The pursuit of happinessBy ELAINE DONGThe much-in-demand Hong Kong star waxes lyrical about life, work and coffee. Get your espresso cup ready!AS the press conference ends and the PR girls are busy setting up the interview area for my one-on-one with Moses Chan, I hear a friendly hello. I turn around and it is Chan himself, proffering his hand and smiling. He appears casual in a white button-down shirt, jeans and sneakers.
Despite his gruelling schedule for the day (he has been in one press conference after another since that morning and his day has been scheduled right up till 11pm), he seems relaxed and unhurried.
He has no airs about him, no entourage to brief me on what to ask and what not to ask, no personal assistants to hiss in my ear to please keep to my allotted time slot, or protocols to introduction that are expected from a star of his stature.
Moses Chan, or simply Chan Ho (his Chinese name) to most of his fans, has played the gamut of characters – the unattainable playboy Terrence on
The Gem of Life, the charming punter Ka on
Moonlight Resonance, the gullible and kind Dak Dak Dei in
Heart of Greed (a role for which he won the coveted TVB best actor and most favourite male character in a drama awards in 2007), the stoic palace guard Hong Mou in
War and Beauty (one of the most successful TVB dramas of all time), the misguided Emperor Chou Pei in
Where the Legend Begins and more.
Chan, whose shows are regularly broadcast on local television, has also endeared himself to Malaysian viewers. For that, he’s swept a slew of awards at the annual Astro Wah Lai Toi Drama Awards between 2006 and 2008, for his roles in
Love Bond,
The Gentle Crackdown,
Land of Wealth and
Heart of Greed.
His track record is pretty impressive for an actor who only started working on television 10 years ago. Granted, his acting career goes way back to 1994, when he appeared in a few nondescript movies until he got involved in television. He began by playing bit parts and secondary characters on the tube that were mostly forgettable.
It wasn’t until he took on the role of Emperor Chou Pei in
Where the Legend Begins in 2002 that the industry started taking notice of this versatile actor with rugged good looks. Incidentally, this drama holds a special place in his heart, probably because it won him the Most Improved Actor trophy at the TVB Anniversary Awards.
“Chou Pei is my favourite character to play,” he says during the interview at KL Hilton about a week ago when he is in town to promote
Coffee Confidential, the TV series he hosts and which currently airs on Astro. “Some people like to see me in funny characters, some in serious roles, but I like myself best in period dramas,” he remarks in fluent English.
After
Where the Legend Begins, his next big-budget period drama,
War and Beauty, came in 2004. He starred amongst a stellar ensemble cast comprising heavyweights Gigi Lai, Bowie Lam, Charmaine Sheh and Sheren Tang. His depiction of palace guard Hong Mou earned him a loyal legion of fans, and sealed his seat among the hottest A-list television stars in Hong Kong.
The charming hunk has also been linked with several A-list actresses, and rumour mills are going wild that he is about to marry his alleged girlfriend, actress and TVB colleague Bernice Liu (check out story “No Boundaries” on Liu in today’s Clove, CV6).
As he good-naturedly deflects my question about marriage and kids, saying that he “can’t tell me” and that “yes, I am happy”, we move on to talk about his work on the small screen.
Thus far this year, the 38-year-old has finished five dramas. Hong Kong actors are among the most hard-working in the world and Chan fulfills that description as a triple-threat actor, host and singer (he has sung a number of theme songs from shows he stars in).
“For the past 11 months, I have been doing dramas,” he says. His working hours are long, from 6am to 5pm for the day shift, and 5pm to 4am for the night shift.
“How long I work depends on how involved I am in the drama,” he explains. “If I am in 90% of the show, then I’ll be working round the clock, with three to four hours of sleep.”
This is likely to be the norm now that he is cast as the lead in most, if not all, productions. But the Hong Kong-born actor, who grew up in Sydney, Australia, is always seeking a balance in work and life.
“I don’t think it is a good thing for an actor to be in 90% of the show,” he laughs. “We’re human, we need to have a break.”
