In love, In the Unknown: Linda Chung 鍾嘉欣：放手的智慧
English 英 : Deborah Lau-Yu | Chinese 中 : Maggie Ho
Venue: The Vancouver Club · Art Direction: Deborah Lau-Yu · Photography: Gina Chong, Butter Studios · Videography: Chris Chong, Butter Studios · Fashion direction & Styling: Ashley Galang · Coordination: Rhonda Lam · Production assistant: Barbara Liu · Makeup & Hair: Catherine Li, Faye Smith Agency · ATTIRE: Alexander McQueen, Chanel, Narces, UNTTLD · JEWELLERY: Alexander McQueen, Chanel, Tiffany & Co., Van Cleef & Arpels · FOOTWEAR: Alexander McQueen, Chanel, Christian Louboutin
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VAN CLEEF & ARPELS “Lotus” Earrings & Between the Finger Ring featuring Diamonds Set in 18K White Gold “Flower” Necklace featuring Diamonds Set in 18K White Gold
外表柔順的鍾嘉欣(Linda)，內在比外表更堅強。19歲那年，以華裔小姐競選雙料冠軍之名，隻身到香港發展演藝事業，在陌生且複雜的環境下，憑努力在歌影視闖出名堂。2018年放下演藝事業，回流溫哥華後投入家庭生活，展開人生另一階段。從懵懂至今日自信滿滿，嘉欣學會了順應生命的起伏變化，不爭功，不強求，努力學習與適應，活得自在而滿足。
Unknown to Known: From a Newcomer to Having a Name
Diving into unchartered territory is nothing new to the seasoned actress. As a 19-year old, the quiet UBC student went on national television to compete in a pageant and won. At age 20, she moved away from her home in East Vancouver, British Columbia to Hong Kong where she knew no one.
By 21, she was preparing for her first major role in a television series. Although she spoke accurately-pronounced Cantonese, she had little understanding of the language and still uses a mix of English and Cantonese to speak. The next decade was even more exciting: In 2008, she launched her singing career when she debuted her first studio album. In 2014, she ended an 8-year relationship, but then met and married her husband the following year. In 2018, she terminated her longtime contract with Television Broadcasting (TVB) to move back to Vancouver to be a full-time mom and wife.
All lives are fraught with uncertainty from time to time; that is an unavoidable part of being human. But it is the recent way that Linda has embraced the concept of the unknown that caught my attention. The unbridled momentum of her career in Hong Kong is a story in itself. With major or leading roles in over 35 dramas, she is arguably one of the most underrated A-listers of the current generation. A widely acknowledged hard-worker and sweetheart, she managed to resist the temptations of the entertainment industry and kept a clean record, free of scandal and negative gossip during her career. She is now sharing her wisdom with friends and colleagues in the industry publicly on social media; these interactions demonstrate an unprecedented vulnerability and authenticity. Linda’s new rhythm seems to be inspiring a movement of peace and acceptance in the face of uncertainty in a competitive and often cut-throat field.
簡單生活的挑戰
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談及近況，嘉欣坦言生活簡單，卻是在平淡中每天不斷學習與享受：「閒來到處散步、或與家人聚首一堂談天、吃飯；小朋友入睡後我會有自己的獨處時光，這些都是很基本、微小而簡單的事情，卻令我感到滿足快樂。」育有一對子女Jared及Kelly，同時正在迎接第三名孩子出生的嘉欣，提到成為母親後，令她急速成長。「從前的我，除了唱歌演戲，甚麼也不會，連自己都不懂得照顧。但當上妻子、媽媽後，便要擔起照顧另一個生命的責任。從懷孕、分娩，身體不斷變化；小孩出世後每天都在長大，我自己亦要每天學習新的知識。現在的我比以前懂得更多、更強大、更自信！」
一下子從浮華多姿的娛樂圈生活回歸平淡，嘉欣坦言要重新學習。從前拍劇的日子，生活大小事務，總有人照料。回到加拿大後，從日常煮食買菜、時間分配，還有稅務整理，統統由頭學起。但嘉欣毫不後悔。「生活從來都不容易，因為它的不容易，才會令人珍惜，感恩一切單純而美好的幸福。」嘉欣自言從孩子身上重新感受生命的真諦：「人長大後，會因為種種經歷而迷失自我。但看着小朋友的成長，讓我學會用他們的角度、重新檢視成長的過程，原來生命是如此簡單，愛是無私的。」
In retrospect, her success might look smooth to onlookers, but the reality is that it has been full of challenge and resolve on her part. The first step out on her own was a huge culture shock: away from her family for the first time and completely alone, the homesickness and loneliness was hard. Language was a huge challenge. Because she was raised in Canada, she processes information faster by thinking in English: “Perhaps it’s because when I speak, my pronunciation is quite Chinese (Cantonese). But when people would say things to me, they assumed I understood even when I didn’t.” This only added to her feelings of being alone.
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在異地跌碰中成長
赴港選美之前，嘉欣一直受家庭保護。小時候除了上學讀書以外，最大的嗜好就是在家看電視節目。終於在19歲的那一年，那個喜歡唱歌、表演的小女孩，鼓起勇氣參加電視台舉辦的選美比賽。「到現在也想不起是哪兒來的勇氣！那是近乎一種感召似的，我不知道怎樣才可以成為演員，也不知道最後會否成名。」一個勇敢的決定，從此改寫了人生。
Creative Risks
Despite the obstacles, Linda always knew her calling. The range of roles she has covered demonstrates a number of creative risks she took in her career. With little life experience outside of the industry because she entered at such a young age, she dove head first into every role she was assigned.
