Wayne Lai Thought of Quitting Acting to Sell Fish Balls
In the entertainment industry for 30 years, Wayne Lai’s (黎耀祥) road to success did not come easy. Since his debut, Wayne spent the majority of his career portraying extras and supporting characters. In 2009, under the recommendation and guidance of producer Lee Tim Shing (李添勝), Wayne starred in his first lead role in Rosy Business <巾幗梟雄>, which was a critical and ratings hit. For the next six years, Wayne enjoyed a newfound surge of popularity and success.
Due to his hard work and persistence, Wayne believes that his relatable experiences have helped persuade his fellow actors and diverse Hong Kong netizens to acknowledge him. “If Wayne Lai had an opportunity [to succeed], then anyone can have an opportunity.”
Although he has already won the TVB Best Actor award three times, Wayne hopes to be the first to win the award four times. “Having three Best Actor awards is nothing new. Gallen Lo (羅嘉良) and Roger Kwok (郭晉安) also won the award three times. Winning the award four times is truly exemplary. Even when I have passed, everyone will remember that I am the first actor in TVB to have won the TV King award four times.” Despite this desire, Wayne acknowledges that the competition is strong this year, with Anthony Wong (黃秋生) and Bobby Au Yeung (歐陽震華) also in the running.
Wayne Lai Thought of Selling Fish Balls
Having persisted through small and large scale roles in the 30 years of his entertainment career, Wayne revealed that many companies have invited him to be a motivational speaker at conferences. Admitting that his perseverance had deterred before, Wayne shared, “During different phases in my life, I have thought about giving up. The first time was when I was five years into my career. My contract had just ended [with TVB] and my career growth was inconsistent. Sometimes, I was a supporting actor and other times, I was an extra. So I thought about not renewing my contract and just switching my career to selling fish balls or even working at a supermarket. If it were just to earn money and make a living, it doesn’t matter what kind of work it is. But acting is my hobby and has a very special meaning to me. In the end, I decided to continue acting.”
Wayne reflected on his younger years and admitted that he often felt underappreciated. “I felt that way when I left TVB in 1998. I felt that I was young and could do better.” He further added, “Everyone will overestimate themselves. I believe that God already has plans for each person’s path.”
Source: Yahoo.com.hk
This article is written by Huynh for JayneStars.com.
I can’t help but think that all this fame has gone to his head. After reading his statement, I don’t want him to win anymore. He sounds cocky and unappreciative. His recent roles haven’t even been that good. After he hit his peak with his first lead role, all the subsequent ones have been the same same. Nothing exemplary about him.
Probably dating myself right now but I liked Wayne since his drama with Leon Lai in “Challenge of Life.” where he was named “cockroach” Happy to know he found success!!!!!
He should’ve won something that year when he acted as Ju Bak Gai (piggy). Despite it being a comical character, he and Dicky’s acting and chemistry made the drama shine and exceed ratings. It’s too bad it didn’t work for Wayne the way it did for Dicky.
@coralie Agree! That’s why I like Wayne.. he’s very versatile IMO. Can play any role.
@coralie Unfortunately, the awards weren’t around back then (the TVB Anniversary Awards started in 1997), so it’s kind of a moot point if we’re talking about awards. But yea, I do agree that Wayne should’ve gotten way more recognition for his Pig role back then, both from a performance perspective (that was definitely one of his most representative works as a supporting actor) as well as his contribution to making that series such a great classic. Too bad he didn’t get the popularity or career boost that he should’ve gotten at the time…
I’ve always liked Wayne and as I’ve said before, shame on TVB for taking more than 20 years to ‘recognize’ his talent (when I say ‘recognize’, I’m not necessarily referring to awards – I’m talking more along the lines of promotion, better treatment, better opportunities, etc.). But then again, that’s how TVB operates. Wayne was lucky in a sense that he had Tim Gor (Lee Tim Sing) and other producers who saw his potential and cast him in roles that helped him showcase his acting and then was finally able to get the long overdue recognition he deserved — many others at TVB toil for 20, 30, even 40 years, and not only don’t get recognition, most people don’t even know their names. Yes, there has been debate over the years on whether Wayne deserved to win 3 BA awards or not and whether a 4th one is justified, but in my opinion, doesn’t really matter that much, since TVB essentially ‘ignored’ Wayne for so many years, so I’m fine with them going a little ‘overboard’ with that recognition in recent years — the way I see it, in Wayne’s case, TVB finally righted a wrong. Also, the important thing is that all of his years of hard work finally paid off.
