linda chung acts 'in the heart'

Linda Chung Acts 'In the Heart' (Seung Joi Sum)

[Sing Pao 26/05/07]

Recently, Heart of Greed is the town's hot topic. The storyline has reached a climax. However, the focal point of debates is on "Dai Kai" Lee See Kei and "Sai Kai" Susanna Kwan Guk Ying. The two of them are great promotional forces. In fact, the supporting role "Seung Joi Sum" (Linda Chung Ka Yan) also captures the spotlight, secretly gaining young fans' support!

Regarding the audience's gripping interest in "Dai Kai" and "Sai Kai," Linda happily says it is a good thing. She says it really engages her into the storyline: "Although I'm not related with the Tong family and didn't have any scenes with Sister Sei Kei, I really love watching them argue. The most profound moment was when Sister See Kei was in the hospital and yelled at Tavia Yeung Yi; it was very eye-catching. Linda loves the name "Seung Joi Sum" and when she's out in the streets, people will also call her by that name. This makes her unable to deny that TVB's charm on the audience is really strong.

Linda has entered the entertainment industry for just three years. Her greatest concern isn't about her own appearance, but rather it is the audience's extreme criticism of her acting. Linda says, "I love going on the Internet and reading people's comments because I can see what people really think of me. At first, there were people who said I wasn't pretty, that I was ugly. I wasn't angry. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I won't put too much thought into things that can't be changed. What I mind most is people saying that my performance is not good. That's why I had to prove to everyone that 'they were wrong about me'." Last year, Linda won "Most Improved Actress" and a bunch of negative press along with it. She strongly persevered through it. Now, Linda receives heartfelt praises from the audience for her improved performance in Heart. Linda's smile is really from the heart.

The good news is that Linda hasn't let the mean messages on the Internet strike her down; otherwise we wouldn't be able to see her on the television screen again this year! She laughingly says, "After the pageant, I told myself that I'd give three years time for development in the entertainment industry. Whether or not I was successful, I'd go back to Vancouver to continue my studies... It turns out that right now it's been three years and two months. The day I realized this, I thought, 'Crap! I'm still here?'" Linda cannot deny that her formerly settled 'three years then out' thought has changed in the midst of it all. It's all because she thought the industry is too alluring, so after her heart has played enough, she'd return home. Only after three years did she discover her own surprising talents and interest. The reporter cannot restrain and asks her at this moment how many years she has given herself. With an easy smile, Linda says, "Once again three years! During this time, I might already have married and started a family or I might turn around and become a singer. In the meantime, I'll 'keep' 24 hours and earnestly do my job."

Linda is a very easy girl to get along with. No matter the topic, she can engage in conversation. Being in the industry for some years, her close friends are as follow: Winnie Shum Wing Ting, Shirley Yeung Sze Kei, Tavia... Ah! Unexpectedly, she doesn't even have one male friend. Is it because she's afraid of rumors? She says, "Truthfully speaking, I really don't have any. It's not because I'm scared of the rumors. Unless you have something to hide, if you're out-right and righteous, what's there to be afraid of? I think that boys in the industry are too complicated." She admits that during these short years, there has been a guy who has appeared who has met her affections. However, she says, "Thinking about it, there has to be, but I know that after work, the feeling would be gone. I understand it's not real." There are almost ten male artists that have been linked with Linda in the past. Whether or not it's real, only those involved know. She thinks that "not answering" and "no comment," these kinds of predictable answers are for news reporters to hand in something. In the future, surely, Linda will have the chance to be in even more papers. However, she still finds it annoying because it's all fabricated. She might as well just deny it. "Say no" should be the best answer.

My thoughts: Now that Heart of Greed has concluded its golden run, I think this should be one of the last articles on Linda for awhile. In the past couple of weeks, Linda has had so much coverage and features, with each article being longer than the last. Everything was covered already and there's no need for any more interviews from her reflecting her immense improvements, getting through the 'hard times,' and how she got to where she is.

This was another good little article. I liked that it was short and to-the-point and that it allowed Linda to express her thoughts on Heart and also open up a little more, giving us a window into her thoughts.

Truthfully speaking, I was petrified over Heart's release. I was really scared that Linda didn't do as good of a job because of three reports of her causing repeated re-takes. It didn't help that sources from all over were saying that she is the true female lead and has the most screentime. It is a heavy role and in a big, grand production, surely to be watched by a lot of people, so Linda's future rested on it. The situation looked bad from the start for Linda simply because she was casted as "Seung Joi Sum." Heart was going to be a "make" or "break" deal for Linda. It was the last chance she had to prove to people that she is a talented actress and has potential. If she did bad, people would criticize her even more and not give her any more chances (although some people refuse to even give her a chance to begin with). If she did well, she could turn the situation around and make people change their minds about her.

