Fred Cheng Admits He Doesn’t Know How to Act
Fred “wanted to turn off the TV” when he recapped his own performance.
There is a saying “People grow up overnight”, which surely applies to TVB artiste Fred Cheng (鄭俊弘). Having been in the industry for 18 years, Fred has been through highs and lows in his career, which have made him mature quite a bit. He shared about these experiences with host Sherman Lee (李文珊) in a recent interview.
Fred grew up in Canada and developed an interest in music due to influence from his uncle. During his holidays when he was 18, he followed his mother to pay a visit to relatives in Hong Kong, and was encouraged by her to take part in “TVB International Chinese New Talent Singing Championship”. Winning third prize, he inked a contract with a music company, which sadly folded just two months later and shattered Fred’s dreams of becoming a singer.
In 2002, Fred signed up for TVB’s 18th artiste training class, turning to acting instead. His first significant role was in 2003’s Find the Light <英雄·刀·少年>, in which he played Tang Yao Zong. Fred admitted that he did not really know what lines he was saying and also had an off-putting English accent which made him “want to turn off the TV” when he watched himself. After that, he also appeared in Shine On You <青出於藍> as Feng En Dong, and Forensic Heroes <法證先鋒> as Liang Xiao Gang. Instead of getting bigger parts progressively, his roles became smaller and smaller. He recounted, “I had many lines in Forensic Heroes I and II, and was involved in many characters’ developments, but after that, I mostly played random diners or friend-type of roles, so I did feel unhappy (about it)…”
Spoke Up to Get More Chances from Management
Only when he received the 10-year service award from the station did Fred realize that time was of essence and dared not play it slack. He decided to gather up courage and requested to meet Catherine Tsang (曾勵珍), one of TVB’s higher-ups, in the hope of getting more opportunities. After that, he received slightly bigger acting parts in Return of the Silver Tongue <舌劍上的公堂>, and took part in 2013 singing program The Voice of the Stars <星夢傳奇>, in which he won the champion title under loud cheers. The 35-year old admitted, “This contest allowed me to dream again and made me realize I still had this chance.”
Scandal Made Him More Grateful
After many turns, Fred was finally recognized for his singing, the passion which gave him his first taste of stardom back then. He successfully soared in popularity, winning numerous product endorsements and commercials, and also had a chance to hold a musical concert.
However in 2017, news that he had cheated on his fiancee Lesley Chiang (姜麗文) with actress Stephanie Ho (何雁詩) surfaced, causing his career to take a hit. Looking back, Fred admitted that it was a heartfelt lesson, saying “I learned that a relationship is a two-way street. I thought relationships and love are very simple.” While describing himself being “lonely” and having a “very negative view of the world” before the scandal, Fred feels grateful for what he has and realized that true happiness actually feels very real indeed.
Source: On.cc
This article is written by JoyceK for JayneStars.com.
