The Warm King of Winter: The Drive of Life Interview | Sunday, November 26, 2006
The Warm King of Winter
Raymond Lam is forever changing. Raymond Lam is warm-hearted. In the series, he is the young master of the Wah family; outside the series he is the young master of the Lam family, polite and well mannered. During the course of filming, there were a few breaks, and he was supposed to be sitting down to do this interview, but he was afraid that it would be inconvenient for me, so he requested to stand up again. In the middle, he came across a chubby little kid, and Raymond, who had always liked little kids, really liked this little one, stroking his cheeks, shaking his hands … at the time when he was facing the child, he himself was smiling like a child, too. Listening to music, eating some beans, interacting with his fans … this is the real Raymond Lam.
TV: What are your feelings on coming back to Beijing once again?
Raymond: Actually, it’s already been a while since I’ve come to Beijing. That day, there were a lot of fans at the airport to see me, I was really happy. I really like Beijing, though the north is rather cold (laughs), southern people are quite scared of the cold! I’m scared of the cold! But that’s okay, it’s not at its coldest yet (laughs). And since this time the series that we’re filming, The Drive of Life, is such a big production, the actors in my group are all here, there’s my “dad,” my “mum,” that is, Damien Lau and Gigi Wong, they are really caring of me.
TV: We heard that you need to travel to Ningbo afterwards for more filming? What kind of scenes would be filmed there?
Raymond: Yeah, after about a month or so of filming in Beijing, we’ll be changing to Ningbo. Ningbo is one of my main sets, over there we will be filming a car factory that was started by our family, and so there are a lot of scenes over there. Actually, this time we’re only here in these two places for about two weeks, next year there should be about two months’ worth of scenes to film in Mainland. (Why stay for such a short period of time now?) I think it’s because we might not film everything in time next year, and so it has been split into two trips, and we also have to finish filming before it gets too cold in Beijing. For example, this racing scene today, it’s my first appearance in the series! (So it’d be very meaningful, then!) Yes! (Laughs)
TV: The curly hair is very special, has it got something to do with the personality of your character?
Raymond: Yes, in the earlier period I have curly hair, but in the later period I should have straight hair. This character of mine has a lot of changes from beginning to end, because it’s sixty episodes, the time period covered in the series is vast, a lot happens in the years before and after the handover, and it also talks about a lot of changes to Hong Kong that affects our entire family. (So then, this scene of the 26 year-old you occurs in which year?) In 1994. (What has the change of hairstyle got to do with your personality?) At first it’s permed, because I was a rich kid, who just likes to play around, then later it’s straight hair, probably to show that he is much more business-orientated, and so he doesn’t have time to do his hair (laughs)! (How much of the 60 episodes does your role take?) Basically, I’m in from the start to the finish. Right now I’m still thinking how I’m going to act the scenes when I’m in my thirties and forties, the dress will be a bit more “proper,” though, and I’ll try my best through acting to make people believe. At the moment, we’re filming the first thirty episodes of the series. The director doesn’t want it to jump too much, but actually, in these thirty episodes, there already are a lot of stages. This series is pretty much the most challenging character I’ve played. (How will the performance appear more realistic?) Because too many things have happened to him, the character’s personality won’t be too much like a “rich kid,” I hope. I hope that I can deliver a performance with more “layers.”
TV: How is Wah Chun Bong different to the characters that you’ve played in the past?
Raymond: It’s not too similar, there have been all sorts of characters. From the start, he has no responsibilities with his family, and he doesn’t know how hard life is. Even though he’s smart, he’s not too considerate in thinking. Later, he experiences many setbacks, and he slowly becomes more mature, stands back up on his feet, and takes on the responsibilities of his family. (What kind of setbacks does he experience?) He was affected by the Gold Rush. Our family will have a very big decline. Actually, all the characters in this family are very patriotic, one of the stories is that back in the time of our ancestors, there has already been a dream of manufacturing cars, and coming down to this generation, we continue this dream and in fact make it come true.
TV: This time, which Mainland actors will you be acting opposite to?
Raymond: There’s an actor called Fung Siu Fung, he plays the role of my cousin, on my dad’s side. There’s also Liu King Sang, teacher Liu, he plays my second uncle. (This family seems to be very complicated?) Actually, our family is a little bit all over the place, but in the end a car factory caused the entire family to come together.
TV: In this series, are there any characters that are enemies, and always compete against the Wah family?
Raymond: That too. For example, Ng Wai Kwok, a senior from Hong Kong. I’ll have a lot of scenes with him. And later on it’ll be Joe Ma, I’ll have a bit more scenes with him. (Joe Ma’s character only turns bad later on?) Actually, it’s not really defined as good or bad, everyone is just trying to get the most benefits! (But in the end, the Wah family still has the image of being righteous?) Right.
TV: In the series, what is the love triangle relationship with Myolie Wu and Charmaine Sheh like?
Raymond: Myolie is my secretary, always being by my side, helping me, encouraging me, though she’s really annoying (laughs). Charmaine Sheh’s character and mine are a bit like archenemies, but later on we develope feelings for one another. (What’s the ending to this relationship?) Of course I can’t say the ending! (It’s a secret?) Yes, actually from the beginning to end I don’t think I like Myolie’s character very much, but because we haven’t filmed any of the later scenes, there could be a big change in there, since both of them are very smart. (Charmaine Sheh’s character is here for revenge?) The older generation of her family has something with the older generation of my family. You’ll find out when you watch the series (laughs)!
