Jack Hui Recalls His Days As a Struggling Actor

Come Home Love: Lo and Behold <愛‧回家之開心速遞> made Jack Hui (許家傑) a household name. Debuting in the industry more than a decade ago after competing in Mr. Hong Kong 2009 in a dark horse win, Jack initially thought that his career would be smooth-sailing. There was a brief honeymoon phase when he received a lot of media exposure and job opportunities, but once the next Mr. Hong Kong winner William Chak (翟威廉) emerged the following year, Jack’s job volume diminished and he became just another contract employee at TVB.

An auditor prior to entering the television industry, Jack did not know anything about acting and had to start from scratch. Wanting to improve and get more filming experience, Jack did not mind taking on no-name bystander roles in the beginning. With minimal jobs, Jack managed to scrape by.

Ridiculed by Peers

One of the toughest blows to Jack’s confidence occurred when he was faced with negativity among his peers. “When I was still a nobody and didn’t have another job outside of filming, the days were very hard to get by. When I had dinner with friends and they asked what I did for a living, I told them I was a TVB actor. They laughed and said they’ve never seen me [on screen] and proceeded to ask how much I earn. When I told them I made roughly $10,000 Hong Kong dollars, they were skeptical and asked, ‘You’ve been working for four to five years and you’re only making HK$10,000? How do you survive?’.

“At that time, I thought to myself – I have enough to sustain myself and I love what I do. This isn’t a problem.”

Jack’s days as a struggling actor were understood by his closest friends in the industry, which include Alan Wan (溫家偉), Calvin Lui (呂熙), and William Chak. The men became good friends as they faced similar hiccups in their careers post Mr. Hong Kong days. Frequently playing basketball together, they also host middle school competitions to share their life experiences with students.

Eager to Continue Improving

Despite Jack’s hardworking ethics and positivity, it took eight years before his big breakthrough came in Come Home Love: Lo and Behold, where he finally gained widespread recognition and approval from viewers. Stating that his family has been unconditionally supportive of him and his choice from the beginning, Jack was unable to hold back tears when he talked about how his aging grandmother can now finally see him on television.

Thanks to his popularity in the long-running sitcom, Jack began receiving other filming opportunities as well, including his roles in Airport Strikers <機場特警> and Al Cappuccino <反黑路人甲>. Juggling concurrent filming schedules between Lo and Behold and other dramas meant Jack has little time to rest, but he does not mind the sacrifice. “Although it’s double the amount of hardship, it’s also double the rewards. Because of the hardship, I’ve come to realize what my weaknesses are. Other people may take three years to learn the same [lesson], but I only used one year to figure out what my problems are and resolve them immediately. I need to thank the company for giving me so many opportunities.”

Source: Sky Post

This article is written by Su for JayneStars.com.