The Successor of the "Fan" Surname
Since RTS and CCM aired at the same time, the audience began to recognize this Cheung Wing Hong, but not many knew his actual name. Perhaps some of us are still asking... what is his name? "After these two series aired, whenever I walked out many people asked me for autographs and pictures, but it feels strange talking about autographs because I'm not considered mainstream. A few days ago, I was at the convenience store and one of the workers asked me for an autograph. After I signed it, he was surprised because he thought I was Mr. Fan!" Cheung turning into Fan, all thanks to the TVB scriptwriters. From Three Kingdoms RPG's "Fan Kan" to RST's "Fan Kun" and CCM's "Fan Fat", the scriptwriters gave the Fan surname to him.
"Even the lady working at the parking garage in my building says: 'Good morning, Mr. Fan!' I said to her my surname isn't Fan, but she said: 'I know, I think your surname is Cheung!' She 'thinks'!" All three of his character names basically sound the same, its just written differently. Cheung Wing Hong expressed he knew about this arrangement when he got the RTS script. "Because the two series had the same scriptwriter, but CCM's 'Fan Fat', I only found out when producer Lee Yim Fong told me. I said to her: 'What to do?', but she said: 'Not bad!' Although the names are very similar, the audience liked me more and thus its a benefit to me. Actually all three roles may have the same name, but the personalities are very different. I usually don't really pay attention to how the public is reacting to the series after it airs, but I'm pleased to hear so much noise this time around."
Dialogue More Important than Money
Before Cheung Wing Hong joined TVB, he was an artist under Andy Lau's management company. At the time, there were only four male artists Gordon Lam, Teddy Lin, Cheung Wing Hong and Andy himself. Among the four, three of them started their career from the TVB Artistes Training Class. Andy felt Cheung had the potential, so he gave him two options either to participate in the Mr. Hong Kong contest or enroll in the TVB Artistes Training Class and start from the bottom. Cheung said: "Mr. HK had the biggest noise and the fastest way to get known. However, I didn't think twice and picked the Training Class." Cheung insisted to start from the bottom, he said because he had always been clear on what the difference between a celebrity and an artist is. "There is nobody who entered this industry that didn't want to get popular, but I like to move the audience through my roles and let them like me. I don't like my fame to be greater than my acting."
Cheung understood it is not that easy to gain a producer's trust. He often expresses to directors his desires in acting. "Making a living is necessary, but if I'm paid to stand around in a scene set at a bar and have no acting to do, then I rather not do it. Instead, if I had a minor role with dialogue, then I will do it because I want to let the producer know I am not afraid to say my lines."
A Family Photo Without Him
When Cheung was 5 years old, his mother ran away from home after a fight with his father. Since then, Cheung never saw his mother again. "I don't even know if she's still around." Because his father had a factory in Mainland was never around, Cheung was raised by his grandmother and has a really distant relationship with his father. Later, his father remarried and had another son. "So, I had never had a real family. I relied on myself since youth." At this point, Cheung's eyes started turning red and tears began to form. He spent a few minutes to calm down and tried hard to hold back his tears as he said: "One time I saw a family photo in my father's room. The photo just had him, his wife and his son. I wasn't there... so I had always wanted to start my own family as soon as possible."
In 2012 before the age of 31, Cheung married his wife Angie Mak. "First, I wanted to complete a part of my life and secondly I already found my Ms. Right." The first year Cheung met his wife, he had already promised he would marry her in three years. "My wife grew up in the US and compared to an average Hong Kong girl, she is a lot more simple. At least, she's not afraid of enduring through life with me. She doesn't mind whether I have money or not. Since the day she agreed to be with me, I already felt her unlimited contributions for me. Her parents are in the States, she came to HK alone, we just have each other and that's why we both want to have a family that belongs to us."
Acting is his Ultimate Goal
Although over the years Cheung had many opportunities, he still had minor roles and didn't get anywhere. At one point, he wanted to give up, but fortunately he had his wife's support and encouragement. He was lucky to have encountered "Fan Kan" in Three Kingdoms RPG. "I wrote on my Instagram before, 'I want a simple family life, but I want to have a rich virtual life.'" He doesn't dare to say he's outstanding, he modestly said: "I just got an admission ticket to portray more important roles. I hope I can take it a step at a time and reach a stable position!"
A Good Future Father
There is still a long period of time until the birth of his first child, but Cheung and his wife already have good plans for the future. The couple wants their child to grow up in a pressure-free environment and be a happy baby. "I don't want to put a 1 year old baby in a play group nor do I plan to make my child learn this and learn that. That's just too pitiful! I just want baby to live a happy and healthy life. When he gets older and really can't catch up, then we'll send him to study abroad in the US. My wife studied in the US, so she has citizenship rights." Their child's education, the couple still has a few years before they have to think about it. But as a father, Cheung is already learning and getting himself familiar with Barney, the cartoon character most popular to 2-3 year old children. He already has two Barney apps installed on his phone to play with. "I just don't want to be unprepared when the time comes!" Most parents have English or Mandarin learning apps on their phones, but Cheung breaks the trend, by putting play/leisure in first place. He's very serious and is set to be a good future father!
Cheung is also a funny guy too, he mentioned his wife several times during the interview, but it wasn't until he was getting into his car that he suddenly turned around to ask the reporter: "Do you know who my wife is?" Of course we do, she is Angie Mak, one of the anchors on Scoop!
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