Eddie Kwan Promises a Surprising Ending for “Beauty At War”
Though Eddie Kwan (關禮傑) can boast of 30 years of acting experience, the role of Kunqu opera master Wan Tsau Yin in Beauty at War <金枝慾孽貳> proved to be a breakthrough for the 51-year-old actor. Despite criticism of the slow plot, Eddie believes viewers will eventually notice the refreshing difference between Beauty at War and other Qing palace dramas.
Homosexual Rumors
When Eddie was offered the role of Kunqu fadan, Wan Tsau Yin, he was hesitant. However, it was not because of the unfamiliarity and difficulty of mastering Kunqu opera, it was for a totally different reason. Eddie explained, “Many years ago, I played the role of the weak police cadet, Kiu Chi Ho in Police Cadet ’84 <新紮師兄>. Because the character was a softie, I was thus nicknamed ‘Good Elder Sister’. Following that, people started thinking I’m homosexual.”
Eventually, Eddie was won over by producer Jonathan Chik (戚其義) and scriptwriter Chow Yuk Ming’s (周旭明) confidence in him. The duo believed Eddie was most suitable for the role of the opera fadan.
Although Eddie’s sexuality may have been shrouded in rumors in the 80s, this will be unlikely the case when viewers watch him in Beauty at War. His character as the troupe performer Wan Tsau Yin is anything but effeminate. Also in reality, Eddie is happily married to his wife, Anna, and they have two daughters, 18-year-old Fabienne and 11-year-old Frankziska. Speaking of his family, Eddie was animated, “My family is the driving force for me to work hard. When they are happy, I am happy!”
Eddie Has Confidence in “Beauty at War”
Throwing himself into perfecting their roles, Eddie and Moses Chan (陳豪) trained with a Kunqu master weeks before filming began. Practicing for seven hours each day, both actors tried to understand the essence of Kunqu opera.
Eddie said, “Kunqu operas are sung in extremely high notes and the uncommon Kunshan language is used, so it was really difficult to master.” Eddie also researched the mannerisms of a fadan, such as her eye movements as well as the way she walks and carries herself.
With the intricate production and performance details, Eddie believes Beauty at War is not a typical palace drama. Though the drama is based in the Qing dynasty and the story centers around the imperial family, the series also features the entanglement between the Kunqu troupe performers and the royal harem. Eddie said, “Beauty at War is filled with many twists and turns. The ending is also shocking, so I hope viewers will continue to watch it.”
Source: East Week #505 via ihktv.com
This article is written by Karen for JayneStars.com.
Shocking ending 1
everyone dies
Shocking ending 2
Nobody dies
Shocking ending 3
this was the dream with a dream for Consort Yu in the real Beauty At War which is War & Beauty
Shocking ending 4
All these talks about parrarel world, in the end it is true except we have aliens, space ships and monsters
Shocking ending 5
There is no ending, hence another sequel, War & Beauty 3: War At beauty’s War of Beauty
Correction
Shocking ending 5
There is no ending, hence another sequel, War & Beauty 3: Beauty At War’s War of Beauty’s Beauty of War with a prequel, War/Beauty
And how many title from War, Beauty…
that’s so pessimistic. T_T
These endings of yours probably won’t happen..
Out of all these suggested endings, I think ending #3 may be true. But like Nikki and Coco, I really doubt it.
@Funn: LOL….very funny! All kidding aside though, I actually think ending #3 is not too far-fetched – based on putting the pieces together from some of the stuff I’ve read about the series so far, I have a feeling that the ending is going to be along the lines of majority of the stuff that happened throughout the series (or maybe even all of it) being either one huge fabricated ‘rumor’ or a figment of one of the character’s imagination.
I guess we’ll just have to wait and see….
LOL so funny, Funn Lim
Agree that Ending #3 sounds quite plausible for Jonathan Chik. And Ending #1 doesn’t sound too far-fetched either — maybe it’ll be Chik and Chow’s way of saying “no more WAB sequels!”
is eddie kwan’s wife a chinese or a foreigner?
She is Chinese and her name is Anna Leung.
I don’t understand why cast a 51-year-old man as a fadan. It is bad enough having a garishly painted face but the effect is even worse on an older man who has masculine features.
I agree with age issue, but historically women are not allowed to perform on stage considered highly improper and even illegal.
I know about women prohibited but how about actors less old and less masculine?
Like Oscar Leung, who looks really good in that ancient series with Linda and Myolie as a dancer.
sammuel will make a great choice too.
I didnt even know he was in the series! There was no mention of him at all! Just to show why TVB has no respect for their veterans!
@chky: Eddie’s wife Anna is Chinese.
About half way through reading this article, I realized it was the same one I had already read last week (in Chinese) from East Week magazine (the interview Eddie Kwan did with Paco Wong)…..no wonder the contents sounded familiar…LOL.
Anyway, love Eddie Kwan – he was one of my favorite actors in the 80s (I know, I say that about a lot of the actors / actresses from the 80s…haha)! At first when I found out he would be in BAW, I was happy that finally he would get a ‘decent’ role (since he’s been getting pretty crappy roles the past couple years, with a few exceptions of course) in a supposedly ‘grand’ production, but by the looks of it so far, his role doesn’t appear to be too significant….bummer. Ah well….I guess I’ll just go back to re-watching his old series…
Anticipating!
wow didn’t even know he was 51yr old.
I think Eddie actually looks great for 51.
About the complaint about Eddie being too old, fadans are not limited any age as long as they can do the delicate movements with grace.
Some actors still act until they can no longer move so age 51 is ok for a fadan, especially a famous one. It takes ages to rise to the position of a fadan, having to start off in lowly supporting positions.
i bet my money that they’re gonna do wab3….with all the new ones just so tvb can promote them….aimee, christine, eliza etc….imagine that. wab with concubines who cant even speak canto properly. lolz which dynasty? abc dynasty.