Moses Chan is Not Selective About His Roles

Many see Moses Chan (陳豪) as a loving husband, dedicated father, and a coffee aficionado. In recent years, public focus has switched from his work to his family, but Moses wants to divert attention back to his acting. Possessing a diversified resume, Moses has been able to handle different roles even when they are exaggerated characterizations.

Not Picky About His Roles

From the shy Dak Dak Dei in Heart of Greed <溏心風暴>, to the brutal and violent Hak Jai in When Heaven Burns <天與地>, to the naïve, rule abiding architect in Ghost of Relativity <鬼同你OT>, to a character who goes through a huge personality change in My Ages Apart <誇世代>, to the cool assassin in Death by Zero <殺手>, every role Moses has portrayed has been very refreshing. It leads one to wonder how Moses chooses his scripts? The answer is that he is not picky about what type of dramas to film.

Joining TVB in 2000, Moses has never declined a role unless there is a scheduling conflict. “If we constantly choose which characters to act, then we’ll always end up picking ones that are suitable for us. We’ll never be able to jump out of our box. I want to be able to break out of this box, so it is important to be flexible and see how others view us. Through these different experiences, maybe we will be able to discover a side of ourselves that we did not know exists. Also, we’d be able to have new chemistry with our co-stars,” Moses revealed.

Winning TVB Best Actor for 2007’s Heart of Greed, Moses’ goal is to continuously improve himself. As an experienced actor, he is ready to transition to a new role at a moment’s notice and does not need much time to rest in between projects. “My attitude is that I must always be ready. Meaning at any time, I can grab my bag and go out and not be caught still packing at the last minute.”

In contrast, Moses used to spend too much timing reading the script and memorizing his lines. His experience has taught him how to prepare in the right way. “Many people often say that I don’t read my script. Usually, I have already finished reading it. I will only put down my script when I have digested it, and know how to handle the role.”

With his experience and popularity, it is easy to become arrogant, but Moses remains modest and always thanks the production crew for their work. It often takes a team to make an actor shine. “As much as I want to show a different side of me, I still need the script, director, and the team to work with me to make this happen. I always say that you should not become egocentric, because a drama is a team effort. If you only care about your own appearance, then the whole situation changes. Encountering a team that is in sync with you only enhances your acting.”

Younger Artistes Remind Moses of Himself

Many new actors have joined TVB in recent years, and Moses has collaborated with many of them. Working with younger artistes allows Moses to see a shadow of himself. Working hard is the first step. “Once the audience has accepted them, then they will have more chances to land a role that has a lot of room for growth. I often talk with the new actors, but they often feel a little pressured talking to me. Some will actively seek out advice from me, and I am happy to share with them. Mostly importantly, they must have passion. Sometimes our intention is to help others and for those that want to improve, this is invaluable advice. For those that don’t, they only view you as a nuisance.”

Times have changed and drama ratings also count views from online platforms, and now shopping can be done through an app. As someone who was active during the golden era of television, Moses is accepting of change, which he feels allows greater room for growth. “I feel that these changes don’t mean that we have to get rid of the old ways of doing things, but technology is continuously improving…. We just have another avenue for our work, so that everyone has easier access.”

His Other Love

Co-stars often share that filming with Moses is fun, because he is a professional actor but he also understands how to relax and have fun. Joking and creating a positive atmosphere makes it more enjoyable to work together. Bonding over a cup of coffee is one of Moses’ favorite activities. “After I educated them more, they’ve learned how to compare different coffees and they can see the difference between good coffee and regular ones from the canteen.” He joked that he is the reason why people don’t want to drink regular coffee anymore.

Due to his love of coffee, he set up a coffee roastery in Tsuen Wan in 2016, and followed up with the launch of his first café Blooms Coffee in a shopping mall last year. He is very involved in the business and handles the branding, marketing, and inventory. “It took a long time to set up everything! My target is to open more shops but due to the pandemic, I am forced to slow everything down.”

A Strict Father

Despite his dual roles as an actor and a café owner, Moses spends his free time at home with Aimee Chan (陳茵媺) and their three children. He enjoys family time, and nothing makes him happier than returning home and hugging his children. When talking about them, Moses’ tone grows noticeably excited.

It would seem that he is a pushover and often gives into his children, but Moses is actually a strict father! “For example, when teaching them how to write, my eldest son was crying, but I was insistent that he erase and write everything again. I will not let him go until he learns how to write properly. It is fine if he cries, it just means that we will spend more time until it is done.”

