Jack Hui Took Out Bank Loans to Support His Acting Career
Due to his popular pairing with Mandy Lam (林淑敏) in Come Home Love- Lo and Behold <愛·回家之開心速遞>, Jack Hui (許家傑) is getting wider recognition. In a recent interview, Jack shared his rocky career path and his slow and steady ascent to success.
Originally, Jack worked as an accountant before joining the Mr. Hong Kong competition in 2009 to challenge himself and not let his youth go to waste. After winning the title, he experienced a brief period of popularity where he was the media darling. “When I started, I had some roles but that quickly disappeared. After the novelty wore off, I was no different from any other actor. I was also very shy and as an introvert, I did not know how to network. After the pageant, I spent most of my time as an extra and most of my roles were in crowds. I only had two to three lines in the entire drama. I would look at some of my peers who were doing well and feel sorry for myself. But I did not graduate from acting class, so I wasn’t the best choice for directors either.”
The only way he was able to persevere through these tough times was with the guidance of actor Tommy Wong (黃光亮). “When I first entered TVB, I was extremely nervous. I didn’t have any real training in terms of acting so I would always be afraid of doing something wrong while filming. I learned from Tommy many life lessons. I learned that I should not be afraid to go after what I want and being poor, and lastly to package myself as a good deal to producers. For example, we have a saying in the industry called ‘begging for jobs’. Essentially it was like cold calling. I would knock on producer’s doors, introduce myself and ask them to think of me when they have new roles. I didn’t like doing this; the first time was not very successful and I felt very pitiful the second time. With Tommy’s guidance, I learned to keep an open mind. I would go to the producer’s room and be honest with them. I would let them know that I’ve worked many years and I’m not doing too well financially, and ask if they could give me some jobs. I’ve learned that this is something very normal in our industry and that I was over magnifying the situation.”
Due to a lack of jobs and steady income, Jack took out bank loans in order to pay for daily life necessities, his car, and acting courses. Luckily, he never reached brick bottom and was able to pay off his loans slowly every month. This was his life until he encountered his current role in Come Home Love which helped him financially. “Honestly, I was a bit hesitant about the role at first. I wasn’t too keen on it because I would have to act like a gigolo. But in the end I was like whatever, it’s just acting.” It’s a good thing he did not turn down this role as it has definitely been key in reviving his career.
Source: Yahoo HK
This article is written by Kiki for JayneStars.com.
