The Media Chooses TVB’s Next-Gen Fadans: Rebecca Zhu and Kelly Fu
With the exodus of popular leading TVB artists, a new generation of TVB fadans also arrives. Which TVB actresses will lead the next generation of Hong Kong dramas? The media makes their choice picks!
Rebecca Zhu is Learning On the Way
A Suzhou native born in 1987, Rebecca Zhu (朱晨麗) joined TVB after she was crowned as 2011’s Miss Hong Kong. At the time, the media referred to her as “pirated Fala Chen (陳法拉)” due to their similar physical appearances. Rebecca became associated with Fala again when she replaced Fala in the 2012 anniversary drama Silver Spoon, Sterling Shackles <名媛望族>.
Although Rebecca had to audition for Silver Spoon, Sterling Shackles – her debut drama – she was not sure if she was up for the job when she got the casting notice. “I went through this period of struggle. When you’re acting, you have to let go of your Miss Hong Kong baggage. At the time, I wasn’t sure if I should maintain my sophisticated image or just risk it all. For example, a Miss Hong Kong would never portray a clown!”
Rebecca’s fame went up another notch after starring in Silver Spoon, Sterling Shackles, and her rumors with TVB’s number-one bachelor, Kenneth Ma (馬國明) also contributed to her rising popularity. “I’m just an ordinary person. I admit I wasn’t very happy with these reports at first. We are artists, but we are also human. We too want to have our own families in the future. When it comes to relationships, that boils down to fate. I am very happy right now. I will not be bothered by these false reports.”
Also involved in grand productions Triumph in the Skies 2 <衝上雲霄II> and Always and Ever <情逆三世緣>, Rebecca is being heavily promoted by TVB. She said, “When I was filming Triumph in the Skies 2, I received advice from a senior, who told me to relax my acting. When you are acting, you are performing as someone else, so you must learn to let go of yourself in order to fully immerse in your role. As for Always and Ever, Bobby Au Yeung (歐陽震華) is a very funny senior! Before I met him, I was worried that he would be very strict and yell at us, but he’s not. He loves to joke around and he makes everyone laugh.”
Rebecca looks up to seniors Carina Lau (劉嘉玲) and Monica Chan (陳法蓉), both whom share the same Suzhou roots as Rebecca. As for her chances of rising to leading fadan status, she said, “Some say it depends on faith and some say it depends on luck, but I say the most important thing to do is to set up a good foundation. Do your best.”
Kelly Fu’s Breakthrough
Who is Kelly Fu (傅嘉莉)? Months ago she was not widely known, but now, we can all recognize her as Ron Ng’s (吳卓羲) rumored girlfriend.
The 28-year-old really minded the fact that she had to rely on Ron’s name to be famous, but after much thought, she came to embrace it. “No one really knew who I was when I was still a model. There wasn’t really a way to tell everyone who I am, but now, after [the rumors], people can at least recognize me!”
The Ron and Kelly dating rumors, however, angered Ron, who exclaimed in an earlier interview, “Whether it was in the past, now, or in the future, dating will never happen between Kelly and I!”
Was Kelly unhappy with Ron’s statement? “Not unhappy, but I am curious to why he’s so angry! Haha! Maybe the misunderstanding really affected him. There’s pressure on him when he films dramas, and also pressure when the drama is airing. He doesn’t want anything else. I have no regrets, because I never told the media I was [dating] him.”
Kelly debuted ten years ago as a commercial model, and has appeared in films such as Infernal Affairs 2 <無間道2> and Fairy Tale Killer <追凶>. Despite her attempts to make a name in film, it was the TV drama Triumph in the Skies 2 that brought her fame.
Currently shooting TVB romantic drama Love Me, Please Leave a Message <愛我請留言>, Kelly expressed that she has just been through a breakthrough in her career. “At this moment, my career comes first. I don’t want others to believe that I only care about dating or having fun. I want to have my own representative work.
Kelly cites Shu Qi (舒淇) as her role model. “Men and women equally love her performances. She is cute, yet also sophisticated. She’s been through so much in the past, yet she still succeeded. Whether it’s her performance or character, she receives the respect of many. Compared to what she’s been through in the past, my [rumors] don’t even deserve to be mentioned.”
Other Potential Leading Fadans
Eliza Sam (岑麗香) – 28 years old. Winning the 2010 Miss Chinese International crown, Eliza gained fame after portraying the adorable Hannah Heung in 2012’s Divas in Distress <巴不得媽媽…>. Associated with TVB’s other line of goddesses, Eliza’s performance in Triumph in the Skies 2 is also well-received. She has just completed filming for TVB drama Mr. & Mrs. Bean <貓屎媽媽>, starring opposite Bosco Wong (黃宗澤). She is currently shooting Eric Tsang’s (曾志偉) drama for TVB, M Club.
Christine Kuo (苟芸慧) – 30 years old. Crowned the 2009 Miss Chinese International, Christine earned the name “pirated Kelly Lin (林熙蕾)” when she first debuted. As of August 2013, Christine has filmed 13 dramas for TVB, most recently Beauty at War <金枝慾孽貳>. She is also best known for her rumors with Aaron Kwok (郭富城).
Priscilla Wong (黃翠如) – 31 years old. Priscilla debuted in 2003 as a news anchor for Cable TV, but signed with TVB after her contract with Cable TV ended in early 2012. Rumored to be TVB executive Sandy Yu’s (余詠珊) favorite, Priscilla has filmed four TVB dramas in under two years. She is currently shooting Love Me, Please Leave a Message, starring opposite Raymond Wong (黃浩然).
