“Line Walker” Moses Chan Tests His Limits: “Do 99 Percent No Matter What”

Moses Chan’s (陳豪) very first TVB drama was 2000’s Healing Hands II <妙手仁心II>, seventeen years ago. The past two decades have been filled with highs and lows for Moses, but no matter how hard the struggles may be, it is always important to keep an open mindset and chase for happiness.

“Sometimes, you won’t be in your best shape,” said the TV King. “Sometimes, you’ll even come across a role where you’ve played before. These circumstances happen all the time. I would tell myself that no matter what happens, I must give 99 percent. I have to try my best to do my part.”

Moses: “TVB is Learning Center”

In 2017’s Line Walker: The Prelude <使徒行者2>, Moses played Victor Ngai, an educated, bone-chilling triad boss who is also the show’s main antagonist. Moses’ last villain role was 2012’s Master of Play <心戰>, in which he played a serial killer.

Moses admitted that he originally had a different take on portraying Victor. He envisioned the role to look much more menacing, with a tattoo-ridden body. Though his suggestions were ultimately not considered, Moses still had complete trust and respect for the production crew: “I should use this opportunity to challenge myself. After all, I’ve learned so much from this learning center [TVB], and I wanted to see how far my learning has come. I wanted to test my limits.”

Currently, Moses is starring alongside Bobby Au-yeung (歐陽震華) in the TVB anniversary drama My Ages Apart <誇世代>. The role is very different from Victor, and Moses considers it to be another acting challenge.

Unlike many of his acting peers, Moses never struggled to break character. Method acting is a good technique to train skill, but Moses advises rookie actors to use it with caution. “It’s not a bad idea, but you must know how to use it. Unless the script is very detailed with the character, it is understandable to do so. If everything just scratches the surface, putting yourself into such a deep situation can put you at a disadvantage.”

Asking if he had felt extreme pressure trying to keep cool for his role in Line Walker, Moses laughed and said, “Not really! The primary purpose of my character was to meet girls anyways. Killing people was only secondary! It was okay!”

Family Dictates His Career Direction

Most actors of Moses’ generation have already left TVB to challenge other acting industries, but when asked if Moses would do the same and eventually leave the station one day, he gave a very ambiguous response.

“I am always looking for opportunities to develop myself,” he said. “There are many things to do outside, and it would always make me think if I should hold onto that opportunity. I’ve put a lot of thought into it. Right now, I’m looking for what would suit my family the best.” Moses added that he would always keep a happy and positive mindset, saying, “I always hold onto happy and positive thoughts whenever I do things. There’s nothing that is impossible to get out of. It’s important to learn how to consider things in all angles. Consult more people and ask more questions, then analyze them.”

When considering his past seventeen years at TVB, Moses said he had worked on many productions that were worth treasuring and remembering. “From my first TVB drama Healing Hands, to my first costume drama Where the Legend Begins <洛神>, and then to a comedy like Family Man <絕世好爸>. They were all huge turning points of my life.” Moses is also thankful of his teachers at TVB, including producers Catherine Tsang (曾勵珍), Jonathan Chik (戚其義), Lau Ka-ho (劉家豪), and Miu Siu-ching (梅小青).

Raising a Family of Five

In 2013, Moses married his Master of Play costar Aimee Chan (陳茵媺). The couple have three children, all under two years apart. An involved father and a loving husband, Moses expressed the importance of keeping children active. “Learning doesn’t just end at education. There are many things that the kids have to catch up on, which is why I highly recommend kids to take up an after school activity, such as sports.”

Asking if Moses would enroll his children in overseas schools, Moses said, “It’s something that we’re going to eventually do. Right now, I really want them to spend more time in Hong Kong to learn their Chinese well.” Both Moses and Aimee were educated overseas—Moses attended college in Australia, while Aimee is native to Canada.

Though Moses is very involved with his children, he hopes to be able to avoid becoming a “monster parent.” He said, “The environment of this society creates monster parents. It’s not that we want to be monsters—we’re all just learning how to survive in this educational system. Every parent would want their children to get into good schools, and these schools want to accept more kids with different backgrounds, so parents are pressured to keep their kids competitive. They want them to learn faster so they’re guaranteed to meet their target. Honestly, I prefer taking a more relaxed approach to educating my children so they learn things at their own pace, but on the day of [school] interviews, an unprepared child would encounter 20 to 50 other prepared children. That is when you truly know who is in the winning side.”

Though he only had two dramas released in 2017, Moses did not purposely try to decrease his workload. “My work has always been managed by TVB. Nowadays, I film only two to three dramas a year. It’s just a coincidence that Line Walker and My Ages Apart came out at around the same time. I don’t expect myself to do less work, but on important days, like my kids’ birthdays or schooldays, I expect myself to be available for them.”

With three young kids close in age, Moses and Aimee would sometimes have disagreements, but their children comes first no matter what. Moses added that it’s also important to maintain their husband and wife relationship. “Many couples disregard this after having kids, but sacrifices and compromises must be made for each other. Keeping that love and fire for each other is important.”

There is never a boring moment for Moses and Aimee with three kids. Moses pointed out that the most ideal situation is for both Moses and Aimee to take turns working. Once the kids grow older, Moses and Aimee can then spend more time with each other.

Besides his acting career, Moses also had forays into the coffee and dessert business. He hopes that his knowledge of coffee brewing could open up a new career for him. He has shared his intentions to open another coffee shop.

Asking if Moses prefers his children to join the entertainment industry or to manage his coffee business, Moses laughed and said, “Then that would be something for them to decide. I cannot tell them what to do for their future. I can only help them build their foundation—as for what they want to do for their own future, I will leave that to them. They need to constantly learn how to challenge failures and loneliness. As a parent, my job is to train them to become independent.”

Source: On.cc

This article is written by Addy for JayneStars.com.