? She was younger and prettier so a far better target. Michelle struggled first with TVB, then ATV and finally the Mainland market. Or even as you suggest in 2006 where she was associated with the guy.
Similarly, when Fala decided not to renew her contract with TVB many declared well of course, she has her rich BF/husband. Except that their relationship is on the rocks, and she has lost her “safety net”. Yet she has still proceeded with her plans.
@ Sandcherry
Why wouldn’t Michelle have the money on her on? She’s income from countless movies and TV shows. Younger people like Yang Mi have set up their own production company so why wouldn’t Michelle be able to? It does not take that much to set up a company – it is the financing of projects that is difficult.
Sancherry,
I think its even worse when you throw an attitude at the ex girlfriend when she could have been the reason why niki became the ex girlfriend. Ofc this is not all on charmaine, takes two to tango, kevin obviously had hI share of blame. But the thing is, if you got the man and you see the ex… just look away.
She is def better than the current but thats like saying shes the best of the worst. That is why I never thought highly of her. She had the right timing to completely shoot up to be the gem of tvb. Everyone from her time and before were either leaving, got married or quit. And ofc the ones behind her could not carry the weight just yet…therefore she was basically at the top herself.
Eewww!!! Michelle Ye’s godfather/sugar daddy is almost 90-yo. That’s sooooooooo gross.
@sandcherry,
It was obvious that Michelle struggled after she left TVB because it was a “risk” at the time. However, she made a name for herself throughout the past years. Many artists produce their own series now. I wouldn’t assume that she relied on a sugar daddy to finance her studio. Michelle did film a lot of movies and Mainland series. Endorsements and promos add up. Also, she can ask other businesses to sponsor her productions.
Michelle left TVB for Media Asia–she wanted to start doing movies. She did ATV series as a favor to Wong Jing for helping her get the Media Asia contract. As she was filming movies she was also doing series as a freelancing actress…
She only did 2 ATV series produced by Wong Jing–she did not join ATV is what I meant. Filming movies pays you a lot of money–even if it is small roles. Look up how many films Michelle has to her name. She has been in over 20 movies (NOT SERIES)
And i remembered she once got butchered on the set of an ATV series. They used a real knife. Go figure.
I really enjoyed this interview of Fala, I never really cared much about her but after this interview I start to respect her more as an artiste. She’s not a great actress and she knows that the reason she gets negativity is because she refuse to suck up to others. Think about it, she just wants everyone to know who she really is so there is no surprises later on. We;ve seen in all in the industry where artistes are adored by many others but then scandals comes out saying they’re a liar, sex addict, and not who they really claim to be….etc. Then later on fans of those artistes feel betrayed and blame it on them since they looked up to them. Fala doesn’t want that, she don’t want to be perfect she just wants to be real which is something I admire.
🙂
Translation: i’m so better than TVB.
sushiroll that’s brilliant 😛
Better to leave before TVB gets any worse. One less competitor to the other actresses!
Triumph in the Skies 2 – lets hope Fala leave a lasting impression in her last TVB series! 🙂
P.s. seriously the lead song to TITS2 by George Lam is awful. THey should have kept the original Song sung by Eason Chan! Such a classic song!!
I think it takes a lot of courage to leave a job in which you are secure in. TVB wasn’t going to kick Fala out… TVB needed her name.
Fala could have just kept receiving the paycheck while doing dramas… but she wanted more. She finally hit the breaking point in filming TITS2 where she started questioning what she was doing.
I respect the courage to NOT accept the easy life, and instead risk her career in the hopes of becoming something better. There is no promise that this will work out in the future.
Best of luck Fala.
All the best Falan !!!
i love her in life if ommision but she needs treatment now in usa to overcome her love crisis
Whatever Fala makes some kind of decision, I’ll support her and wish her best of luck.