Lin Xiawei (林夏薇) – 26 years old. Best known as Raymond Lam’s (林峯) cousin, Xiawei came from a professional acting background. She was in the 2009 graduating class of Beijing’s Central Academy of Drama and joined TVB in 2011, debuting in the sitcom, Til Love Do Us Lie <結·分@謊情式>. She replaced Aimee Chan(陳茵媺) as the female lead in the upcoming TVB wuxia drama, Cold Mountain, Hidden Dragon <寒山潛龍>.
Sire Ma (馬賽) – 26 years old. Though she was the second runner-up at the 2008 Miss Hong Kong pageant, Sire received generous promotional opportunities from TVB. She was awarded the Most Improved Actress at the 2011 TVB Anniversary Awards, and starred in Lee Tim Sing’s (李添勝) Bullet Brain <神探高倫布>, starring opposite Wayne Lai (黎耀祥).
Angel Chiang (蔣家旻) – 23 years old. Angel joined TVB after auditioning for 2007’s talent scout TVbeople. Though Angel spent a few years portraying minor characters in TVB dramas, she shot to fame after portraying the teenage version of Hazel in the 2012 drama When Heaven Burns <天與地>. She is currently part of the main cast in the highly popular sitcom, Come Home Love <愛·回家>, and is the female lead in Patrick Kong’s (葉念琛) new film, A Secret Between Us <第一次不是你>.
Natalie Tong (唐詩詠) – 32 years old. Natalie joined TVB in 2003, but she had already made a name for herself through 2000’s RTHK idol drama Y2K <青春@Y2K>. Her breakthrough performance in 2010’s A Fistful of Stances <鐵馬尋橋> earned her a Most Improved Actress win and a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the TVB Anniversary Awards.
Source: ihktv.com
This article is written by Addy for JayneStars.com.
I think the likes of Nancy, Mandy, Natalie, Selena, Sharon should be promoted over some of these.
Miriamfanz,
Aside from Nancy and Mandy, the actresses you mention are already in leading status. Although they have their share of fans, TVB tends to partner them with a strong male lead or veteran cast to ensure ratings.
Among the artists mentioned on the list, Eliza Sam is the most charismatic and natural in acting. Priscilla Wong speaks her lines very clearly, and I can see she may improve as a method actor, but it’s more calculated and not as natural.
Lin Xiawei is pretty natural as well, but perhaps lacking a bit of the x-factor and noise around her.
I don’t think Natalie should be included in the above list, as she is already leading status.
Eliza is natural but one noted. I felt like she acts the same in every role. Out of all her roles, I enjoyed her as the young version of Mimi Chu in Inbound Troubles.
Lin Xiawei is my favorite from the article. She’s quite natural and reads her line well. My only problem with her is, she doesn’t really have much chemistry with her co-stars.
Mandy is not bad .. starting to lose interest in her since I miss her more subtle characters. Her head strong characters aren’t my fav.
nancy – she’s doing really well in TITS. i’m glad she took the slower route to rise in fame. her acting has improved a lot and i hope to see her take on some lead soon ..
the fadan has a better future than the new siu sangs imo. i am not seeing any particular siu sang that has much potential.
Even though they have leading status, I still don’t feel they’re promoted as much as Eliza /Christine/Rebecca. Like Natalie had “leading” status in Bullet Brain, the focus was on Sire instead. Selena and Sharon gets leads in male-focused dramas or small productions, whereas Eliza is in many upcoming big productions. And heck knows why Nancy has yet to get a leading role.
I disagree. Eliza Sam’s acting is not natural at all, and as pandamao said, one noted. Also, it’s not acting if you play yourself in every single role.
It’s time for Nancy, Sharon, Selena and Natalie to be promoted to fadan status
I like nancy. I’ve met rebecca she’s pretty nice to people, gave me the down to earth impression. But her acting is not the best. TVB probably needs some nice ones rather than those who become all arrogant once they’re famous.
none above, they all suck
You are always so strict!
Oh no! More of Rebecca zhu?
Well since she can’t act she has to find another way to become popular.( to be rumoured with Kenneth Ma) haha
TeeVeeBee dubbed her Fala II.
Fala means ‘cannot act’ … whether I, II or III
Rebecca Zhu? Her accent and acting really bothers me. In TITS2, after she ties her hair into a ponytail she really doesn’t look like Fala at all.
Kelly Fu frankly was not that good at all in TITS2, not looking forward to seeing much of her.
Eliza Sam seems to be the most okay from the list.
Christine is really pretty, but her acting and her Cantonese are big problems.
As for Priscilla, I can’t judge since I didn’t watch any of her dramas yet same for Lin Xiawei.
Sire Ma has a lot of work to do for her acting.
Angel seems to be decent, but need more screen time to judge her.
Natalie is definitely pretty good now. Hopefully, she’ll be a bigger hit in movies after the one with Louis Koo.
after christine’s voice got dubbed in always and forever, i actually didn’t mind her as much.
sire ma – please get her off my screen. so tired of her too!!!!!
Christine Kuo’s voice cannot be dubbed forever, especially if she wants to act 1st lead roles. I don’t recall any 1st lead actress’ voice is dubbed in a whole drama series in TVB.
