Linda Chung is the Big Boss in Hong Kong

Earlier this month, Linda Chung (鍾嘉欣) returned to Hong Kong to do an interview with her close friend Steven Ma (馬浚偉). The Heart of Greed <溏心風暴> star said she would be staying in Hong Kong for approximately two weeks, with the intention of celebrating Mid-Autumn Festival with her family. Her husband Jeremy and her daughter Kelly also came to Hong Kong with her.

“They’re probably walking around right now,” said Linda. “Don’t take pictures!” Asking Linda if she’s worried that her husband would get lost in the big city, Linda said, “I do. His Cantonese isn’t very good after all. I’m usually the weaker one in Canada. I had to rely on him all the time, but now that we’re back in Hong Kong, I definitely feel like the big boss. I’ll take care of him!”

Steven Ma Halted Filming for Linda Chung

During the interview, the close friends caught up with each other and shared some of their past filming experiences with the press. Steven said Linda was one of his hardest candidates to interview—because they were so close, there were many things that Steven wanted to talk about with Linda, but couldn’t.

Steven then recalled his experience working with Linda for TVB’s Ghost Writer <蒲松齡> in 2009. That year was one of Linda’s roughest since her debut. “She’d come to work looking like a zombie every day,” said Steven. “One day, she told me, in a serious tone, that she’s seen a ghost at home.”

“That was what I thought,” said Linda. “I was so tired I started seeing things.”

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“She would come to work in tears,” Steven added. “We were so worried about her.” Linda explained, “I was homesick. I had three ongoing projects on top of Ghost Writer.” Steven said, “She really didn’t have time to sleep, because of that, her immune system was affected. She started growing hives all over her body, and her skin was peeling off to.”

Linda then shared, “Ah Gor stopped the camera halfway because he had to peel off the skin on my left ear before we could continue filming.”

Steven once suggested Linda to “collapse the studio” (halt filming) and take a break, but Linda said she didn’t dare to. “I was scared. I never asked to collapse because I was still a rookie.”

Upset and irritated by Linda’s response, Steven decided to take the matter to his own hands. “I wouldn’t collapse, so Steven did instead. He halted filming so I could rest.”

“I didn’t fake it,” said Steven. “I literally told the director that I couldn’t film anymore. There’s no way I could get in character when I see my partner looking this miserable.”

With her home in Canada, Linda has to fly back and forth for work. Linda said she enjoys this lifestyle. “Someone once told me that it’ll be hard to balance the two, and that I could only choose one. But I want to do the exception. I control my own life.”

Source: Mingpao.com

This article is written by Addy for JayneStars.com.

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Responses

  1. My guess is that this is probably for one of the Telling Maria episodes (for the latest season of her interview show, she has been inviting “best on-screen partners” to discuss their collaborations). The latest episode that aired this past weekend (episode 5, which aired yesterday) featured 3 of the 5 Tigers (Michael Miu, Felix Wong, Kent Tong – technically 4 Tigers if you count Andy Lau’s multiple video clips, lol….I watched it last night and was in TVB 80s nostalgia heaven!) I’ve been “chasing” the show (pretty much the only TVB program I’m watching nowadays) since it started last month and so far, the partnerships they’ve had are truly classics (episode 1 was Wayne Lai and Sheren Tang, episode 2 was Eric Tsang, Lawrence Cheng, Nat Chan, episode 3 was Bobby AuYeung, Michael Tao, William So, episode 4 was Moses Chan and Ada Choi, and episode 5 was the 3 Tigers). Can’t wait to see who they will feature on the next episode!

    Of course I could be wrong and this might end up being for some random Big Big Channel thing (since TVB has been heavily promoting the channel recently) but it’s kind of hard for me to believe TVB won’t take advantage of the opportunity to have Steven and Linda do a longer interview. They actually did the same thing with Wayne and Sheren last month – they did a mini interview for Big Big Channel, then an extended version for the first episode of Telling Maria.

    1. @llwy12 This specific interview was for Steven’s radio talkshow (he’s done several with guests such as Nancy Wu and Ms Lok). But yes, perhaps since Linda’s in town for some time TVB might have done a Telling Maria episode.

      1. @linvin8 Ah, ok…makes sense! (I should’ve noticed the CRHK radio logo in the picture’s background…which reminds me that I need to catch up on listening to radio interviews — got a long list that I’m behind on).

        I actually would be surprised if TVB didn’t have them record an episode of Telling Maria as well…most likely they will but TVB won’t air it until closer to their series coming out…after all, TVB needs every bit of “free promo” they can get right now….

