Natalie Tong’s Weakness is Communication

Natalie Tong (唐詩詠) took a brave step outside of her comfort zone last year when she left TVB, her employer of 20 years. In a recent interview with a radio show, Natalie frankly shared she had considered leaving for six years.

Revealing her state of mind, Natalie said, “In 2015, I felt scared. After winning Best Actress in 2017, I realized the need to think carefully about what I want to do after I’m 40. This was the deadline I gave myself–I needed time to rest. I really love acting but if I continue like this, I would have hit a plateau. The characters were about the same and I was getting really tired. If I wanted to make a [change], then I needed to have enough savings so I filmed many dramas before I left. I wanted to be able to take care of my family even if I didn’t work for half a year. Since I’m a Taurus, I need to plan well before making a decision!”

Looking back at the six months since leaving TVB, Natalie felt her fear stemmed from past habits. Filming a commercial and two movies, Natalie has earned a nice sum of money. Trying new adventures to gain fresh perspectives, Natalie visited child brides in Bangladesh last August. The trip made her rethink her childhood. “The girls there were self sacrificing. After seeing them forced into marriages with strangers, it made me cherish the people around me. They really wanted to study to better the lives of their family. On the other hand, I gave up on furthering my education in my youth to earn money. I did many things that were self serving. After my parents divorced during the financial crisis, many people came to our home to collect debts which made me realize the problems that occur when there was no money.”

While working at TVB, Natalie’s busy filming schedule prevented her from travelling with her father. “I recently went on a trip with my father and brother to Japan for the first time. One night, I was eating alone with my father and although we didn’t talk much, it was the first time we actually bonded. I wasted 20 years. I want to take my father to different places in the future. He’s already 80 years old and had never travelled before. I hope we can have more of these memories together and not regret anything in the end.”

Although Natalie was nicknamed the “Best Girlfriend in the World,” her past relationships ended for different reasons. She was too focused on work and did not know how to communicate with her partner. Once her bottom line was breached, she would choose to leave. “My weakest point was communication. I didn’t know how to share my unhappiness with my partner. I felt that if I don’t talk about it, then it would be okay. In the end, my partner would ask why I didn’t talk about it. When we had argued, the media coincidentally asked us how our relationship was. I didn’t want to reveal the truth and didn’t know how to answer. This led to additional pressure and friction.”

Single since 2017, Natalie feels she has matured and recognized her shortcomings. She is ready to welcome a new long-lasting relationship that is built on communication.

Source: [1]

This article is written by Kiki for JayneStars.com.