I knew she was dubbed! I asked someone and they said she wasn’t lol Agree with sandcherry she can’t be dubbed forever…i only recall one lead actress being dubbed but she never became a hit it was Liu Xuan from Grace Under Fire (2011) never seen her act again lol
Smart Aleck:
Thanks for your reminder! I completely forgot about Liu Xuan from “Grace Under Fire” (2011). It was very unusual for TVB to dub any lead actress’ voice in a drama series. Liu Xuan was cast not because of her acting skills or pretty face, it was because of her renowned fame as China’s first Olympic Champion on balance beam as well as China’s first All Around Medalist. Moreover, an actress with good kung-fu/martial arts was required for the lead role in that drama series,
None of the above except for Natalie Tong.
As for new actresses, I thought Roxanne Tong is pretty decent in the sitcom Come Home Love.
oh that’s Roxanne Tong. That girl definitely fixed her nose. Her nose doesn’t look natural
She’s like 1/12th of the storyline, of course you won’t get annoyed with her. imagine her as 1/4th? i find her rather bland even if it’s her first series.
TITS2 is Kelly’s ‘breakthrough’ role? Are standards that low these days??
Totally agree with you.
TVB is aiming low.
Don’t understand why Nancy Wu and Elaine Yiu are not included in the list of “potential fadans”. Both of them act very well and are good in their lines, especially Nancy Wu who got compliments from Francis Ng and Chilam Cheung.
Mandy Wong is pretty good in both acting and speaking her lines compared to the ones in the list, and her name is not there.
Natalie Tong and Priscilla Wong have already done 1st lead roles. Why are they in the list?
Aimee Chan – should be included in the list. She is not a 1st lead actress yet, but her acting is quite good compared to other newbies.
Among all the newbies, my personal comments are:
Rebecca Zhu – She looks like Fala Chen only in certain angles. Personally I think Fala looks prettier. Rebecca’s Cantonese has improved quite a bit in TITS 2, but she does not speak her Cantonese very naturally. She moved her lips so hard when she acted Pink Pink in TITS 2.
Kelly Fu – She is so new in TVB drama series. TITS 2 is her first drama series (I could be wrong), why her name is mentioned in the same level as Rebecca Zhu? Kelly is fairly good in her lines, but her acting is still quite green.
Eliza Sam – She is my favourite among all the newbies. She needs to work on her Cantonese more, but she is quite natural in the characters that suit her. She has lot of potentials to be a new fadan.
Christine Kuo – Needs to work on both acting skills and Cantonese.
Lin Xiawei – She is very good in her lines and quite natural in her expressions, but she is not too pretty compared to other newbies.
Sire Ma – Needs to work on her Cantonese and acting, but she is good in acting those young and cute roles.
Angel Chiang – not fond of her face, voice, or acting. She is one of my least favourite actresses in the list. But she is very young and has time to work on her acting and voice.
Kelly fu first drama for tvb is not TITS 2 but I think in the tvb series hearts of fencing where she played the character “13 Mui”
Nancy Wu is long overdue for a promotion. Give her first lead roles and complex characters, she can do it all! Why are TVB’s dumb executives promoting no talent beauty queens and overlooking Nancy?! No wonder TVB series are in such a bad state of decline, with falling ratings.
Priscilla Wong has potential. She reminds me of a younger and fresh-faced Charmaine Sheh. Priscilla could possibly follow in Charmaine’s footsteps to be quite adept in both period and modern dramas.
Eliza Sam is adorable and has audience fate, she’s pretty much Linda Chung 2.0 (but sexier than Linda). However she is too one note in her acting. Eliza only fits the roles of ditzy girls with a heart of gold in comedies. I can’t see her leading a serious drama.
Don’t care to comment about the rest.
@sandcherry:
I know that Francis Ng praised Nancy for her good acting in TITS 2. He said Nancy only lacked an opportunity or a good leading role at TVB to let her talent shine. But I missed Chilam’s comments on Nancy. What did he say about her?
面对众多样靓身材正的对手，Chilam直言最欣赏的，是剧中与他对手戏不多的胡定欣。他大赞谓：“我觉得胡定欣做得好好，之前冇同佢合作过，佢有吸引力，好自然。”
it’s nice how Chilam doesn’t have much screen time with her (as he pointed out), but still notices Nancy’s skills. hope they get to work together one day!
Thanks for sharing Chilam’s quote, Kit-kat. I agree with him that Nancy’s acting is very natural.
Why does it even matter what Francis says?
Why does it not ? It’s a high compliment when a very senior and award-winning actor like Francis Ng praises your performance. He doesn’t have to praise the cast of TITS 2 if he didn’t mean it, or else he would have been more complimentary of Fala.
Francis should recommend Nancy to some movie directors if he thinks so highly of her acting and think what she lacks is a good opportunity. Help the girl out if you think she has talent and ability.
i only agree with natalie tong with the list of the above group. i would love to see nancy in a leading role.
I don’t think Christine Kuo and Eliza Sam should be in. They are annoying to watch and bad actors to begin with.
And what about JJ? She deserves more attention than this, push aside the above 2 and let in here!
JJ’s acting is coming along, but her personal life will hinder her career in TVB. TVB always takes that kind of relationship into consideration when they promote any fadans.
JJ is no longer involved with TVB productions since her contract ended earlier this year. Her last series is Always And Ever but yes she was starting to improve especially in A Change Of Heart, it’s a pity to see one leave when they just started to rise.
JJ seems talented and determined. I wouldn’t be surprised if she goes to movies or Mainland eventually.
JJ Jia needs to come back to TVB, she is a rising star, better actress.
I feel like Natalie should not be part of this list because she’s already at a higher status, and she’s been acting longer than those listed.
Half of these girls really need to work on their cantonese, especially Christine who had to be dubbed in Always and Ever. That just seems so odd, especially since she’s been with tvb for a few years already!
