Kate Tsui Says Goodbye to Hong Kong Entertainment
Leaving TVB in 2015, Kate Tsui (徐子珊) has been happy pursuing different opportunities. She launched her own jewelry line and completed her master’s degree in psychology six months ago. Feeling passionate about furthering her education, the 39-year-old actress announced that she will permanently step away from the Hong Kong entertainment industry.
Recalling her journey from winning Miss Hong Kong in 2004 to establishing her acting career at TVB, Kate lost her sense of identity along the way. During her 15-year acting career, Kate said not once was she able to be her true self. Maintaining the perfect public image became almost an obsession. She would spend two hours a day preparing herself to look good for the cameras. She thought that even having a single pimple on her face was her own fault.
Since leaving TVB, Kate has been acting part-time while returning back to school. But the pressure of being an artiste remained, and she only felt a sense of relief after her management contract ended recently.
Hoping to reroute her life and find her true self again, Kate mustered up her courage and decided to leave Hong Kong behind. She will sell her home in Hong Kong and move to Europe to continue her education.
Love for Learning
Kate was last seen in Shaw Brothers’ web drama Guardian Angel <守護神之保險調查>. Since her contract with Wong Cho Lam’s (王祖藍) company has ended, Kate slowly began planning her retirement from the industry to live the life of an ordinary person again.
When asked about her decision, Kate expressed, “I was conflicted in the beginning, but I really love learning. It was very stressful when I was going to school and filming at the same time, but luckily I graduated. I hope to continue in this direction and haven’t thought about where and when I’ll stop learning yet. I do know that it’ll be in the field of psychology though. Perhaps I can study for a PhD in either education or clinical studies.”
Due to her frugal nature, Kate is not worried about lacking sufficient funds after leaving the industry. Selling her properties and her car will be enough to support her daily expenses.
“I want to go abroad for studies and spend time learning and gaining different life experiences. That’s why moving to a different place, especially to a foreign country, will give me more space to do the things I want to do,” Kate said.
Where is Kate headed to in Europe? She said, “I’ve flown many times in the last six months to research the surroundings. Netherlands and Germany both have great programs in psychology… I’m gifting myself this sense of courage for my 40th birthday, so I want to leave as soon as possible.”
Reluctant to return to Hong Kong again, Kate said, “Even if I do, it’ll be on the production side and not as an actress.”
Source: Oriental Daily
This article is written by Su for JayneStars.com.
Why Kate Tsui Wants to Pursue a Master’s Degree in Psychology
I always felt that Kate was a loner while she was at TVB. It was clear that she wasn’t happy during the days when she was micromanaged by Virginia Lok at TVB.
It’s a bold step for Kate to start all over. Pursuing a PhD will be a lengthy process, but a rewarding one if that is what she truly wants.
Happy for her!!
I wish her the best.
Kate. These are the types of people I like. Won’t compromise their lifestyle and dreams with the greed of continual riches. This is the complete opposite of Jacqueline who is too shallow and can’t live without that HK lifestyle. Kate has a good career. A brilliant HK film new performer award alongside many greats which can’t be taken away from her. A good few years where arguably she could have won Best Actress at TVB. Wong Chi Lam’s company was a decent retirement home for her…
While I’m sad to see her leave the Hong Kong entertainment industry because I believe she’s very talented, I’m also insanely proud of her. Pursuing one’s dreams after having a really good career is hard and scary, and it’s great she’s doing it. I’m happy she had a good career at TVB + in Hong Kong in general that she can be proud of. I’ll miss seeing her all the same as I’ve missed seeing her these past few years. Also, psychology is a hard and interesting field, so really cool she’s been and is continuing to pursue it!
I have not heard about Kate in a long time so glad she is well. I will miss seeing her act and all, but truly admire her for leaving a promising career behind to pursue her dreams. I used to be a psychology major but had to change majors as my late parents were against it. However, I do not regret it as I found something else that I like doing more,but I still find psychology very interesting. But kudos to her for chasing after her dreams and good luck to her! Hope she inspires others to do the same.
Noooooo! 🙁
I’m super sad about this cause I really liked her as an actress. During her days at TVB, I could see her acting improve and she became one of my favourites (I still watch her old dramas).
At the same time though, I think she lost her passion for acting after signing with WCL, who isn’t even qualified to be managing artists. I’m happy that she’s found her passion, but I will miss her on screen.
@hazel
Agreed. Signing WCL’s artiste management company is a waste to the artistes. I have not seen one single artiste being promoted after they left TVB, not Sheren Tang, Kate Tsui, Eliza Sam, Mag Lam, etc. His company sounds big and powerful, but is lack of projects for his artistes.