I didn't know which way Heart would tip the boat... and I was scared. Thankfully, the outcome has far exceeded what I thought would happen. I'm amazed and super impressed by Linda in Heart. I cannot believe she did so well and improved so much. Linda said it herself in her Heart chat that when she watched the series, she was really surprised at the outcome. Prior to its release, she wasn't sure how she did. Now that she's seen the final result of her performance, Linda finds it hard to believe it's her acting; Heart is the first performance she is satisfied with. She must be so ecstatic to hear all of the praises showered on her these days by viewers, fans, veterans, co-stars, and people in the industry. All it took was a little thing called Heart - now she has so much more confidence in herself.

All I can say at this point is that I am really happy and super relieved.

TVB Executive Catherine Tsang explains why
It amuses me how haters go so far to downplay things, corrupt and suspect some, exaggerate others, and then twist and make up "truths".

If someone is "over-promoted," they'll say, "It's that evil Miss Lok! She won't stop promoting him/her and keeps putting him/her in every series! He/she is sucking up to her." If someone is getting "too much" exposure in the news, they'll cry, "TVB is bribing the press to put him/her in the news! TVB is paying them to write good things." The list just goes on. It's really ridiculous and nonsensical.

No, she doesn't have "connections" nor does she "suck up" to executives. No one at TVB specifically says "Linda must be promoted!" Perhaps the most convincing words on Linda's promotion by TVB is best told by an insider...

TVB executive producer Catherine Tsang was on the radio recently talking about who TVB was promoting. Linda's name naturally came up. Catherine was very positive about Linda, saying how much she improved and how she's so hard-working. She revealed that Linda always memorizes the script and will ask questions until she's clear (about whatever matter/issue she has). Even more, Linda will always ask what she's working on next even before she's finished filming a series and will never ask for a vacation or a break; she can endure a lot.

Those very words best reveal why Linda is "so promoted."

She's hard-working and has a positive attitude. Who doesn't love a good employee? TVB is, above anything else, an employer. Linda does her job and doesn't make any trouble for them. She tries very hard and comes to work prepared and ready to work. She doesn't waste time or mess around. Linda is very serious about her career. People who have worked with her say she is easy to get along with. TVB executive Virginia Lok has said that producers love to cast her - this is true. Producers Tsui Yu On and Lee Tim Sing have both casted her twice in leading roles. TVB doesn't dictate who is in what series. Producers choose their cast (at least for the major characters). It is not Linda's fault that she gets casted in series-after-series. She's just doing her job as an employee.

There are probably other reasons why Linda has been so favored at TVB from the start, but we as outsiders really don't know what goes on inside TVB, so it's not right to judge or make faulty accusations. It's business. There'll always be those who have more promotion, more successes, etc. In the real world, not everything is about seniority or "being fair". It's about making gains and TVB must have their reasons for investing so much time, opportunities, and money into Linda.

Let the results speak for themselves.

Recap of recent professional acclaim for Linda

Although "Dai Kai" Lee See Kei had no scenes with Linda in Heart, she praised Linda as one of the young actresses she finds to have a lot of potential after watching her in Best Bet, to which Lee See Kei kept saying she gave an "excellent performance"; Furthermore, she has also said that Linda is able to understand her role(s) and knows how to get into character

The Gem of Life co-star and Linda's idol Ada Choi said that Linda "puts her heart into acting and has full potential and professionalism"

Heart co-star and veteran Ha Yu complimented Linda for "immense improvements"

Love Is Not All Around movie executive Paco explained the casting of Linda for his highly anticipated movie, "This time, we chose Linda Chung to act because of the strong recommendations by Yip Nim Sam [the movie's director]. To some extent, everyone is attracted by Linda's docile appearance. Furthermore, she is well-trained by TVB. Her performing skills are something to behold. Her crying really moves every part of the heart."

Movie director of the successful box office hit Love Is Not All Around Yip Nim Sam was full of praises for Linda's performance: "Her performance is excellent. She was very immersed [into character] when she acted out her emotions. Her acting is very exquisite. When she cries, everyone is able to feel her pain. It's very touching."

Fellow co-stars Raymond Lam, Bosco Wong [who, along with Niki Chow and Steven Ma, supported Linda to win "Most Improved Actress" at last year's anniversary], and Tavia Yeung have all said Linda improved a lot; Moses Chan says Linda is very hard-working and Yoyo Mung says she has star potential

Highly respected and big-time veteran Adam Cheng has been watching Heart and says the following: "Linda Chung - she uses her heart [in acting] and I found that she improved tremendously!"

Legendary singer Alan Tam praised Linda for her acting and crying scenes

TVB executive Virginia Lok says Linda learns fast and that producers love to cast her

TVB executive producer Catherine Tsang spoke highly of Linda on a recent radio interview, saying she improved a lot, especially in Heart, and is very hard-working

These words from people in the industry, who have plenty of experience and credibility, show how evident it is that TVB clearly doesn't think it was a mistake on their part to invest in Linda. I think they'll continue to support her so that they can bring her up into a big star. I don't see anything wrong with developing new talents. Flowers will bloom, flowers will wilt - that's just how the industry works. Linda has worked really hard, never stopped trying her best, and has now greatly polished up to become a very promising actress and deserves what she has.