Exclusive: Bowie Cheung on the Asian Television Awards, her Acting Career, and More
After an eventful year in her career and joining the Asian Television Awards as one of the participating artists in the event’s successful ‘ATA Catch-Up’, Bowie Cheung shares with us what’s next on her agenda.
For Hong Kong actress Bowie Cheung, acting has always been on the cards. With her appearances in numerous television dramas so far, including the 2021 award-winning show – ‘Kids' Lives Matter’, Cheung has stayed busy with her career since her start in the industry.
More recently, she joined local actress – Julie Tan and Asian Television Awards host – Benjamin Josiah to conduct exclusive Instagram live chats as part of the ‘ATA Catch-Up’ segment for the awards show. “It was a very fun experience for me; first time participating in a project organised by the ATA, as well as going on a live catch-up with unmet friends in English,” shares Cheung when asked about the experience.
There, she expresses her thanks to the duo for calming her nerves before the chat began. “I was actually worried if the Singaporean, Malaysian, or international audiences would know me as an actress as I do not have much exposure outside of Hong Kong, but Benjamin was professional enough to guide me through the interview, so I managed to share some of my experiences.”
Not to miss out on showering Tan with praises as well, Cheung immediately followed up with how well they bonded upon first meeting. “Julie is a super sunshine girl and I enjoyed meeting her a lot,” says Cheung.
“While I did not know her in person before the interview, being in the same industry in a similar Asian culture, Julie and I managed to share some struggles and we actually brought it out in our first meeting! It made me feel that the Asian entertainment industry and market are much larger than what I experienced in Hong Kong and that there are still a lot of unreached potential and unmet buddies."
How did you celebrate your victory at the TVB Annual Awards?
It was my great honour to be part of the winning drama ‘Kids Lives Matter’ this year. Thanks to our Malaysian audiences who supported and voted for us!
Sadly, we could not celebrate as much as we wanted to due to Omicron spreading around and our crew decided not to have gatherings for safety reasons. Now I can only treat myself to big meals and enjoy compliments from family and relatives at home.
On top of being an actress, you are a fashion stylist. Why did you decide to take on these two roles in your career?
Indeed, I only started my work as a fashion stylist last year in 2021. As an artist, I used to employ makeup stylists, hairstylists, and fashion stylists for every formal appearance. However, I realised that the best stylists were often hard to book and that different stylists have different styles; how I looked was often the result of some artistic chemistry.
So in order to keep up a better standard, I decided to study and learn the makeup, hair, and styling techniques for myself. At the moment, I do all of my makeup for drama filming, events, and award ceremonies, as well as my own and my husband's outfit styling. Hair is the hardest part so I'm still learning. But I do enjoy them all!
My manager found out my passion. Last year, he gave me an opportunity to style for 14 young talents and finalists at the ‘Stars Academy’ – a singing contest. My first job was to style 50 outfits for their graduation concert, which was a huge, but exciting challenge! The assertiveness and determination derived from the experience actually unleashed some of my more aggressive personality, which enriched the character I was simultaneously acting in!
Currently, I still do fashion styling from time to time. But acting is always my priority as I love acting.
Tell us about your most recent work. How did your experience playing that role differ from your previous experiences with others?
I just completed a drama in October 2021 called ‘OPM’. I would say the drama script itself is more comic and heroic-like, quite different compared to conventional TVB dramas. The story is about five Hong Kongers being deceived in a financial scam, and I, a journalist, have to strive to find out the truth. But then, I pity the five guys and join in on their revenge.
The character I play this time is much more aggressive and pushy. When we first started filming, the production director – whom I had not worked with – actually said that he was looking forward to seeing me condemn others as I always had this sweet friendly wifey image. He concluded that I could be a fierce woman after three months of shooting. (Laughs)
What is your proudest work to date and why?
This is a hard question. I still consider myself on a steep learning curve and I always see things to improve on in my work. Concerning ‘Kids Lives Matter’, the published drama, I think I acted much better in the ending episodes compared to the earlier ones – as they were filmed three months later! I am now expecting to see the drama ‘OPM’, so let's see if this is the chance to make me proud. (Laughs)
What do you think is the most fundamental quality to have in order to be a successful actor?
I think the most fundamental quality in an actor to be successful is their passion for acting. There is no right or wrong in acting, but a devoted and unhesitant delivery in acting often touches the heart as it feels real.
If you do not have the passion, the long hours of filming and production lead time, the high demand for physical strength, the personnel amongst crew parties to cooperate with, and the uncontrollable feedback of audiences, can all slowly wear you down physically and mentally. Moreover, acting is bare. I believe a true actor always conveys emotions by exposing their own fragility.
Forgetting your passion, you may start to doubt yourself, your ability to act, or maybe even your personality as an actor. You may start to deliver what would make the crew more convenient, instead of striving for your best for your audience. So in short, I think a successful actor feeds on the enjoyment acting gives to express and sustain.
A side note – before becoming a successful actor, one may also need to find an alternative way of making money. Actors do not make much money and usually only the top few do.
What are your future plans? Do you have any projects lined up that you could share with us?
I recently started a new drama that surrounds a leading drug trafficker in Hong Kong. And with my assistance as a news reporter, he gets out of prison and rebuilds his drug empire. When I first learned of the story from the producer, I was immediately attracted by the multifacetedness of the role – how she liaises with the police and the triads and has a relationship with a dumb takeaway boy. I was also very allured by the chance to work with Moses Chan and Nancy Wu – some leading actors in Hong Kong.