I prefer Lin Xiawei out of the bunch, but it doesn’t seem like she gets put in any big dramas.
Out of the list, Eliza Sam is the one who has the most potential.
But i do prefer if TVB promoted Nancy instead.
Eliza Sam has only been playing roles similar to herself. The cheerful type. Unless she has more variety, she’s unqualified.
Eliza? I kinda dislike her. maybe she is ok to act for those silly characters. It’s a pain to watch her in her first leading drama with qin ka lok. her acting then was really painful to watch. Very not natural and forced.
I love priscilla hehe. even before she joined tvb when she hosted the travel program..
Others to me so so. Of cos natalie is already senior to most of them and well-liked.
Others to me so so…
and what about kelly cheung? i think she is also a potential leading actress.
Seriously, Rebecca’s fame went up after SSSS? You got to be kidding me, I think she found herself more haters instead. And kelly, just forget it. Somehow I feel that she’s making use of the rumours with Ron to climb. Of course it’s just my two cents worth. I reckon Priscilla and Eliza are the better ones out of the rookies. Natalie shouldn’t even be mentioned there like what many said but yes, Natalie deserves more chances and its high time nancy takes a lead role! She’s just awesome, what is tvb thinking?!?
The reporters probably meant, her recognition went up after SSSS and not so much of fame.
Fame went up would be Koo Ming Wah as So Gay. I hope to see more of him – did so well in that role!
Kelly fu is so cute!
Katy Kung!!
Yup, Katy Kung outshone everyone in Beauty at War. She was good in Glove Come Off too.
I don’t even remember her character in GCO
To advo- Katy plays this psychopath in Gloves come Off, who falls in love with Raymond Wong. That’s all i know
Honestly out of that list most of them haven’t acted in enough series to even judge what kind of actress they are. Especially Eliza, Rebecca and Kelly. They acted in less than 5 dramas, it’s hard to say if they can make it since some of the top 5 leading actresses today didn’t even get anywhere near success until years after their debut. Eliza has Sniper coming out this year and it seems like her role is quite heavy there which we may see more potential in her. As for Rebecca and Kelly, it’s hard to say though I don’t think Rebecca did that bad for her first drama in SSSS but she was definitely miscast in that series. Given more experience I wouldn’t say it’s not possible for her to do well. No comment on Kelly, haven’t seen too much of her to even judge…typical newbie. I think Priscilla is a decent actress for someone who just started out acting but of course there are flaws but her flaws can easily be improved. Seems like everyone’s concern is Christine, not a very bad one and I don’t really mind her accent I mean that’s what the subtitles are for right. She just need different roles.
Lin Xiawei is just awkward to me for some reason I’ve only seen her in that series with Linda and I didn’t think too much of her. Haven’t seen too much of Sire’s work but it seems like she’s typecast to me along with Angel, I wouldn’t go as far as saying they’ll lead one day. Natalie has been around for a really long time, she’s alright but I don’t think she can actually lead a series…I don’t know about others but I didn’t think she did justice to her role in Bullet Brain but then again none of the actors in that series did. I’m surprised that based on this list Cilla wasn’t mentioned at all I thought her performance in Karma Rider was quite memorable. They gotta stop giving the girl those loud immature roles, if given other kind of roles she can definitely do well….you can see it in her. I would choose her out of the bunch listed here instead.
Out of these new actresses. I think Lin Xia Wei and Priscilla Wong’s acting are the most natural while look-wise I think Rebecca Zhu has the fa-dan (leading actress) quality.
I don’t consider Natalie Tong as a newcomer so I won’t comment further on her.
As for the others Kelly Fu and Christine Kuo don’t really have the potential to make it far since the first one has been in the industry for ten years and her acting is still so stiff? While Christine has a lot of problems with her Cantonese.
I like Charmaine Li. Decent acting and quite pretty. Totally under rated.
Yeah, I forgot about Charmaine Li. She is good in many roles, but TVB never promoted her to anything other than minor supporting roles. Sorry for Charmaine Li. She is quite pretty, too.
Totally agree. Just watched her in Curse of the Royal Harem and thought she did a great job.
I remember Kelly Fu most in the movie ‘Love Is The Only Answer’. She has quite a big role in it.
Of all the actresses listed, I like Priscilla Wong the most. I like her in Karma Rider.
I don’t understand the inclusion of Natalie Tong on the list. She’s already a fadan? She might not be in the upper upper of the echelon e.i. first line but she’s on par with Nancy and Selena who are not on the list. Frankly, I thought this list was for newbies who have potential to be the next big thing?
Personally, I like Eliza best from the list but she’s definitely very one dimensional in her acting. We shall see if she can act as well in other types of roles.
Kelly Fu was OK when she was only stalking Issac and had max two lines. Last episode was PAINFUL.
Rebecca wasn’t very good in SSSS but OK it was her first role ever. I blame mostly TVB for that atrocious casting decision. TBH, her speech bothers me. It’s not just that it’s accented, but it’s that she enunciates in a really odd way.
Poor Christine. She is quite beautiful but I feel like she has zero screen chemistry and doesn’t work hard enough to shed her accent. And her accent IS too pronounced, so much that even I am bothered by it. And I’m usually pretty generous when it comes to that.
The others on the list I haven’t seen/don’t know/don’t even recognise.
Eliza is okay so far.
Priscilla and Lin Xia Wei..sorry, never watched any of their series before.
Katy Kung is so much better than Sire, Rebecca, Kelly, Christine. She is going to be the next Nancy Wu.
