Elaine Yiu Shares Hardships in Her Career

Although TVB artiste Elaine Yiu (姚子羚) has been in the industry for 18 years, it wasn’t until recently that she started getting recognition and gaining opportunities to play more prominent roles. The road to stardom wasn’t easy and Elaine thought about giving up many times. As Elaine reflects on her career, she shares what motivated her to chase her dreams and how she breaks out of her fragile image.

While Elaine confesses that it was difficult to achieve success in her career, she is glad that her journey enriched her personal life and career, “At the beginning of my career, I often played the fragile roles. I thought I could do more, but I never had the opportunity. Did I think I made the wrong career choice? Fortunately, I didn’t give up. I only needed to ask myself if I worked hard.”

As Elaine develops her career and plays major roles, her approach to acting has also changed, “In the past, I was not as engaged in my acting as I am now. In recent years, I am slowly enjoying [the process]. When I receive the script, I will study and imagine how to act. When you like something, you will naturally have a sense of commitment and your progress will be visible to others. When someone gives you different roles, it means everyone sees your efforts.”

Dealing with Hardships while Family Objected Elaine’s Career

When Elaine was new to the industry, Elaine confesses she lacked training and it was difficult to adjust, “There were many unhappy things. When I first joined the industry, I was a host for TVB8 program. I remember being yelled at when I was shooting and staff member said to me, ‘I don’t film with useless people.’ I was under a lot of pressure because I had zero training. I was scared of outtakes. In addition to the script, it was difficult to get into positions. I was nervous when I interviewed the big stars and being scared resulted in more outtakes.”

In addition to the difficulties Elaine experienced when she was a host, Elaine reveals the hardships she experienced as a new actress, “When I filmed the series To Catch the Uncatchable <棟篤神探>, there was a scene where I was beaten by Kwok Fung (郭锋) and I only had the garbage bags on the floor to cushion my fall. After filming my scene, I looked like a crazy woman and I quickly rushed home to my washroom. My mom thought it was strange, but I had to pretend I was okay to comfort her. However, after I closed the washroom door, I was crying to myself.”

Since Elaine’s family were not supportive of her decision to become an artiste, Elaine would hide all her pain from her family, “When I realized filming was hard, I didn’t want my family to know. I insisted on my career in spite of my family’s objection so even if anything happens I cannot let my family know. I was scared that my mom will worry so I endured no matter what. After I shower, I pretended nothing happened.”

Breaking Out of Frail Image

While Elaine played many frail characters, she was finally able to show the audiences that she can play action roles in The Unholy Alliance <同盟> and Chinatown <唐人街>. Despite having the breakthrough roles, Elaine admitted her body suffered as a result, “I really thank producer Jazz Wong (文偉鴻). Perhaps many people think I am weak and slim, but he actually saw my other side and asked me to film. Of course, I will get bruises during filming. I thought it wasn’t a big problem, but I noticed that my tail bone was crooked when I was wearing a bathing suit. Usually I couldn’t see it because my clothes would hide it and I don’t feel any pain. It doesn’t affect my daily life, but still it is my tail bone. It is important; I need to check up on it and see if it will affect my body.”

Source: Ming Pao Weekly

This article is written by Kiki for JayneStars.com.