Raymond Lam Misses His Yang Brothers

Since the early 1970s, TVB has cultivated many big stars in the Hong Kong television and film industry. Many internationally-acclaimed Hong Kong movie stars that we are familiar with today actually came from a small acting academy known as the TVB Artist Training Class, the first stepping stone to a successful career.

Eyes Film Industry

Raymond Lam (林峯), a member of the 13^th Artist Training Class, regards his days with TVB to be a bridge that will lead him to a successful movie career. The 33-year-old Xiamen-born actor openly admitted that filming movies will be his next target. “I have just jump-started my film career. I hope I will be able to try out different [film] roles in the future, which is why I will only be filming one television drama per year from now on.”

Although the upcoming Saving General Yang <忠烈楊家將> is not Raymond’s first film, the war epic is definitely the first big milestone of his movie career. “I already wanted to do films when I first joined the industry, but shooting television dramas and shooting films are completely different. Although the acting style I tend to use in my film roles is usually based on the designs of my television roles, television dramas can be really restricting. I’ve realized that sometimes what I use for television may not be suitable for film.”

The Asian Television Best Actor said that he always considered TVB television dramas to be a chance for him to train his acting, and he is thankful for his past opportunities. “Director Ronny Yu (于仁泰) is very supportive. As a rookie film actor, I now have more confidence is performing with my own acting style.”

On recalling his laborious filming experience in the action-packed Saving General Yang, which will open in cinemas worldwide on April 4, Raymond laughed, “I’ve been through worse! Maybe others think it is especially difficult for me because I’ve been playing a lot of weak, scholarly roles in the past several years. Actually, I was cast in many action roles when I first debuted, so I do have that background. In movies, you rarely shoot from day to night like what you do in dramas, so I have more time to prepare myself.”

The Yang Brothers

The cast of Saving General Yang spent many weeks filming large-scale war scenes in the desert. As a result, the cast – largely dominated by young actors – bonded quickly. Raymond expressed that he missed his Yang brothers, and said, “I am looking forward to doing the press tour for the film. I will be able to see everyone then. We are really as close as family!”

Raymond revealed that he and the other Yang brothers often pulled pranks on each other on set. Besides organizing a surprise birthday party for Wu Chun (吳尊), the boys would also group together to play video games. “Think of a bunch of armored soldiers playing on an iPad. It’s a funny sight!”

Of the seven Yang brothers who were sent off to save their father, only one – sixth son Yang Liulang – returned home. Raymond, who portrays the fifth son Yang Wulang, will leave his family to become a Buddhist monk.

“When I first heard that I will be playing Yang Wulang, I literally exploded from happiness! I grew up watching Jet Li’s (李連杰) Shaolin Temple <少林寺>, and the Wulang’s Eight Diagram Pole is composed by Wulang! If there will be a sequel [to Saving General Yang], I will not mind shaving my head for the role!”

Source: Lisa Magazine via ihktv.com

This article is written by Addy for JayneStars.com.