Katy Kung is pretty good in acting and speaking her lines, but I think she is a bit short (in height) to be an fadan. Doubt if she can carry a series herself. She does not look that pretty vs. Eliza Sam, Christine Kuo, or Rebecca Zhu.
In fact, Grace Wong has improved quite a bit in her acting and Cantonese. She is pretty.
My favorite actress of all time – Barbara Yung was pretty short. 🙂 Height isn’t a big deal if she’s good. Not a fan of Katy Kung, so I can’t really say if I will like her or not. But since Barbara Yung, the only other short actress that did okay was Athena Chu.
Barbara Yung looked a lot prettier than Katy Kung though. Her acting career was just too short.
… @sandcherry
which reminds me, it’s time to re-watch some of her older series. My all time fave has to be CLX with Michael Miu 😀
Siu Jing + Chor dai gor!
@pandamao:
Barbara Yung is the first TVB actress I fell madly in love with, lol. She remains one of my most favorite actresses. Sigh…what a waste of a brilliant talent. If only Barbara had lived, she could have made the leap to the thriving HK movie industry in the 80s and 90s, like Maggie Cheung and Carina Lau. We could have seen Barbara collaborate more with Tony Leung, Michael Miu, maybe even Leslie Cheung (her petiteness matches Leslie :-)). If only…
@Felicity – Oh no – you mentioned Leslie Cheung too!!!
The mentions of him aches my heart more than anyone else!!!!! Both of them committed a suicide, such a pity!
the lady on the right looks too simple/plain to be promoted as next gen fadan
besides Nancy Wu & Mandy Wong, I feel Yoyo Chen is another super underrated actress. Shes improved so much and is rather pretty. I would choose her over many of the listed!
Agree. Yoyo chen deserves more chance. But she is married, has a child and therefore not ideal.
Yoyo Chan is good in acting, but her lazy intonations are quite bad.
Yoyo will be good if she can get rid of her lazy intonations, especially in ancient drama series.
Agree, Yoyo biggest flaw is her lazy intonation.
Yoyo’s lazy intonations are quite heavy unfortunately.
I heard from a TVB production crew member that Nancy Wu had the same problem when she started in her first drama series, but she was so determined to get rid of it, and she did after a short period of time. Therefore, I did not recall hearing her lazy intonations at all.
Twin of Brothers… you hear it pretty clear.
Erm, what is the big deal about lazy intonations when we have so many who cannot even speak properly?
Lazy intonation still sounds awful too me. Probably people at my time didn’t speak with any lazy intonations. It only “happens” to young people.
Lazy intonation can be fixed. She can act. I feel she has matured a lot as an actress and I like her.
some of the fadans are improving but for Christine and Sire, they should improve more acting. Also, what about Grace Wong, Leanne Li, Jess Sum, Tracy Ip and Vivien Yeo?
Grace Wong is good. Her acting and dancing skills were good also since her popularity rises in Awfully Lawful.
Grace Wong gives me the impression she is teaching Cantonese whenever she recites a line. Not a bad quality but I do think she is “controversial” for many who dislikes her sort.
I like Grace Wong too. Besides acting, she can also dance well, like Nancy Wu.
The other actress I enjoy watching is that tall, bombshell looking actress with a sassy attitude….don’t know her name, lol. She played Joel Chan’s mistress in The Last Steep Ascent. Her acting was quite entertaining and she was one of the few highlights of that dreary series.
Oh yeah, I googled – her name is Samantha Ko. TVB should give her bigger roles.
Ohh I forgot about Samantha Ko. You’re right Felicity. TVB should get her some bigger roles like any other actresses.
Vivien yeo’s accent is still harsh after 10 years in hk. Forget it.
They’re accent annoyed me and so are you.
The actresses maybe lack of acting but they’re trying hard to improving it. So y can’t u guys have any sympathy just because they’re useless or something.
Jess Sum is not bad. Tracy Ip and Vivien Yeo kinda irks me so not interested. Leanne Li is not bad also, she receives some major supporting role in A Great Way to Care II.
So.. TVB is rounding up the next list of potentials, to some YEAH but to other Urghhh.
From the viewpoint of leading actress..
Rebecca Zhu – Beautiful but acting sucks big time. Huge mistake to give her a huge role, more so next to Kenneth Ma in SSSS.
Kelly Fu – Sweet, pretty, fluffy, so far ok but leading.. not quite.
Eliza Sam (岑麗香) – YES! Can definitely act, bad cantonese a huge problem but she is cute.
Christine Kuo (苟芸慧) – Beautiful and definitely good publicity for any series since she always attract attention, mostly bad. Acting is sometimes bearable but mostly her cantonese is terrible. And I don’t like her real personality verging on tears everytime some negative comment is given.
Priscilla Wong (黃翠如) – Cute, pretty, definitely can act but she is too scared in all her performances. Can literally hear her voice quivering.
Lin Xiawei (林夏薇) – Surprisingly younger than the names above and yet more mature. Can act but leading? No. I find her sometimes rather annoying. Maybe her tendency of being OTT. Runs in the Lin family.
Sire Ma (馬賽) – Poor girl. Started out strong and now pushed into the background. She is sweet, cute, youthful, can act, cantonese not the worst and looks young enough for many young roles occupied by older actresses.
Angel Chiang (蔣家旻) – Pretty, cute, can act, voice is annoying but there are others worse than her so can’t complain much.
Natalie Tong (唐詩詠) – Why is she on this list? She should be the list above this one. Anyway always OTT in ALL her performances, can’t do comedy, distractingly thin but can act but lead? No.