@orchid123 If I’m not mistaken, Sheren Tang left WCL’s company after four months cause she knew what was up whereas Mag left last year and is with Warner, an international music company.
I was always under the impression that artistes signed with WCL because they couldn’t get or leverage management contracts elsewhere with big companies. WCL’s company has no hit artistes except for him so I think he’s getting management fees to boost his own career.
Kate filmed 3 dramas during her time with WCL, which I guess was deliberate in terms of preparing her “retirement” from the industry, but I wish she left on a higher note. I always felt that she was an underrated actress and deserved more than what TVB gave her, especially in film.
@hazel most of the people that sign with WCL are church friends who figure they would be in a better place due to his connections with mainland China. They probably assume they would have more opportunities over there. But the only person we see the most is WCL himself…
Seems to be he is very good at managing himself, but can’t manage/promote other people well (due to being too busy, or the management team he hired for others aren’t as good as his own?)
@tungamy The media/WCL keep saying that he’s got good connections in the mainland which isn’t even accurate. He’s got connections to go on dumb variety shows and literally nothing else. Those who are observant would see that from miles away. His church friends must be very trusting of him to get their careers screwed over.
@hazel
Same. Will miss her dearly. & don’t know why, ever since her announcement, i keep seeing her old drama popping up in YouTube which caused me to re-watch her scenes.
I want her back on-screen.
I don’t think i can find other actress in TVB that with the sexy, badass & killer look all in one. and doubted the rest actresses can carry the same emotions as she did in Lives of Omission, Highs & Lows and The Ultimate Addiction.
She has some charisma that others don’t. Glad she has successfully planted some notable drama before leaving the industry.
I liked her when she first started. I thought she was promising and showed improvement each time. Then as if she hit a wall, either internal struggle or management problem, her acting went south. Her face seems rigid, emotional-less, and pile of make up (oh those ever so fake eye lashes). To me, she was like the female, less fortunate version of Raymond Lam at that time -where both try to look “chok” vase-like. Maybe like this article said, she lost her self-ID and her acting was no longer enjoyable. So it’s good for her to do something for herself. Best of luck!
@jjwong
My sentiment exactly.
@jjwong
Agreed with your observation on Kate Tsui’s progress and developments. It is a shame that she has to quit after trying for 15 years. However, I am happy for her that she finally realized what she likes to be …………. her real self.
Wish her the best of luck in her future endeavours.
@jjwong
Exactly and it is not just her, but many artists seem to be losing their identities as they often have to be someone they are not. Therefore it is great that she doing what she wants and is pursuing her dreams which is what I bet many want to do but cannot.
@hetieshou
Some when get to a certain age they realise. Some will never realise and pursue unnecessary limelight forever…
@jimmyszeto
Very true but everyone is different which is why some retire from the circle early while others are still in it even after several decades. It just depends on what each individual wants in life. Some want to stay in the limelight for most of their life while others choose to step away when the time is right.
Although I’m sad that I won’t be able to see her onscreen again, I truly very very happy for her. I’m someone who like learning too. And I wish I’m able to be like her and focus on learning without worrying about making a living and saving for retirement.
Kudos to her brave move.
Most importantly, she is able to be her true authentic self again.
Through the years, I’ve also noticed her changes and her going farther away from her initial self. People always criticise for being always in make up and high heels even when playing a sick person and drug addict, and focus more on looking good than acting. But, she was not like that when she first started in the industry. She was a tomboy and go all out in her acting even though she might lack the skill and experience to give a really good performance (Watch her first few movies and series and you will notice that). Then, later, she learn to be ‘feminine’ and ‘sexy’ and it all goes downhill.
I remember in one interview about her first her MV, she said she didn’t know she is sexy or can be sexy until the photographer or dance instructor told her.
In a behind the scene interview for ‘Live of Omission’, Bosco mentioned that her car was messy and she dress very casually while Bosco himself was the neat and fashion conscious one.
So, again, very happy for her. 🙂
@kidd “Then, later, she learn to be ‘feminine’ and ‘sexy’ and it all goes downhill.”
This was probably the image that TVB chose for Kate at the time…which she didn’t think was the real her either. But Kate’s feminine image seemed to be very popular with advertisers, and this was the time she did a lot of event promotions.
I think a lot of former TVB artistes signed with Wong Cho Lam because of their personal friendships with them. He likely understood what they wanted lifestyle wise, but he hasn’t been able to secure prominent projects for artistes he managed.
@jayne
“But Kate’s feminine image seemed to be very popular with advertisers, and this was the time she did a lot of event promotions.”
