Edwin Siu Entered the Workforce Early For His Father

Many younger TVB fans may know Edwin Siu (蕭正楠) as one of Hong Kong’s top television stars of today. The generation before them may remember Edwin as a young idol singer who was at one point even more popular than Bosco Wong (黃宗澤) and Shawn Yue (余文樂). But life hasn’t been a smooth ride for Edwin — stardom wasn’t given to him. He had to earn it.

Born into a lower class family, Edwin’s father went through a period of economic hardship before finally getting a stable job as an officer for the Hong Kong Correctional Services. “My father never lived a very comfortable life,” said Edwin. “He spent his first paycheck on a chicken thigh meal. That was the day when he finally knew what it was like to feel full!”

Edwin and his younger sister spent most of their early childhood growing up in the dormitories provided by the correctional services department. They lived next to a security prison, with inmates in view. Edwin remembered seeing a prisoner attempting to climb up the wired fences to escape, but was later caught by patrolling officers.

When Edwin was in Form 5, he discovered that his father had been suffering from nasopharyngeal cancer. His father had actually been diagnosed a few years earlier, but he didn’t want to tell his family, as he didn’t want to worry them. As the family’s eldest son, Edwin took on the responsibility of providing for his family—he attended school at night and spent his days working different jobs. He had jobs in I.T., sales, real estate, and even became a disciple of a sushi chef.

His life changed around when he was given the opportunity to work as a model. Earning HK$500 per every four hours, the money was enough to captivate him to join the entertainment industry. In 2002, he made his successful debut as an idol singer. With his father’s deteriorating health which forced him into early retirement, Edwin became his family’s sole breadwinner.

The idol life didn’t last long, however—in an award speech approximately one year after his debut, Edwin’s controversial statement of “the good will always prevail” was claimed by the media to be directed at his opponent Juno Mak (麥浚龍). Upsetting Juno’s family and fans, Edwin’s career abruptly came to a halt. He was forced to restart his activities in Mainland China, acting in B-grade television dramas.

To be closer to his family, Edwin decided to return to Hong Kong and signed with TVB—his first comeback television drama was 2008’s When Easterly Showers Fall on the Sunny West <東山飄雨西關晴>, costarring Liza Wang (汪明荃), Joe Ma (馬德鐘), and Charmaine Sheh (佘詩曼). It wasn’t until 2012’s Daddy Good Deeds <當旺爸爸> when Edwin was finally seeing results of his hard work, as his portrayal of Ah Yap earned him a nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the TVB Anniversary Awards. Edwin reached another spike in popularity after starring in 2013’s Brother’s Keeper <巨輪>, and 2017’s A General, a Scholar, and a Eunuch <超時空男臣> solidified him as a TVB leading actor.

Source: Eastweek

This article is written by Addy for JayneStars.com.