Many in this list is too old for so called new breed of young actresses. There is a definite youth-drain in HK. everytime I switch on to those Chinese mainland series, I see much younger actresses. Yes very plastic, maybe not as young as they look or made out to look but they do look fresher than many names in this list. Maybe it is makeup.
Oh my gosh funn, i was thinking the same thing. I thought most of them were too old to be considered as “fadans.”
None of TVB’s fadans is that young. They are all over age 25 when they become fadans. As TVB do not have any more artistes’ training courses, they have to recruit their actresses from beauty pageant competitions. In order to be well qualified for Miss Hong Kong or Miss Chinese International, most of the contestants are university graduates (age 22 and up). It takes them a few more years to establish their status and learn how to act decently. Moreover, TVB don’t usually promote artistes until they are close to age 30 because they worry those artistes will leave TVB after they become popular, like Tony Leung, Andy Lau, Louis Koo, etc.
That;s why TVB has youth drain. By the time they play someone like in Wuxia which is about 17 or 18, they’re probably 15 years too old.
I agree. Actresses already reached fadan level in their 20s in TVB during the 80’s and 90’s era. But now, the average age is 30.
funn and how about ocean chu? i think she is quite pretty and also good acting too.
Next generation? The list above is too young and new. Nancy (She is really good, hoping to see her to be in a lead role soon, if Priscilla can do it, why can’t Nancy?).
Sharon Chan, Selena Li ( Quite a number of leading roles but just can’t seem to climb to the first line), Natalie Tong (I actually quite like in in AFOS)
The ones that I mentioned are ALWAYS in the second tier of the drama (Except Selena), they are actually pretty good in acting, but overshadowed by all the first line fadans. Soon Myolie will be focusing more on mainland and there will be a chance.
As for the list, I just can’t stand most of their acting, Kelly Fu was okay in TITS2, Christine Kuo was awful in every drama, Rebecca Zhu has never improved, she sounds very nervous in delivering her lines, Lin XiaWei isn’t that bad actually, so does Sire Ma. The others I have no comment. Let them take more minor roles for some more years till they become the lead please, Tavia, Kenneth, Nancy all started as extras..
Too soon……….The current generation still have some barely over 30 and these in the running are almost the same age…
The only one that is failing in terms of performance is fala chen
I prefer Queenie Chu in Come home love- funny, cute, and can act.
Sire Ma- i Love her in Ol Supreme ^^
Eliza Sam- Yea i quite like her ^^ after watching Divas in Distress.
Joyce Tang – hahah i don’t really know her exact position in TVB but her acting definitely win me over.
Yoyo Chen- I also agree she was underrated.
More Eliza please. 😀
These actress are so bad. none of them can act. TVB is sinking. They seriously need some acting lessons before putting them on TV
Agree. They need to learn it from the Professionals.
I’d prefer to see Sharon Chan given more leads over the list presented in the article.
Yeah, Sharon Chan did quite well in Awfully Lawful. She’s improving. I hope she gets more leading roles, and not disposable cameo characters like in TITS 2.
Sharon Chan is already leading in recent series. How much more should she be given, in neglect of others? Her cameo in TITS 2 means she is a special guest star. Not many can be special guest stars.
To be honest Sharon gained more recognition in recent years but he status as leading actress is not solidified yet. She can still be easily casted as 2nd or supporting character, say in presence of Tavia, Myolie in the same series.
Personally I think Sharon Chan’s acting is just so so and not great. She needs to show off her long legs and be sexy in almost every heavy role. She is “selling” her long legs and sexy image now. She speaks her lines with lazy intonations. Moreover, Sharon is no good for ancient drama series. Her look is too modern, and she is too tall for ancient characters.
Its not her selling them. Its TVB selling her legs. Same with Raymond and his chok. You dont see him chok-ing in mainland dramas.. like intentionally.
Crystal:
You are right. TVB wants Sharon to sell her long legs and sexy image.
No big deal being a special guest star in a ‘blink-and-you’ll-miss-her’ role in TITS 2, it’s not going to help Sharon’s career. These type of cameos are only good to create some hype for TVB and temporarily boost their series ratings when they cast pop stars like Twins or Eason in TITS 1.
Well, I don’t find Sharon’s image overtly sexy, but then I don’t watch many TVB series anyway, so I can’t say. But what’s the problem with Sharon flaunting her long legs, or have another character (like Roger Kwok in Awfully Lawful) make a teasing remark on her legs? As long as it doesn’t happen in every series, that’s repetitive… Besides Sharon did not play a sexy character in Awfully Lawful (that Grace Wong’s role). Sharon played a rather naive and very stubborn character and she dressed conservatively in that drama. And speaking of actresses who are too tall or modern looking for period dramas, that goes for many current fadans also – such as Kate Tsui and Linda Chung. Doesn’t stop TVB from promoting them.
Unfortunately, recently, every series Sharon is in (modern series) her legs is mentioned. And always that shot of her backside. She is the sex symbol, whether she likes it or not. And she dresses rather sexily but not lewd though.
That is the fault of TVB writers… not Sharon.
Like none of the above except Natalie Tong but she is still not 1st actress material…………..:(
Grace Wong annoys me and I don’t find her that pretty…Nancy Wu and Joyce tang are underrated and should be given more chances! Though Joyce us getting old(er)… I like Samantha ko! Christine needs to fix her canto but I think tvb is gonna promote her. Haven’t seen enough acting of the others to comment
Both VERY pretty! But not a fan of either. Their acting is so so…
Most readers here think Nancy Wu is a good actress and should be promoted. I hope TVB will hear our messages.