TV: This time you have Damien as your father, Gigi as your mother and Jessica Hsuan as your older sister; are the relationships between the family members very special?
Raymond: Yes, that’s right, the relationships are all very good. The father-son relationship in this series is actually a bit different, because in most families the fathers are normally strict, but this time it’s different. (What’s the sibling relationship with Jessica like?) Our relationship is very good, because in real life we refer to each other as brother or sister. This time is the first time really acting together, and we’re also playing siblings, so we’re both really comfortable with each other.
TV: Does co-operating with so many actors in this series bring a special feeling?
Raymond: Yes, this is a very big production; there are a lot friends and seniors that I am familiar with acting in this series; basically it’s like one big family, the result is that the feeling is very real. Actually, not only is this series new to the actors, to TVB it is also a try at something new, a very big test, first time co-operating with CCTV. I think CCTV and TVB have discussed about collaborating many years ago, but there were many requirements that couldn’t be fulfilled back then. This time, there’s finally a chance for the two companies to work together, and I feel very honoured that I can be part of it.
TV: The TVB Anniversary Awards had just ended. At that time, did you think of making it into Top 5 for the Best Actor award?
Raymond: To be honest, I definitely had confidence! But this year, I felt that I was very lucky to be have gotten into Top 5, because I didn’t have all that many characters this year, only two series, and one of them was from the beginning of the year. La Femme Desperado also got the award of Best Series, and I felt very happy at that, it was also a very pleasant experience working with the cast and crew. I really liked the character Siu Chai, it was kind of a go at something new, an older woman and younger man relationship! (Have you thought of when you could stand up onstage for the Best Actor award?) I hope so very much every year (laughs); I believe that as long as I continue to work hard, continue to improve, that that day will come. For these type of things, I think you’ll just have to wait for the right time to come. Sometimes, if you think it’s good, the audience may not like it; there are a lot of things that need to match. I believe next year, a lot of audiences will get a chance to see me onscreen. I still have a few series that haven’t aired, and they’re also grand productions (laughs), for example Sweetheart Tempest (AKA Storm in a Pool), The Master of Tai Chi, and also this series, The Drive of Life. And also, if The New Breath of Love airs in Mainland, then a lot of Mainland audiences will get to see me.
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Ka ka, that was a fun interview to translate ^^ Ooh so triumph2004 was right ^^ Hehe, you're so smart! The curly hair was for the earlier period! BTW, has anyone got an un-watermarked version? The Raymond's Forest watermark is right over the message Raymond wrote, but anyways, the bit that I can read says, "Very glad to see some old friends in Beijing!" Ah, the message is in pink ^^
Vickie: Thanks Jamie so much for updating. Lols, it's so LONG-_-' hehes, but CUTE!
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Created at 9:52 AM
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About The Beehive
Hi! If you're some lost little bee who stumbled by this blog by accident, don't worry, because we're all friendly people! By "we," I mean myself, Winter_Stargirl, my lovely sister Vickie and all the other little bees, or rather, fans of Raymond Lam that hang around this beehive! We're all about Raymond Lam at this blog, everything from news to pictures to videos! Drooling already? Well wipe it away! There's still heaps to check out!
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About him ...
Raymond Lam a shining actor in the Hong Kong Entertainment
Industry, under the management of Television Broadcasts
Limited (TVB). More of his information can be found at online encyclopaedias
such as Wikipedia -
have fun reading!
Schedule
| Schedule |
(Last updated: 04/12/2006)
Raymond's work schedule, for those interested in knowing when he'll make public appearances!
Latest information
Raymond's new official website: Fung
Forever.
Raymond has just wrapped up all filming for 40-episode grand production, Tong Sam Fung Bo
(Heart of Greed), co-staring with Linda Chung.
| Click here for more information |
(Last updated:
09/09/2006) Raymond has begun the filming of
another grand production, Sui Yuet Fung Wan (The
Drive of Life), with a
leading role. The producer is confirmed to be Tommy
Leung and he will be co-starring with Charmaine Sheh and
Myolie Wu.
| Click here for more information |
(Last updated:
28/09/2006)
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Current and Upcoming Series
- The Master of Tai Chi
- The New Breath of Love
- Heart of Greed
- The Drive of Life
The Beehive thanks ...
Fung's Label, Raymond's previous official website and its
webmistress, Sasa, for providing so much of Raymond's news and
information. Without FL, many of Raymond's fans would've been
like little losties, without any clue as to where to find
Raymond's news. FL kept us informed and updated for a total of
2 years. It officially closed on the 21st August 2006, but I
would still always remember it.
52raymond.com, also known as the Lam House.
It was my source of Raymond's media. The fans
there updated new clips or songs of Raymond's very quickly. It
was a brilliant forum, a true home to Raymond's fans. It
officially closed on the 1st September 2006, but I would still
always remember it.
Vickie. She's my beautiful Net friend with a strong command of the
Chinese language and very frequently she helps me with
translations. She's also excellent when it comes to graphics
and even though I haven't actually used any of her graphics in
The Beehive, I still thought that it was worth mentioning.
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