Tracy Chu Hopes for Smooth Transition as an Actress
Tracy Chu (朱千雪) has had a successful start since winning second runner-up at the 2012 Miss Hong Kong Pageant. Although she was placed behind Carat Cheung (張名雅) and Jacqueline Wong (黃心穎) that night, Tracy was the first of the three women to appear in TVB dramas. After being cast in The Hippocratic Crush 2 <On Call 36小時II>, her workload continued to increase with movie and drama projects. Tracy is now ready to drop her beauty pageant image behind to reveal a new self. “I hope to make a successful transition from a Miss Hong Kong into an artist.”
TVB series aside, Tracy takes a special interest in movies and recently took up a films project with Nick Cheung (張家輝) and Jacky Cheung (張學友) in The Grand Canyon <大峽谷> (tentative title). The beauty queen then complimented Nick and Jacky for being gentlemen like and looking out for her.
Thanks Lawrence Ng as Her Mentor
Even Tracy was surprised about her quick promotion. She did not expect receiving such a major role in The Hippocratic Crush 2, nor the fact that she would star alongside veteran actor, Lawrence Ng (吳啟華). Tracy expressed, “I always thought I would portray a cameo role with one or two scenes. When I heard the story from the producer, I realized my character has a name.”
In the medical drama, Tracy portrays a stubborn and determined doctor who eventually has a romantic storyline with Lawrence. As Tracy is still new to the entertainment industry, she expressed her gratitude towards Lawrence for being a great mentor. Earlier, it was reported that she was scolded for her frequent retakes and poor acting abilities, however, like her character in the series, Tracy exhibited hardworking ethics and received valuable tips from Lawrence.
Reception has been mediocre for Tracy’s performance in The Hippocratic Crush 2. Some viewers criticized her poor acting abilities, while others believed it was a great first attempt. Nonetheless, Tracy admitted having felt very nervous and helpless on her first day of filming. “My heart was beating really quickly the first day I arrived on set. I didn’t know anyone there. The producer and director told me I could ask them anything I needed to know, but I had no clue what to ask,” she revealed.
While Tracy easily cries buckets of tears when watching movies at home, she finds crying scenes to be extremely difficult to act out on the spot. She recalled the first scene she filmed for The Hippocratic Crush 2, in which her character had to cry on the streets. Prior to that day, Tracy had practiced by herself several times. Since she cried successfully at home, she thought everything would be fine. However, Tracy realized there was a big difference when cameras were actually pointed towards her. She explained, “No matter what I did, no tears came out. I was really afraid that I was dragging everyone behind. Fortunately, Lawrence taught me how to build up my emotions. In the end, the director approved the shot.”
The New Tracy Chu
Tracy immigrated to Vancouver, Canada, with her family when she was 8 years old. As the eldest of three daughters, she always listened to her parents and acted as a role model to her younger sisters. After graduating from Simon Fraser University with a degree in Business and Communications, Tracy returned to Hong Kong alone for job opportunities. After working in a marketing office for two years, she decided to join the Miss Hong pageant to open perspectives.
Along the way, she received full support from family and friends. But after the pageant ended, Tracy felt like she cannot introduce herself as a Miss Hong Kong her whole life. When she did attempt to detach her name from the pageant, she remained unknown to others. Tracy shared, “At an earlier function, someone asked who I am, and I said, ‘Tracy Chu.’ The person then replied coldly, ‘Oh…I don’t know [the name]!’ and walked away. I wasn’t really unhappy, since I know I’m still new to the industry, but I will do my best and use my own abilities to let others know my name is Tracy Chu.”
Sources: 3 Weekly via kuangaitvb.com; ihktv.com
This article is written by Shirley and Su for JayneStars.com.
Solid acting for a first-timer. Even though I dislike newbies getting such a big role, she really did a good job compared to the likes of Christine Kuo and Eliza Sam. Not the prettiest in TVB, but she does have a lot of potential to take on major roles in the future.
Anyone is better than Christne Kuo.
“she really did a good job compared to the likes of Christine Kuo and Eliza Sam”
Fully agreed
At least she speaks good Cantonese.
She is 1st Class crap for acting. No poise, No clue on her direction and a face to go with. How can you fellas table such comments. Total disgust .
Agree. If Christine and Eliza keep getting chances for that level of acting, Tracy definitely deserves her. She may not have displayed solid acting in her first drama serial but it’s a good attempt.
Lead actress material in the making!
I think she’s done really well for a first-timer and she’s shown potential to do even better.
One of the best newbie so far 🙂 She acted way, way better than the actress who plays “Ah Ting” in OC 36 2.
I like her. Keep up the good work, Tracy Chu 😀
sorry she is ugly ….. i like Crystal Li as Ah Ting much better
She is not ugly, but not pretty either.