He talks about enjoying the pleasures of life, of how growing up in Australia, instead of Hong Kong, has given him a different perspective on life.
“Work is work,” he says. “You’ve got to know life is formulated with different parts – friends, family, love, pleasure, alone time, your business, your dream. All these things make you who you are. Yes, I work very hard, which is why it is even more important to take time off to enjoy life.”
He admits that fame has opened a lot of doors for him. “It makes things easier,” he says candidly. “If people like you, they want to get involved with you, they give you sponsorships and hire you for commercials. You get a lot of different opportunities.”
Coffee Confidential, a travel show that centres on the brew, is one such opportunity.
Why coffee?“Well, I like coffee. It is my escape from work. While working on dramas this year, I also managed to put together a book on cafes in Hong Kong with my brother, the photographer for the project. We went to about 40 to 50 cafes, tasting their coffee. Now everyone comes to ask me where to go for good coffee,” he laughs.
He denies being an expert, saying he is still chasing his coffee dream. For this little hobby of his, Chan brings the focus and attention to detail that has served him well in his career.
To him, knowledge is the key to everything. “You have to know what coffee is before you can appreciate it. This is what I am trying to do. I am an artiste with an established media company. I have the means to bring this knowledge to people, so I proposed the idea of this show.
“In Hong Kong, people are slowly starting to accept the culture, and a lot of cafes are popping up. But the culture is still new there.”
His passion for the beverage has an Australian connection. “I went back to Sydney recently and visited a lot of different cafes. There, coffee is synonymous with enjoying life. People don’t sit at cafes to discuss business, or hang out with friends. They go to enjoy a really good cup of coffee.
“On the show, I bring the audience through the whole coffee process. I start from the plantation in Kenya, learn about the strength of the beans, the extraction, the roast, how different processes add to the flavour of the final product and how to get the perfect expression.
“Then I travel to Taiwan to see the cafes, to Italy for the rich coffee history, to Copenhagen (Denmark). I am doing my part to put out a programme for coffee lovers in Asia.”
Just as much as the laid-back Australian lifestyle has influenced Chan’s view on life, the pull of the go-getter pace of Hong Kong features equally on his psyche. He doesn’t foresee a regurgitation of the current show’s formula for a second season.
“We have to move on. (The next season) cannot just be about coffee. We will tell you the more technical aspects of everything, like setting up a cafe, possibly. I have a lot of ideas, actually, so we shall wait and see,” he grins.
As for taking a break from television to do movies, Chan welcomes the opportunity. “I have been doing television for so long now, I want to see what it is like to work on the big screen again. In movies, the director takes a lot of credit. He has the power to manipulate your character and turn you into a different person.
“In television, actors get a lot more acting space. You are entirely dependent on yourself. You get out of it exactly what you put in. What you see is what you get. So they’re both very different. I like doing movies, but I enjoy television work.”
Despite the recognition he’s earned for his work in an array of TV series, Chan says he is still in search of his magnum opus. “Every character that I have played has a little part of me. But like all actors, I am still seeking the ultimate role,” he smiles.
So he continues to focus on the work at hand, whether it’s hosting
Coffee Confidential or working crazy hours shooting a drama. For now, fame and all its trappings are a bonus.
“Acting is part of my life, but not entirely. I’ll keep doing it for as long as I can. The fame that comes with it, I’ll enjoy, but I’ll never count on it.”
Fame has opened many doors for Moses Chan. – RAYMOND OOI / The Star
Favourite Lead Actor Moses Chan and his female counterpart Louise Lee at Astro Wah Lai Toi Awards 2008 in Genting Highlands.
The Coffee Confidential host in Italy, where it all began.original:
the star online - eCentralcomments:great article...
we finally get some more information on his upcoming book... mo & his brother working together = awww!!! haha... makes me even more excited...
another season of
Coffee Confidential..! they should film him setting up his own cafe... that would be so cool... just the idea makes me happy...
movie movie movie!!! i really hope he's still in
73 Tenants...