    2. @llwy12 Speaking of Telling Maria, I also recently discovered it and watched the first 4 episodes in one go! I loved them all, especially the episodes with the MCs Lawrence, Eric, Nat (I watched Ms HK and Super Trio growing up), Ada and Moses, and the File of Justice trio (lovedd the series).

      It really takes me back; I really miss the old days. Not sure if it has to do with nostalgia or just the fact that the actors and dramas were just better back then. Probably both. Loved the friends who commented on the guests, and the old clips they showed, particularly the part where Eric Tsang talked about Fei Fei (rip).

      1. @lyu310 Yea, I agree…I actually love all of the Telling Maria episodes so far except for the Ada and Moses one, which I actually didn’t watch (since I don’t really care for either artist or any of the series they collaborated in). I enjoyed the Eric/Lawrence/Nat episode as well and was nearly in tears when they started talking about Lydia Shum. I think the funniest episode so far was the FOJ one (Bobby/Michael/William) and the most profound one was Wayne/Sheren episode.

        If you haven’t watched the 3 Tigers one, definitely try to get to it soon – it was awesome! Most of the stuff they talked about I already knew from past interviews, but it was still a lot of fun seeing the 3 of them being interviewed together – especially Michael and Felix (a “bromance” that I’ve shipped since the 80s, lol), whom we don’t get much opportunity to see together nowadays on television (though thank goodness they still collaborate quite frequently in movies). They talked about their days in Acting Class, which was hilarious — Kent always choosing to sit in the back so he could sleep and also study his horse racing guide, Felix getting in trouble with his teachers because he was courting his future wife at the time and got called out on it, both Felix and Michael arriving to class in short shorts due to having just finished a game of soccer and their teacher yelling at them for wearing stuff like that. Also all the memories of them fighting for “sleeping space” in the bathrooms and closets at TVB studios (back when the studio was located on Broadcast Drive in the 80s…. Bobby Au Yeung had actually talked about the same thing on his episode)…memories of filming The Bund together with Chow Yun Fat (Kent was already in a supporting role while both Michael and Felix were still newbies playing kelefes) and how scared they were because Fat Gor was already a huge star but also how much they learned from him. Also Felix recounting his time filming The Lonely Hunter (the series that first put his name on the map) with Dodo Cheng and how she threw his script away the first day and after that he never walked into the studio again without having his lines fully memorized. I also loved the part where they talked about all the other senior artists they had collaborated with (i.e. Kwan Hoi San, Tang Bik Wan, Wong Sun, all of whom left us many years ago, plus other seniors still active today such as Lau Dan, Chun Wong, Kenneth Tsang, etc) and all the things they learned from them and also how grateful they are to have had the chance to work with those artists because they wouldn’t be who they are today without them (so true…and therein lies the difference with why current generation of artists aren’t as successful – many of them don’t show the same appreciation and respect for the senior artists that the older generation did). It was funny when they made Felix recount the TVB series he had filmed and he only counted a handful because there were too many to remember, lol (he actually forgot to mention one of his most popular series, Solider of Fortune, until Kent reminded him, since that series was one of Kent’s most representative works, lol). The most poignant moment of course was when they talked about Barbara Yung – their memories of her and their reactions to her death 32 years ago….Kent actually handled the questions pretty well considering he was the one most impacted.

        I miss the old days too (ok, technically I’ve been “missing the old days” for the past 20 years already, lol). Yea, I agree that it’s probably both nostalgia and the fact that the artists and the series were so much better back then – on a larger scale though, it was also because that time period (80s/early 90s) was truly the HK entertainment industry’s “glory days” where all disciplines (television, movies, music, etc.) were strong. Michael and Felix joked about how the 5 Tigers dominated TVB in the 1980s pretty much (which is true of course) but the industry was also different back then in that the attitude was better and everyone was more united. They talked a lot about filming The Yang’s Saga and being able to bring all of TVB’s artists together to participate in a series for a common cause, something that will never happen in today’s TVB world.

        As I said before, the current generation artists really should watch these interviews, as they can learn so much from hearing all these veterans recount their experiences.

      2. @llwy12 Hi! Can you tell me where I can watch all the Telling Maria episodes online for the new season? I really want to watch the one with the Five Tigers!

      3. @felicity Hi! Depends on which country/region you live in. If you’re in the U.S. like I am, you can watch on TVB USA’s official platform: encoretvb.com. Good thing with encore TVB is that you can watch on the computer (just type in that web address) or download the app on your phone or tablet and watch there. Everything is categorized – Telling Maria would be under the variety programs section. You can also watch all of TVB’s currently airing series (and variety programs) there as well older ones that they rotate through every couple months (and yes, they’ve got some classics up there — I re-watched Blood of Good and Evil, The Challenge of Life, Looking Back in Anger, all 4 Detective Investigation Files, etc on there all in the past 6 months…I haven’t checked recently though so not sure if they rotated those series out already). One of the few “good” things that TVB has done in recent years is come through on their promise to make their content more accessible overseas (plus it’s probably also their way of fighting the rampant piracy of their productions with people uploading their series illegally onto other sites). If you’re in any other country aside from U.S. – sorry, I won’t be the best person to ask since I only know how it works here and in HK.