AGREED!
I like Nancy, Elaine, Natalie, and of course, Selena Li. Others I would like are Queenie Chu, Oceane Zhu,Lin Xiawei. Eliza Sam is definitely star material. Christine, Kelly Fu, and Rebecca Zhu cannot act. Pretty none of the new Miss HKs can act, actually.
bubbles:
I agree with your comments on your selection, except Oceane Zhu. Her Cantonese is pretty bad. I have not watched too many of her drama series so I cannot comment on her acting.
Ocean Zhu is a stunner, sexy and cute, with tremendous screen presence. She has the makings of a Shu Qi…but not quite TVB leading material with her heavy accent. Ocean should quit TVB and try her luck in the movie industry. Dada Chen is leaving, new sexy bombshells can apply! lol
agree,and i think ocean chu can replace any of the 4 heavenly tvb fadans in the future.(tavia,myolie,linda,fala).
I would have to agree that oceane is very pretty and can act. Hopefully she can get better roles and shine with her acting skills
agree, Oceane is the prettiest out of the newbies, she is definitely movie star material.
Ron was smart this time saying no she’s no my gf so now we know next time if he doesn’t say anything the rumor might be try
Oceane Zhu needs to be on the list. I like her the best out of all the newer actresses
agreed. is she managed by tvb?
I’m looking forward to Priscilla Wong that Cold Mountain something(TVB’s original wuxia series). She’s pretty in ancient costume. When I saw her in ‘Karma Rider’, I thought to myself ‘she could be Huang Rong if she’s younger.’
I agree she is pretty and I agree for someone so new she is rather good and has great potential. She also looks young for her age. However her age will be her obstacle and her fear is evident. She really must ditch the quivering voice. I feel so bad for her sometimes, like as if perhaps Raymond WOng or Ruco kicked her or something and then her scenes were filmed. I do think she will do well in horror films. I also don’t like the fact that she looks like she is about to cry any second now.
Huang Rong? Isn’t Huang Rong supposed to be smart or street smart? If yes, I don’t agree. Priscilla is sweet but she doesn’t give me the vibe as someone cute, vivacious and street smart. If Huang Rong is sweet and nice and cute, yes she can do it, 5 years ago.
But, she did give me the smart vibe in Karma Rider. That’s why I thought of her as Huang Rong.
I agree with Funn here. Priscilla is sweet and innocent looking, but she is not quite suitable to pull off Wong Yung. Wong Yung has a very quick wit, is highly intelligent, resourceful and cunning. The actress has to look intelligent yet cute. Priscilla is definitely cute, but she doesn’t have that sharply intelligent eyes and sounds too babyish (‘tey’ in cantonese) to be Wong Yung. She’s also not petite enough. In fact, I can’t think of any new actress or current TVB fadan who has the potential to potray Wong Yung.
Angel? She is young and shrewd looking. Her voice however is her deadliest enemy.
Anyway no point talking because TVB isn’t doing adaptations anymore since banned. I wonder is Yu Zheng banned after his to me sordid almost vulgar Swordsman? Not sexual stuff but as in total disrespect.
@Funn: To answer your question…I read that Yu Zheng still has another Jin Yong series left in his ‘contract’ (or whatever that agreement is called that he has with Mr. Cha’s people). His next remake will be Return of the Condor Heroes (sheesh, how many versions do we need of that story?) and from the sound of it, looks like it’s going to be worse than Swordsman in terms of the ‘liberties’ that he’s going to take with the script.
Honestly, with the way things are now, Mr. Cha is better off giving the rights back to TVB (though whether TVB would be able to pull off another success JY remake is another story, since there’s such a serious drain in acting talent right now). But I guess that’s likely not going to happen now, especially since Mr. Cha doesn’t even manage his own affairs anymore and has to rely on a 3rd party company to intervene on his behalf….unless TVB has ‘connections’ to that 3rd party company like Yu Zheng does…otherwise, no hope for them…
Am I the only person who sees NO charisma that everyone is seeing in Eliza Sam? Everyone thinks she is good at acting but to me it is so forced and exaggerated. Her accent is extremely strong. I think she will forever be stuck playing one kind of character, and that is the ditzy nice girl. I might be the only person in all of TVB followers who don’t see any acting potential in her, since everyone seems to love her so much.
What I wish most now is to see Nancy Wu lead a drama for once. The girl is amazing at acting and so natural. TVB rather promote pretty girls who can’t act. No wonder everyone is leaving. I think some competition will do TVB good.
I am sorry to say I don’t think TVB has any intention of letting Nancy Wu lead and for good reason. I feel she will be best as perhaps the 2nd lead, the one next to the leading actor as the first in supporting cast. If she is to be lead, she better be given a role that suits her. Like in TITS 2, she should have been Summer.
You are probably right because TVB does not seem to have the intention to promote Nancy Wu. They would rather promote those newbies who cannot act or speak proper Cantonese.
Nancy is not super pretty, but she is good enough to act 1st lead roles with her acting plus her face.
Nancy does not suit the silly, naive, kind hearted type of roles. She is better of being the villain than wasting her acting on those boring characters.
Nancy Wu can act almost any roles. She did very well in “Gloves Come Off” as a mute and dumb girl. She was a very simple-minded, naive, but determined character.
Edit: being the villain in a supporting role
I was referring to the weak willed crybaby kind of roles. Best example: Sire in Columbo
Nancy Wu can act any roles better than most fadans. Unfortunately, she was never given the opportunities to do it. As Francis Ng said, all Nancy needs is a good and well-written character that suits her, she will shine easily.
