Eliza Sam is Ready For Every Moment
In just two months, Eliza Sam (岑麗香) has leaped from being a nameless Miss Chinese International winner to one of TVB’s most popular young actresses. A cheerful smile, a friendly nod, and a voluptuous body did the trick.
After starring in last year’s Divas in Distress <巴不得媽媽…>, and taking another spin as Choi Sum’s mother in Inbound Troubles <老表，你好嘢>, the 28-year-old Canadian-born actress has successfully caught the attention of the critical Hong Kong audience. With three drama projects currently at hand and more slated to come, Eliza will be going full turbo in her acting career. Eliza’s future at TVB is bright and promising.
Eliza, with ancestral roots from Guangdong, was born in Vancouver, Canada in November 1984. Eliza graduated with a Bachelor degree in fashion design and marketing management, and a diploma in human resources. After winning in the Miss Chinese Vancouver Pageant in 2009, Eliza went on to win the 2010 Miss Chinese International Pageant in Hong Kong, which opened doors to join TVB.
With such an educated background, Eliza did not think it was a waste for her to join the entertainment industry. “I’ve learned fashion, so now I can change up my own dresses. Human resources and marketing are areas that can teach me how to handle different situations and problem solving. The things I’ve learned in university can be attributed to my current work and life.”
Asked if she is used to her current life in the Hong Kong entertainment industry, Eliza admitted that she is still in the process of getting used to Hong Kong’s quick and ever-changing lifestyle. “I am still learning to adapt. I often remind myself to keep an open mind and be willing to learn more, because the entertainment industry is always changing. However, I am still not used to Hong Kong’s lifestyle, including the language and the culture. Life in Hong Kong is too tense and much more fast-paced than where I used to live. What I do like about it is that it always stays fresh. Immigrating to Hong Kong has been my biggest challenge. I encounter new things every day. I have to be ready for every moment, even when I know I am not yet ready.”
Eliza’s portrayal as “Hannah” in Divas in Distress garnered three nominations at the 2012 TVB Anniversary Awards – Best Supporting Actress, Favorite Female Character, and Most Improved Actress. Defeated by her colleagues in all three categories, Eliza expressed that she was not disappointed in losing.
“Not even a tiny bit,” Eliza said cheerfully. “I am still a rookie. My acting still needs much improvement. Having the chance to be nominated in one award left me very satisfied, let alone three! After all, my Cantonese is still not fluent enough, and I can only rely on watching TVB dramas to learn and find more inspiration. At the award ceremony, those who sat next to me were all professional television drama actors. They are artists I respect, and when I see them win, it pushes myself to continue to seek improvement.”
Currently filming for TVB action drama, Sniper Attack 2013 <神槍狙擊2013>, Eliza has to undergo vigorous training regimes for her role, an only female member of the Special Duties Unit. Was Eliza physically prepared to take on the role?
“If it wasn’t for this role, I would not have discovered that I was able to do different things. I am able to handle the physical aspects of the role. Of course, what we do on film is nothing compared to the real SDU members, but I could still grasp how it felt like to be one to a certain degree.”
Source: ihktv.com
This article is written by Addy for JayneStars.com.
wow it’s just sad how fast a raw and mediocre can rise in tvb and get money when good actor such as Eric li who had been struggling for years still need to struggle!
Yeah, it is very sad. But it is life. Some people are luckier than others, and Eliza is one of the super lucky ones vs. Nancy Wu, Eric Li, Elaine Yiu, etc.
agree her acting is raw but she just did 2 or 3 series for tvb so far.the point is that she has a lot of potential and already got the audience heart in the little screen time that she have had.
It is sad, but that’s part of the business. Unfortunately this business isn’t all about experience or hard work, there’s other factors that will play a part in success.
Eliza has a lively personality and is very quick learner. That’s my first impressions when meeting her. All she needs to do is to improve her Cantonese and gain experience in different roles.
As per Wikipedia, Eliza Sam’s family are Hoa, with parents of Chinese descent from Vietnam, and grandparents from Guangdong and Fujian. She was born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
She graduated from Surrey, Greater Vancouver’s Kwantlen Polytechnic University in 2010, with a Bachelor’s degree in fashion design and marketing management, as well as a diploma in human resources. She was an English teacher prior to participating in Miss Chinese International.
Was it a typo that Eliza was born in Toronto, and not in Vancouver? It was the first time that I heard it.
She was born in Vancouver. We went to the same high school.
Here is the original article written in Chinese:
“有關岑麗香
分別獲得2010年國際中華小姐及2009年溫哥華華裔小姐冠軍的岑麗香，溫哥華出生，籍貫廣東，熱心公益，在加拿大Kwantlen University畢業，擁有時裝設計學士、市場管理學士以及人力資源學士的學位，是第四屆世界華商大會加拿大創辦發展會主辦2010年世界華商獎學金當中的《學業、社區服務及領導才能獎》得獎者。競選國際中華小姐之前，岑麗香是一位老師，現為TVB合約女藝員。”
It’s a typo.