As he is a very disciplined person, Moses hopes that his children will be the same. “I want them to learn how to be proactive, self-disciplined, self-aware of their shortcomings so that they know where to improve.” Aware that his three children are still young, Moses will not burden them with unachievable standards and he realizes they have different personalities. “My eldest son is smart, but his ability to focus is very weak. My second son has the ability to focus and even though he may be slow in completing tasks, he has a lot of patience and is orderly. My daughter likes to delegate tasks and be doted on. I am also scared of spoiling my daughter, so it is important to teach them well. Luckily, her brothers do not particularly accommodate her and they often fight!”

Great Marriage With Aimee

Another reason Moses loves going home is obviously to spend time with his beloved wife, Aimee! He shared that he has never argued with Aimee about their children, and he understands the importance of communication.

A little appreciation can go a long way, as Moses reveals, “From the beginning, I realized that I have two separate relationships, one with just my wife and the other with her and our children. It is important to not always place your children first, in order to maintain a harmonious relationship with your wife. Everyone needs to spend time together, and allow your partner to feel your love for them. She has a tough time raising three young children. As a husband, it is important for me to let her know that I are grateful for her sacrifices.”

Other than buying Aimee flowers, Moses makes sure to follow their tradition of taking an annual vacation without their children so they can have quality couple time together. Even though they are not able to travel this year due to the pandemic, they have plans for a domestic trip. The destination is never the focus, what is most important is the time that they spend with one another.

Source: Cosmopolitan HK

This article is written by Kiki for JayneStars.com.

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Responses

  1. well, a famous actor should be selective about jobs b/c it only takes one bad production to ruin his good rating status. unless of course $$ is the reason behind it.

  2. Can tell that Moses and Wayne aren’t selective that all in their roles which is why they keep appear in many flops and the occasional hit. This is beneficial to them since this keeps the company happy. What Moses says is incorrect though. He’s actually appearing in so many similar roles is because he hasn’t been selective. Characters have been written to suit him which is why he keeps getting these cool with slight humour roles. Not sure why he thinks by not selecting then he will receive diverse. Just an excuse really because he seems to enjoy comfortably holding onto no1 lead status at TVB rather than have any ambition to push himself.

    1. @jimmyszeto rather than no ambition, he does not want to go away from HK as his family is in HK and he does not want to be away for too long…Good for him to want to strike a balance between Work/money and Family.

      1. @conan2209
        I didn’t mean it as a bad thing. Moses does not have the extra push for further developments in his acting. Maybe he knows he has reached his limit or his passion is somewhere else. family, business etr. What he said about not being selective means he will get diverse roles is incorrect though. His best performance for me is ‘when Heavens Burns’ when he played a more mentally affected character…

  3. I also hate it when he does the high pitch English mixed in his dialogue too like @conan2209 said above!! And I also feel like he’s been the same character ever since My Ages Apart to DBZ to Beauty and the Boss. It was lighthearted and cute the first time but it’s the same character over and over again so yeah, getting annoying. Plus I’m so tired of them pairing him up with Ali again repeatedly. I like them both but enough of them as a couple already. I do like hearing tidbits of his family and personal life though. He seems like a balanced person who knows how to stop, appreciate life, and smell the roses or in his case, drink some coffee.

    1. @gnomageddon I kinda of preferred Ali/Matthew’s love story over Ali with Moses. Maybe because it was refreshing to see Ali with someone else (also Matthew was very cute in the series) or it’s because Moses is hella annoying in the series with that voice lol

      1. @tt23 i think we are just annoyed with his high pitch and his English…is he trying to be cute/funny/humorous or is he just out to irritate viewers?

        i wonder how it will be like onscreen if Ali were to be paired with Michael

      2. @conan2209 He’s always been like that thou. He doesn’t speak English well and w/the wife speaking daily he probably had to join in or else. He’s annoying and same in every drama high pitched whatever he speaks English not just happening now I think. The only one I watched of him was the Moonlight series and he was so annoying there. lol…I am sure everyone loves him thou since it was a popular series.

  4. I really enjoyed Moses as Mike in My Ages Apart and felt like he found a new image with his look but he’s been using the same approach since. Thank goodness Ali saves their arc in DBZ.
    He’s probably really good to work with and that’s why he’s the highest paid at tvb. Also props to him for using a real mask at the shows and none of that plastic face shield crap.

    1. @exodus
      Moses says he digests the scripts and then knows how to handle the role but he seems to put in the same speech tone and mannerisms into each role…

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