Nancy Wu should be able to act better than Fala Chen in Holiday’s character and Myolie Wu’s in Summer’s character.
Holiday is so badly written that I think both Myolie and Nancy and their fans are secretly happy they did not get that role!
Agree. Holiday’s character is really very badly written. It makes it very hard for any actress to act this role. Fala is just unlucky, especially Myolie takes up the 2nd lead role. All Myolie’s fans are bashing her because she is the 1st lead actress in TITS 2, and she ends up with the highly devoted Sam Tong (Francis Ng).
Personally I think Nancy will do a better job, except she is not as pretty and lively as Fala.
Nah, I really don’t think Fala is that much prettier than Nancy. In fact, Nancy is quite attractive in TITS 2 and can hold her own standing next to Myolie and Fala. I suppose her headstrong character enhances her attractiveness for some people. And to me, she is just as lively as Fala, in a more natural way. She made Coco into a vibrant character.
I simply don’t agree that Nancy is not pretty enough to be a first lead actress, considering that TVB’s current lead actresses aren’t that stunning either. Most of TVB’s promoted lead actresses are average looking – Charmaine, Tavia, Myolie, Linda, Kate and Fala. They’re pretty enough but not stunning. If TVB had only cast them as supporting actresses right from the start and never as leads, you would not think that they have the look of fadans either.
What’s most important is whether one has the acting talent (inborn), passion and skills (can be improved). Dodo Cheng was TVB’s big fadan, and she was no great beauty. Sheren Teng is not drop dead gorgeous, but her superb acting skills makes her riveting to watch, when given a good role and script. What viewers want to see is an actress who can fully immerse herself into a role, not just a pretty face. Bottomline, Nancy Wu has far better acting skills than many TVB fadans and I find her quite attractive and charming. She should be given a chance to lead a series, and then let’s see how viewers respond to her.
felicity
Nancy Wu has far better acting skills than many TVB fadans and I find her quite attractive and charming. She should be given a chance to lead a series, and then let’s see how viewers respond to her.
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Absolutely agree with you. At least TVB should give Nancy Wu a try.
I’m with you on this. Eliza Sam tries too hard too act well that it become unnatural,including her smiles.
Nancy is a natural but she has a “harsh” face. She will do well in a character role specially written for her.
Nancy should not play fluffy, flower vase, helpless and cute damsels in distress… leave those roles for the likes of Eliza Sam and Kelly Fu (and the endless array of beauty pageant recruits). Nancy should take on complex & strong characters, like a young Carina Lau or Dodo Cheng. Girl has skills.
i prefer Priscilla Wong.
The only person who I really want to see in a lead role from TVB right now is Nancy Wu. Perhaps in 1-2 years, I hope Mandy Wong follows.
Anyways, anyone tell me what series Angel Chiang was in? And who is Kelly Fu in TITS2?
Kelly Fu is the coffee girl who serves Ron Ng every time with his favourite coffee.
No no no no! what about nancy wu??? she deserves to be promoted to leading roles before any of the girls mentioned in this article. I hope that Mandy Wong will promoted too. My favorite to be the next gen fadan will be Lin Xiawei. Eliza Sam is adorable so sometimes she speaks weirdly when she goes a bit too fast or when the sentence is too long. Though, any of these girls are definitely better than Christine Kuo.
Eliza Sam has only been playing roles similar to herself. The cheerful type. Unless she has more variety, she’s unqualified.
Oops, I meant but instead of so.
I SERIOUSLY THINK KELLY FU AND PRISCILLA WONG CANNOT ACT AT ALL. ESPECIALLY PRISCILLA….I FIND HER VERY ANNOYING.
NATALIE TONG IS NOT NEW, WHY IS SHE HERE? 🙂 SHE IS NOT BAD.
Actually, Jessie shum’s not bad too..
Sorry. Jess sum
I actually find Rebecca OK. She was quite natural in crying in SSSS but her Cantonese and acting need more practice. She is quite pretty as well.
Not sure who Kelly Fu is. Only saw her a little bit in TITS2. Nothing striking.
I quite like Eliza even though her acting is nothing special. But she is natural, cute and beautiful. Not sure about her flexibility though.
Priscilla is OK. I find her natural at acting but not good. I don’t find her pretty either. I have a feeling that she will grow on me though.
Don’t like Christine, Sire or Lin Xia Wei. Sire has shown a lot of improvement since she first started but shows she cannot lead a series like “Bullet Brain”.
Angel Chiang is getting better. She needs to control her voice though cos it is very high-pitched. I like her prostitute role in “The Confidant”. She needs to be given more mature roles and less loud annoying bratty roles.
Nancy and Sharon are well overdue for their leading status. Feel sorry for Nancy as she has had so much praise over the years yet TVB does not give her a chance. She holds her ground against stronger actors like Wayne, Power and Lee Shing Cheung. I would like to see Sharon In more serious dramas than comedies so we can test her acting range. Right now, I still feel that she is limited by her narrow roles but has more potential yet to be unearthed.
I also like Natalie and she had grown a lot over the last 2 years. Her enunciation has improved heaps as well. She needs more demure roles or silently evil roles than loud-mouth brats roles.
TVB open your eyes! Don’t let Nancy and Sharon down!!!
Oh! I forgot Jess Sum as well. I think she’s has potential. Nancy, Selena, Natalie, Elaine, Lin Xiawei, Mandy, Queenie, Jess, and Ocean. There.
JJ Jia is good :D, but unfortunately, she left TVB D: