Sammy Sum’s Playboy Image Impacted His Career

Although Sammy Sum (沈震軒) once gained popularity for his performances in Lives of Omission <潛行狙擊> and Line Walker <使徒行者>, his playboy image overshadowed his acting. The problem prevailed even when he left TVB in 2016 to sign with Sun Entertainment after 10 years of playing supporting roles. Sammy believes his seeming arrogance, evil roles, and playboy image are to blame for his lack of a smooth and successful career. 

He Works Hard to Make the Audience Like Him

In an interview, Sammy expressed his looks naturally make him appear evil and arrogant, and hence, he often makes bad first impressions. Still, he works hard to make the audience like him.

He said, “My teacher in training class said that even if I have to play an evil role, I still have to make the audience hate the character but like me as an actor. I always remember this, and I think I’ve done well so far because I haven’t been yelled at on the streets yet.” 

However, many people have misunderstandings about him, as he’s often surrounded by negative news. “There was a time when the media kept on calling me a womanizer, but I thought it would be weird for a man to suddenly come forward and deny ungrounded rumors, so I didn’t feel the need to explain myself,” Sammy said. “But I realized it was a poor way of managing the matter because it becomes the truth when you don’t respond.”

He Wants to Work in Film Production

Although Sammy initially left TVB to seek more opportunities, he expressed he once felt lost because he suddenly jumped out of his comfort zone. He shared, “There were times I had zero work, so I really wasn’t used to it. I’m quite a workaholic, so I went to do some self-improvement activities like flying to South Korea to learn dancing and going to Thailand to learn boxing.” 

Eventually, Sammy left Sun Entertainment for Shaw Brothers, which the media revealed last November. He was offered the lead role alongside Edwin Siu (蕭正楠) in the Chinese period drama, Smiling Across the Mortal World <一笑渡凡間>. 

When asked about his feelings regarding the lead role, Sammy expressed, “Like many actors, I also desire the opportunity to become the lead actor, but what I prioritize most is an attractive role. If the project is interesting, then I would still participate even as a cameo. This is because actors need to experience many different channels to improve themselves. I don’t want the audience to feel that my acting is still the same as before, so I tend to be quite impulsive and move around often to try and learn more things in new environments.”

Besides his on-screen activities, Sammy also revealed interest in working behind-the-scenes, especially in film production. 

Source: MingPao Weekly

This article is written by Minna for JayneStars.com.