Sammy Leung and Sharon Chan Share Friendship Snips
Sammy Leung (森美) and Sharon Chan (陳敏之) became great friends after filming the currently broadcast drama, Friendly Fire <法網狙擊>. Earlier, they accepted an interview, revealing their impressions of each other and sharing how their friendship initiated.
Friendly Fire was Sammy’s first drama since working in the entertainment industry. He entered TVB in 2006 as a host, and only had experience in filming movies. At first, Sammy had thought that he would portray a lawyer in the drama. Since being a host is all about public speaking, a lawyer seemed to be a suitable role for him. When Sammy later learned that he was actually going to play a cop, he was afraid the audience would be unaccustomed to his performance.
Despite his worries, Sammy understood that as a new actor, he has to accept whatever role he is given. Portraying a cop was perhaps not such a bad idea, since he comes from a family with a firefighter, policeman, and a Chinese British soldier. “If I’m not in the entertainment industry,” Sammy remarked, “I think I would have become a policeman.”
Sammy and Sharon did collaborate before in the movie, A Dream Team <翻生奇兵>. But upon working together in Friendly Fire, they admitted that they still felt like strangers at first. Sammy said, “We were leads in the movie. We played a couple and even kissed! However, we were unfamiliar because I have a conservative personality. I’m scared of dating scenes.” Sharon added, “Back then, I always thought Sammy was unhappy. Later, I found out that he’s just a shy guy. He’s really kind, and he even helped draw my cat. Collaborating in a drama is very different from a movie. Everyone has to work with one another for a few months, so good teamwork is important. We have to make sure our characters feel dynamic and realistic.”
Even though it was Sammy’s first time filming for a drama, Sharon expressed that she does not have many things to teach him. “Acting requires a sense of life. There’s no need to teach anything. Instead, Sammy was the one teaching me how to position the gun properly. When we had to film action scenes, he and the team took care of me. I am frail, and I felt like crying every time I heard a loud noise.”
It was Sharon’s sincerity that eventually opened up Sammy’s conservative personality. She revealed, “When filming first began, I would invite everyone out to dinner, but Sammy would always reject my offer, saying that he wants to keep fit. I would then tell him to just get a drink. During work, I bought a lot of snacks for the cast and crew, and I found out that he loves eating dried shredded squid, so I would get that for him each time. Within a month, Sammy opened up to me. He seems cool on the outside, but he’s very warm on the inside. He knows that I love dessert, and he would buy it for me sometimes. Once, he bought a whole box of my favorite corn flavored snack!”
Sammy appeared embarrassed from all the praise. He expressed, “Sharon has an open and hearty personality. Once, she even reminded me to bring my dirty clothes back to TVB for washing.” It was Sharon’s friendliness and caring nature that brought the two close together, and allowed them to deliver great onscreen sparks in Friendly Fire.
After finishing his first drama, Sammy felt like he understands himself better. He found that being able to relax is important for good work. He was touched by the team spirit between colleagues. “I feel like we really have sparks onscreen and off-screen. Everyone put in a lot of time and effort, and truly enjoys the job.”
Sammy shared that he did some research before filming Friendly Fire. He watched other performances of the cast members, such as Michael Tse (謝天華) and Tavia Yeung (楊怡), in order to familiarize himself with their acting techniques. Regarding Sharon, he said, “She is suited to be an actress, because she has a very open personality. If an actress is reserved, it can be very hard. Throughout our collaboration, I felt her emotions pouring out naturally. It helped me become more focused in my role, especially when it comes to the romantic scenes. I’m not a person who’s very good at dating. My wife and I didn’t even experience such romance like in the drama.”
Sharon was quick to add, “At first, it was hard to interact with Sammy on camera. He would change the script, and sometimes I wouldn’t know if I was supposed to laugh. I was scared that it would be too funny. But later, I understood his ways. He felt that his way was more comfortable, and so I followed him through with it. His performance brought impact on everyone, and the results were great. There is a positive response from both our colleagues and netizens.”
Currently taking the role as female lead in the drama, Arrogant Man of Justice <法網囂雄>, Sharon expressed, “Being the female lead is not a form of pressure. I don’t care about the status, because if I fail to do well, then there will be no more chances. Knowing how to act well in the role is the most important. Therefore, I make sure I am well prepared, and that I put in my best efforts each time.”
Last year, Sharon received much criticism for her role as Ha Ying Chun in the drama, Queens and Diamonds of Hearts <東西宮略>. It came as a career blow. “People cursed me online, and they were overly rude. I cried because of it, and had to find someone to enlighten my mood at the time. At first, I took Ha Ying Chun as a challenge, but the audience actually despised the role. I reported this to the company.” She revealed. “Everything is an experience. I had low EQ back then, but now I would carefully think about the paths I’m taking as an actress.”
To-date, Sharon revealed that her favorite roles are Ngai Mei San from Friendly Fire, Wong Hiu Ching from The Charm Beneath <胭脂水粉>, and her role in the upcoming drama, Arrogant Man of Justice.
Source: ihktv.com
This article is written by Shirley for JayneStars.com.
Good chemistry makes for good acting and positive results…
They have great chemistry!!1
The scene with Sharon in that white singlet, drenched with water- priceless!!!!
My brother wont stop talking abt it….lol…..
The director probably made her wear all these skimpy outfits throughout the series to boost ratings. Luckily for guys, Sharon is happy to show off her assets.
Netizens blased her for her role in Queens of Diamonds and Hearts just because it was not a likeable “character?” Man, what’s wrong with people these days. Seems like they can’t fiction from real life. These people need mental help.
Did I read right? Sammy helped Sharon cat to draw….
Hazel,
It should say draw her cat…the sentence has been revised.
sammy is quite handsome as he got thin now,,,sharon always the beauty from top to bottom ( wonder how sharon enter TVB through beauty pageant or TVB acting class or recommendation by agent?) pls share if u know
Didn’t Sharon start off as a model and then move into acting?
Surprised she didn’t like her role in GJ1.
Sharon looks best in FF compared to her other recent dramas, but still skinny.
Sharon seems like a very nice girl. She gets along with many colleagues.
Sharon shouldn’t be upset that people bash her because of Ha Ying Chun. The Ha Ying Chun character is not a very likeable character. Many actors who played bad guys experience this before.
Netizens didn’t bash her because Ha Ying Chun was an unlikeable character. Her acting in QODAH was really bad! But Fala was worse. And the script sucked. If you compare how Carol Cheng and Rebecca Chan played their roles in the earlier Chong Mo Yim serial, Fala and Sharon were no where near.
Have a feeling Sharon Chan gonna be well promoted by TVB this two years
She is under which camp ? 620 camp?
It’s about time. She’s a decent actor, way better than the pageant newbies
IDK about you guys, but friendly fire is getting really interesting. At first I had my doubts, but after watching the recent preview for the rest of the series, I’m looking forward to it. Hopefully the ending is good, with a BANG!
Series is good but the cases is not. I wanted to bang my head on the wall for how the prosecution dig their own graves. By the way Sammy Shum (and the other is also Sammy right?), looking stylish. Scary but stylish. He reminds me of some Japanese rock singer or Korean pop singer.
Agreed. Some of the cases were like, eh, wtf just happened? The cases need some clarity and justification for the viewer, otherwise if someone were to just jump in, they’d be like “this is boring…whats going on and what just happened? The best example would be JJ Jia’s case (the first case).