Maybe that’s why she did it for 15 years before finally giving it up. Since it gave good results, maybe she thought this is the right way to go. Maybe she truly thought it’s an improvement for herself, but, after 15 years of trying, found out that this really does not work for her.
This brings me to the conflict of ‘being true to oneself’ vs ‘improving oneself’. There are many books teaching people to be successful, to emulate the practice of other successful people (e.g. the 10 practices of successful people list, the 7 attitude/mindset of successful people list etc) .
Where can you draw line between self improvement and changing yourself to be another person not you? Is there really a true self inside us or just a constantly evolving self?
@kidd “true self” is how we were during childhood, before we were influenced by society. As humans, just like any other living organism, we evolve and change is bound to happen. People change everyday based on experiences.
@kidd
Thanks for all of the info and I will miss her too. But I feel that she was losing her freedom and identity and maybe she did not like it. I am glad she is doing what she wants now and is following her own dream. That is good for her as not everyone is able to do so.
@kidd I think TVB typecast her is another reason why she stops growing/losing interest and lost herself. She is no longer driven as when she first starts. At the beginning of her career, her role was very different, as in, not just a typical goodie 2 shoes. But has lot of grey areas, I think she strikes whenever her role isn’t just black or white. I love seeing her act, and she always so feisty, and can be sexy without even trying so hard. And there was an article about how TVb wanted her to be sexy tomboy, and she basically complain about how she must uphold that image :/ and can only get role like that. I think after knowing it’ll ever be the only thing she acts as, her passion for acting literally went out the window.and I agree Jayne, she always seems to be such a loner. Hope she has a happier life after the limelight 🙂
@littlefish
Is it really possible to be a sexy tomboy? Lol
Sounds like 2 mutually exclusive words.
Just a little trivia. Her fans used to call her ‘Brother San’ (珊哥). This shows how tomboy she used to be. I wonder if they ever stop after she became feminine.
@kidd think of those anime characters? Hot sexy body yet act and like things just like a guy (hence tomboy lol). So yea, there’s totally a class of sexy tomboy out there lol (I’m thinking Lara Croft lol)
Is it bad to be a ‘loner’?
Not everyone likes to be a groupie and be involved with lame virgin and nonsense groups. Literally.
@anon I don’t think it’s bad to be a loner but Kate’s personality has always been very direct and somewhat introverted. She doesn’t have a lot of female friends from TVB and didn’t seem to be interested in joining cliques. I think she’s closest with Rabeea Yeung.
But I guess she’s seen through all the BS of making “fake friends” in the industry.
@hazel
I don’t blame her. There are so much fakeness and BS in the entertainment industry. You do lose a sense of identity if you want to stay in it. If you’re not in it for the money and fame then you might as well leave which she had chosen to.
There are many introverts at TVB like Linda Chung for one. I know this from personal experience and through my observation of her career at TVB. She’s managed to survive cause she in it for the money and can handle the fake public persona. People like Kate can’t. Kudos to her for finding her true self but it ain’t gonna be easy chasing that PhD well into her mid to late 40s when she’s done.
@anon
Yes there is a lot of fakeness and BS In the entertainment industry. But honestly, not everyone is in it for the money and fame only. There are many who truly enjoy acting, singing, hosting,etc… and actually have the passion for it all too. I feel those who leave very early on are the ones who were either not successful and/or did not have the passion and interest in it in the first place. Or they realized that they rather do something else like with Kate. If you are only in it for the money then you may not stay long. I remember Chinese actress Zheng Shuang straight out saying she was only acting for the money only as her interest in acting sort of disappeared. But Zheng Shuang is kind of like Kate and I can imagine her being like Kate and leaving the industry behind a number of years down the road. Zheng Shuang seems very simple and down to earth though. You can see it with how simple her room and home were. She did not even have a bed in her room but just a futon on the floor.
I am happy that Kate is chasing after her dreams and being in the circle did not seem to make her very happy. Hopefully, she can find her true self again and be a happier person after leaving the industry and limelight behind.
I agree that chasing a PhD at a late age is not easy but anything is possible in this world and I applaud her for that as many would never think of going to school so late in life. I had a professor who took 10 years to get his PhD but he did it in the end and was very happy. I am sure Kate can do it if that is what she truly wants. Hope she inspires others to chase their dreams too.
Wasn’t there a rumor about her plastic surgery fails? Perhaps this related to that? Not sure if any of that is true. She looks like the same in recent drama
sad to hear that she’s leaving the hk entertainment industry, she use to be one of my favourite actresses back in tvb. she had the looks, acting and diligence. but i’m glad she’s chasing her own passion and being her true self. the entertainment industry is no doubt a hard place to be in so i’m proud to see her start her new chapter. wish her all the best !