I don’t know who she is but at first look from picture up there = she instantly reminded me of Nnaida Chan Song-Ling (陳松伶)
Btw Nnaida = what a stooopid spelling in an effort to be stand-out unusual = classic Nadia sounds way more educated, less ESL and simple.
Less is more, and tasteful.
She is prettier than Crystal Li and her acting is ok for a newbie.
I don’t think so. Crystal Li is pretty, but rather short.
She is pretty compared to Crystal Li, plus the fact that Crystal Li’s scenes are so painful to watch, they all look so fake. And her face is too wide at the bottom.
Haven’t seen one who acts as bad as Crystal Li for awhile. Even Christine Kuo and Eliza were better than her in their earlier drama series.
lol. christine isn’t better than crystal, eliza, or tracy. she can’t even speak proper cantonese. preach it. but, i must admit that crystal’s performance was mediocre. out of all of them, i like Tracy and Eliza equally. Tracy seems bring out her lines and portray her character more smoothly and naturally than Eliza a bit though.
Crystal Li is quite new. She did appear in other drama series, but in very minor roles with very few lines only. We cannot expect to compare her acting with Christine Kuo who had acted over 10 drama series and a few movies.
Moreover, Crystal Li speaks good Cantonese vs. Christine Kuo’s poor Cantonese and poor acting.
I hope the best for her and her success! (:
I think her acting was great! I love her the most in the show.
I find her really pretty, and her acting is really good considering it is her first time. Keep up the good work Tracy!
She looks promising !
She look average as an actress but her acting is good in ONCALL36.
I notice all 1st time actresses this days can do the arrogant “I wanna slap you” sort of character but can’t go on to anything else. For a newbie she is ok. The art is starting small. I don’t see a lead actress material as yet, unlike in the past of some actresses but with a bit of practice she can probably do better than her debut.
May I ask who had lead actress material as a 1st time actress? Did they attend the proper TVB acting classes?
For a first time, I think her acting is very natural, I was pretty surprised.
for a first drama, it’s considered a good acting. think she can be a successful actress. goodluck!
She’s pretty good for a newbie. Her emotional scenes need a lot of work though, but then again, many other artists do too. She has a lot of potential. 🙂
Above pic of Tracy resemble a bit of Gigi Lai.
l believed she is the next well accepted artist as Ggi Lai in future her fans is growing here as well.
Tracy Chu has immense potential !! Im sure she will do well.
I dont u/stand why TVB heavily promotes Eliza Sam, i sometimes find her very hard to watch especially when she’s trying to express her emotions in cantonese (Hippocratic Crush II). Crystal Li is rather average. Christine Kuo had potential until she gained weight – now she’s gone in hiding! Poor girl.
Christine Kuo has the worst catonese ability amongst all the newbies! Pain to hear her speaking cantonese. So it is good to see her vanish from the scene these days due to her widening waistline
She’s not that bad for her first time! At least bearable to watch, so much better than Eliza who has appeared on so many drams. I see Rebecca Zhu in her, Rebecca improved so much this year.
Continue to improve Tracy Chu.. Quite surprised she is not even nominated for best supporting actress.
I have stopped watching OnCall36 after the 10th espisode. Just found the drama boring and lacked any special characters/storyline. But Tracy Chu stood out for me, definitely feel like she has potential. Honestly, I was SO GLAD that TVB didn’t throw her into a happy-happy, cheerful role as per usual..
When i first read she was going to be in on call and have a main role, i was like wtf? why? but after her debut, i was surprised. she is the best newcomer and i hope tvb will promote tracy instead of pricilla and christine.
at first I didn’t really like her character, but I started liking her afterwards. her acting is very natural but there are a few blemishes here and there I think she will improve progressively if she gets another chance to shine
She’s actually been pretty solid in her role during these last few episodes. Quite stiff and bland at first, but she’s grown into her role and onto me.
oh please..this HCII is so boring and one of the reason was because of her and Lawrence’s roles. My god, I dont know what is TVB is thinking about..maybe like what reported their qualities decline because many good staffs went Mainland instead.
This picture looks a bit like nnadia chan.
Sorry but I think Crystal Li Ah Ting is much better than Tracy Chu by far! She so sweet and she more natural. Tracy is so bad she’s like a stone, no facial expression at all no acting skills what so ever!!
Ah Ting…add oil supporting you all the way!
Jp, are u Ah ting yourself??
I think she’s done really well for a first-timer, well above expectations. Her acting brings out the steely determination of the character. As for Eliza Sam, I feel as if she delivers her lines like a beauty queen – upbeat, cheery & one dimensional. At times, it’s really obvious her focus is on getting her Cantonese right instead of emoting.
She has potential, but she will need a lot of hard work and sharpening before she gets recognized.