      4. @llwy12 Aww, thanks but I am from Malaysia, not USA. Anyway, just want to say that I always enjoy reading your thoughtful and lengthy contributions to various topics on HK showbiz, and I often find myself nodding in silent agreement to your posts, lol. Like you, I am mostly nostalgic for the good old days of TVB back in the 1980s & early 1990s. It’s great to still see you around Jaynestars as many of the old members from 5 to 6 years back don’t post here anymore.

      5. @felicity Aww, thanks! 🙂 I actually don’t post much anymore either…I mostly post just on certain articles / topics I’m interested in or if someone happens to tag me about something (it just seems like I post a lot still because I’m so long-winded so my posts are gigantic, lol). Yea, I find it hard nowadays not to be nostalgic for the good old days seeing what the entertainment industry has become (well, in a way, not just the entertainment industry but HK as a whole). I can totally understand why some people don’t post anymore – in a way, there really isn’t a whole lot worth posting about nowadays, to be honest…

        P.S.: Hopefully there are other JS members here from Malaysia who can perhaps comment on where you can watch that program (I’m pretty sure there is a way given that TVB has such a huge presence in Malaysia). Sorry I wasn’t much help. Good luck! 🙂

      6. @llwy12 No worries, I will just look around YouTube and see if I can find any of these interviews. Yes, TVB has a big presence in Malaysia but its impact was even greater back when TVB dramas used to air on free TV channels until the late 90s before Astro came about (back then, even the non-Chinese folks in Msia watched TVB serials and they were hooked! Nowadays they have turned to Kdramas mainly, so HK stars have lost their appeal, lol).

        I totally agree with you that the HK entertainment industry has fallen far from the heights of its glory days. TVB dramas of the last decade have deteriorated so much that there is hardly anything to get excited about. Hollywood is no better, with nonstop comic book hero movies, reboots and sequels. I can’t be bothered to watch TVB serials these days except for a few glances here and there when I am having my dinner, or when I see actors that I like making a comeback, usually the senior ones. Like Eddie Cheung, Jessica Hsuan etc.

        Anyway, thanks again for trying to help! And if you stop contributing to JS then this website will be much worse off, as many posters here seem rather young and lack your in-depth knowledge about the inner workings / ugliness / silliness of TVB management, HK media etc. I assure you that your insights are much appreciated for the rest of us who are pretty much cut off from HK showbiz except through websites like JS. So thanks! 🙂

      7. @lyu310 I remember the Super Trio show! It lasted for awhile.

        @llwy12 The Yang’s Saga is a classic! TVB put in work back then producing quality telemovies. Now…I don’t even know.

  2. Wow, poor Linda. The life of a TVB artiste is not all that it’s cracked up to be. Plenty of men and women would probably leave behind all that glitz and glamour if they can afford to.

    1. @coralie I think Linda can live a comfortable life if she was not involved with TVB or any studio. Her husband makes decent money and she, Linda has a few notable investments. Unfortunately, in the Hong Kong ebiz industry, TVB is so dominant and has all the studio power that most of the artists are signed with them. Also a lot of artists whether they are good, excellent, or are just cheeseburger quality performers, like what they do and will continue whether they can afford to or not.

      1. @bubbletea I wonder how much time Linda has left on her contract. Maybe with the Threshold sequel, she’s fulfilling the rest of her contract and if that’s the case, she won’t have to bother with TVB anymore. That’s essentially what Ada Choi did — part of the reason why she agreed to film Oh My Grad was so she could fullfill her episode count to TVB so she can focus on other stuff and not let it hang over her head anymore.

      2. @bubbletea now she can after she got hitched lol. but prior to that, she was still working her butt off. can’t blame her though. life in TVB must’ve been difficult.

    1. @anon hahahahah that’s what I meant too. Not hating but watching Linda and Fala is torture. Their crying scenes are not convincing at all. Pls be a good mom don’t come back to filming.

  3. The canadian lesbian teaches Etta to steal in Elaine’s home. My friend’s home in Calgary Canada abused and ripped off by the shameless property management as a free gift store, walking in and out of my friend’s home while my friend is out to steal and grab whatever the managers like. Canadians are corrupted, greedy, poor, beyond imagination robbers and scammers.

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