@llwy12
Well said but as you know in this business it is not all about talent and good acting skills. It is about timing,luck, connections,opportunities,etc… I think that applies to all professions to some extent,but is especially true in this industry. It is great that Wayne’s years of hard work paid off and he is luckier than many others who are still struggling to make a name for themselves.
i really like wayne since i was a kid. he has always shined in his roles esp the role as the pig in journey to the west. i also remembered there was a drama, not long after journey to the west, he was casted as the lead. he was good in it too but i am not sure how well the show did. i do think he’s one of the most talented actors out there. it’s true that there are alot of unrecognized struggling actors who can act but fail to receive any opportunity. like 11 gor, and the bad guy in captain of destiny. both veteran actors but no chance to lead. wayne’s definately one of the lucky ones as well as so gay.
Good for him to retire hahaha
@yummysukiyaki I noticed you love degrading other actors to prop up your idol.
@yummysukiyaki What was that for?
Oh, by the way – those overzealous Ruco fans who keep dissing Wayne (and other veteran artists) purely because of his age might be interested in knowing that Wayne actually supports your idol to win TV King – he said he will vote for Ruco for the award, as he feels he did a great job in Captain of Destiny, plus it’s about time that Ruco got the award. Wayne also expressed that he is very happy to see the company (TVB) grooming younger artists and these awards are great encouragement for them. At the same time, he said this doesn’t mean that he’s giving up the race, as it will ultimately depend on the audiences’ choice plus judges’ decision – but he will continue to try his best in all aspects as he usually does.
So yea….perhaps you guys should have some class like Wayne (or even like your own idol Ruco, who also gave a very humble, classy response in that other article about how it is an honor to be nominated alongside other veteran actors) and stop putting down veteran actors, especially the ones who actually support your idol and have nothing but good things to say about him (I think it’s safe to assume that Ruco would be happy to hear Wayne voted for him and praised his acting). Not only is it a huge turnoff and also very immature to put down veterans in that manner, you’re also not doing your idol any favors (in fact, you’re doing him a disservice by putting people who are annoyed by your comments off to him). Being “old” is not a sin and when Ruco reaches that same age, I’m sure you guys wouldn’t want people dissing him for being “old” and telling him to retire.
@llwy12 Love this!!!!!!
@llwy12 i am Ruco’ s fan but I totally agree with llwy12.. Yummysukiyaki, while I understand your ardent psssion for Ruco, please stop making disrespectful remarks about other actors. While Ruco is an excellent actor, it doesnt mean others are lousy. Thr veterans definitely have something he can learn from and Ruco personally acknowledges this and respects them
I feel disgusted and turned off reading your postings even though I love Ruco very much. Imagine others who are haters of Ruco. Please stop doing Ruco this great disservice.
@llwy12
I’m also a huge Ruco fan but very annoyed with these aggressive fans. I consider yummysukiyaki as a troll.
Ruco is a humble and down-to-earth guy. Fans please do him justice!
I actually didn’t like Wayne at first though I loved his Piggy. It took me about one year to watch him in different roles for me to understand that he is a very versatile and hardworking actor. And he is very witty and quick-thinking as well in real life.
As far as awards go, I think that Wayne has done more than enough to prove to himself that he is a great actor, with or without an award.
Im wondering if some of these very vocal and extreme “Ruco fans” are really fans or perhaps they’re just trouble makers out to stir anti-Ruco feelings. I know that’s what happens in hk discussion forums where these people who are seemingly fans will make extremely nasty comments to stir up fans of other artistes.
Always love since i was kid watching journey to the west! Piggy was amazing!! Wayne is a versatile actor!