Theresa Fu Talks Hardships to Break Into Mainland Market: “A Lot of Dinners”

As a former member of the now-disbanded girl group Cookies, Theresa Fu (傅穎) was once considered to be one of the most popular young idols to come out of Hong Kong, but a series of controversies forced her to leave the international city to China, where she had to go back to square one.

Eight years later, Theresa has finally regained her ground with a successful restart. Though still far from the popularity she used to have in Hong Kong, her slow grind to success has humbled Theresa, and she’s grateful with what she has.

“I was encouraged to attend more dinners to meet more people,” said Theresa during an interview for a mainland talk show. “Which is why, in my first few years there, I always ate out, whether it’s lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, or even late night snack. I’m always there.”

It was busy work, and for Theresa, she considered her attendance a necessary part to get more connections in the mainland market. Unfortunately, these dinners don’t always turn out as good as she had hoped. There were several incidences when she would ask to perform favors in order to get signed or sponsorship.

“They don’t need to say it out loud. I get the idea. Something like, if they agree to sign me, I’d have to hug them.”

Fortunately, Theresa already has a few years of experience under her belt. She knows when to say no, and knows when someone has crossed the line. “I will never lay a hand on them if I know I have room to escape. We are, after all, in the same industry. Let’s not burn the bridges too quickly. Leave a space for them to step down the stage. I’ll try to reject them as respectfully as I can.”

One of the scariest incidences she had encountered thus far was when she had refused to drink with a client. The client got so mad he knocked down a table. Theresa immediately left the dinner without a backwards glance.

“I Thought About Dying”

Burdened with controversies and negative rumors, Theresa suffered setbacks not only in her career, but also mentally. “I thought about dying,” Theresa admitted. “I’m afraid of going to public places. Just the thought frightens me, and I’d break down in tears. Honestly, I did think about dying.”

It was the adrenaline-rushing thrill of bungee jumping that helped Theresa deal with her depression. “I jump on my own terms. I wasn’t scared. I actually enjoyed the process of falling down. I felt much better afterwards.”

Relationship with Him Law

In 2011, shortly before Theresa left Hong Kong to restart her career in Mainland China, she admitted being in an on-again, off-again relationship with Him Law (羅仲謙) for at least a year. Theresa accused Him for being a liar, a cheater, and their arguments turned physical, resulting in Theresa suffering multiple bruises on her extremities. Him denied being violent.

Their relationship shocked the entertainment scene, and Theresa’s image never fully recovered. Though Theresa never mentioned Him by name in this interview, the implications were obvious.

“I used to have a boyfriend who I thought was perfect,” she said. “It wasn’t until a year later when I discovered that I was the third person all along. He had a girlfriend that he had been dating for five years, and I never knew about it.”

Theresa refused to believe it at first. “I blamed it on my naivety. He regularly went to the gym, and it was an hour away from where I lived. I asked why he had to go that far, and he would tell me that he has always gone there, and he was used to it. It turns out that he would go there to talk to his girlfriend every single day.”

Theresa was soft-hearted, and even after breaking up with him, she ultimately went back. “Half a year later I discovered that he was with a different girl. He actually never broke up with her, either, but he told the girl that he had broken up with me.”

Theresa learned a huge life lesson through her relationships: “A man does not speak what he thinks.”

Source: HK01.com

This article is written by Addy for JayneStars.com.