Eliza Sam is from Vancouver.
And I like her attitude towards awards and whatnot.
I think so, too.
I heard my sister in law tell me that life in HK is challenging and fast pace but exciting at the same time. Glad that Eliza is working hard and good luck to her.
I like her because she seems friendly, bubbly and frank unlike Christine Kuo. Eliza looks more genuine!
Totally agree. Eliza Sam seems to be a very sweet girl.
What I like in her is her smile. When she smiles, her eyes also smile, look very genuine.
Her acting is good to a newbie. And she has the fame quickly. But bad things are coming to her and I hope she can overcome all.
I actually like her and thinks she is actually ok for a new actress. She is luckier than most thou that much is true.
she has charisma unlike some others. ppl are just hating on her just their beloveds didnt get promoted, too bad thats life, nothing to do with Eliza. lots of jealousy going on from others.
I like her. She is perky, without being overly annoying or fake. There is a genuine niceness about her, that excitement with what she is doing which is dimmed in more experienced actress. She is charming. There is a certain cuteness to her rawness and her acting isn’t that bad. She was in fact rather good. She has a people will love her sorta look and hopefully with time her accent will dim and she can speak better. She is also fresh, Not young fresh but this fresh feeling of someone not burdened by the burden of stardom. I do like watching her because she doesn’t give me any pressure, sorta easy going and all that based on 2 performances. I am sure I will hate her in future but right now, I like her.
And yes, she has charisma. A charisma where viewers tune in to watch her or happened to tune in and watched her and don’t mind continuing on.
There are many more experienced seasoned actresses who are more capable, that is for sure. But this girl has the it factor. I remember watching Divas In Distress and she was obviously rather sexy in one scene in this predominantly family series but she doesn’t give me the vibe that it is dirty to look at her. She is wholesome even sensual wholesome.
And in TVB being wholesome + sexy + fresh + young + charisma is a combination rarely found. Simply put, Eliza has the IT factor.
I can understand perfectly why she is promoted. And after watching Divas In Distress, granted her accent and her bad contonese will be the death of her, but put the scene where she cried her heart out at Chin Kar Lok’s character, click the mute button and just watch her expression. everything is there. Try it and see if you agree with me.
good analysing. she definitely has the x-factor. she is a raw ruby.
Among all the newbies, I like Eliza Sam the best. She is very green, inexperienced, but she is fresh, genuine, cute and sweet.
Well, she is better then Amiee.
In terms of acting and Cantonese speaking, Eliza Sam is not as good as Aimee Chan, and Aimee Chan is no longer a newbie.
I like her as well too because she does come off as being genuine and not annoying. Her cantonese is pretty good imo for someone that learned it in a short amount of time. She also reminds me a bit of Linda Chung when it comes to interviews because she seems real and doesn’t try hard to be cute.
Yes I think she does have potential, given more time and it will show. I think she has what it takes to be better than Linda Chung. Just wait and see.
It’s interesting how people here compare her to Linda when they are both from Vancouver! I agree that she has a very charismatic face, attractive but not threateningly attractive. Her acting is not horrible like Christine’s either. I do still prefer Oceane Zhu over her though.
They’re both charismatic but Oceane is more so. They both have those squinty eye smiles!
She looks sooooooo pretty in that pic!!!
Wow seems like a lot of jealous nobodies around here. Easy to criticize someone else but what have you losers done? Personally I think she is great.
All these losers as you call them are not TVB artistes, and that’s what matters.
Being an artiste, she is subject to criticisms, and besides most of the comments are positive about her. Why are you so sensitive?
I see you are the loser here.
Who’s sensitive? just making an observation.
Personally, if I had to pick a new TVB starlet to put on the fast rise to stardom, I would pick Eliza Sam in a heartbeat. She’s cute and pretty, and her acting is honestly not that bad for a newcomer, though there is room for improvement. However, I think many will agree with me that her room for improvement is not nearly as large as new actresses like Rebecca Zhu (shudder…). Who else got irritated or at least cringed by her portrayal as Siu Yau in Silver Spoons, Sterling Shackles? I’d much rather Eliza than her….
The way Eliza portrays herself in front of camera and the media is the same way she treats her friends and acquaintances in life. Her and Linda Chung (both I know personally) are one of the few people in HK entertainment industry that are actually genuine.
Both of them still hang out with the same group of friends that they went to high school with, and had not abolished them just because of their new-found fame.
I could see it. Eliza Sam showed her sincerity and friendliness at all her interviews in TVB’s and Fairchild TV’s . She has a very nice personality and knows how to speak nicely and sincerely.
beside eliza who else in TVB history has risen so quickly