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The breakout role was unmistakably Heart of Greed in 2008, when Linda played the character Seung Joy Sum, a fresh graduate and aspiring lawyer, paired with (then) rising star Raymond Lam. She cites this role as her favourite character in her career prior to motherhood. She was still a newcomer at only 22, with just 5 dramatic experiences under her belt, but she felt she knew what she was doing. She was confident and believed in what she created for the character, from the physical appearance of the clothes she wore, to the way she spoke. From the rhythm of her speaking to the way she breathed and cried. This role represented a growth milestone in her career and one that audiences worldwide identified with.
The roles she has chosen since those early days continue to demonstrate the depth of her talent. From a spoiled heiress who breaks up a marriage in The Gem of Life to an undercover cop recovering from PTSD while solving a case that involved her predator. She has portrayed a troubled pub crawler who ‘finds’ herself after the drug overdose of a good friend. In another performance, she played a musician and daughter who struggled with shyness. She embodied the 90s in her role as a heartbroken fashion designer whose boyfriend cheats on her and shatters her heart in Brother's Keeper. While these roles may be varied, the one constant is the praise she has and continues to receive from industry veterans including from Chow Yun Fat, Damian Lau and Charmaine Sheh.
那是嘉欣第一次離開家人和成長的地方，一個人開展在香港的工作與生活。年紀少，孤身在外，加上語言、文化的差異，令她感到格外孤獨無助。「雖然我可以聽講廣東話，但內在是用英語思考，與人溝通及表達方面都要經過多重消化，背讀劇本更是格外吃力。」
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在娛樂圈中年輕貌美、才華出眾的比比皆是；能夠跑出的，往往是毅力與運氣的考驗。嘉欣的安靜沉穩，更顯得難能可貴。面對種種困難，她貫徹謹慎踏實，努力觀察、適應，默默耕耘，終於在22歲那年，迎來演藝生涯中的首個里程碑 ──《溏心風暴》中飾演常在心一角。她表示那是她至今依然難忘的一個角色。
「那時候拍了好幾年戲，不斷探索和嘗試，終於對演戲有了初步摸索。自己也特別用心，花了很多時間和功夫去創造及幻想角色的各種各樣心情、反應。播映後觀眾的反應也是預計之內的好。」此後《珠光寶氣》的宋子凌、《缺宅男女》的關嘉樂、《巨輪》的卓靜等，奠定了嘉欣一線花旦的地位。
Deeper Depths of the Soul
Since becoming a mother in real life, she says the character of Eman Cheng in Kids Lives Matter is the one that resonates with her the most deeply. The story of a paediatric doctor who returns from a life-changing experience with Doctors Without Borders and then experiences the pain of a stillborn baby spoke to her in a way she couldn’t deny. She knew immediately that she was meant to play Eman Chang; the role represented a culmination of all she had become as an actor and a woman, plus the message of the drama was exactly the kind of positivity that she wanted to put back into the world. She even convinced the producers to use a song she co-wrote as the theme song: the lyrics are consistent with the spirit she wants to share: Be true to yourself. Let it go.
For several years, she had turned down offers to return and star in a Hong Kong production, but because she had been so content at home with her family, nothing resonated with her until Kids Lives Matter came along. It was the right role at the exact right time in her life.
對生命及演技的覺悟
嘉欣坦言，早期的演出因為缺乏歷練，純粹憑幻想構思，太刻意、太用力了。回流溫哥華期間，電視台不斷跟她接洽回港拍劇及其他演出事宜，她亦一直在考慮，靜待機會。直至《星空下的仁醫》章以芯一角的出現，正正觸動了嘉欣這些年間的轉變及體會。「近年因為要照顧家人，我吸收了很多健康的資訊。前兩年，家人患上癌症，我在旁看着他從病發、治療到康復，完全感受到『一人患病、全家承受』是怎樣的一回事。」
另一件往事至今亦令她掛於心頭：2018年，一個名叫嵐嵐的八歲粉絲因血癌而住院，希望死前能夠見見她。「她的個子很小，頭髮稀疏。我仍記得那張臉，氣若游絲地對我說：『Linda姐姐，你已在這兒待久了，辛苦你了，你回家吧。』八歲的小生命，即使在生命盡頭，依然對人充滿關懷體諒。」
在重返拍攝工作的第一日，她即感覺到自己是「脫胎換骨」了，演起戲內得心應手，語氣、反應都是從心而發的。生活的沉澱，擴闊了她的思考，幫助她發揮更深層次演出。
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Her greatest inspiration came from an unlikely source: 8-year old Lan Lan was sick with cancer and her dying wish was to meet her acting idol. It was during visits in the hospital with Lan Lan that Linda witnessed the life and death reality inside a hospital for children. She was deeply moved by the young girl’s maturity, thoughtfulness and grace as she navigated the devastating card she was dealt. This, coupled with watching the tender care she received during treatment, helped shape Linda’s performance as paediatric doctor years later.
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Today, as a mother and actor on set, Linda senses herself having more layers than she used to have and feels herself more naturally. She has been able to tap into the power she feels from simply being a mother and says, “From carrying and giving birth to a baby, to taking care of them everyday, you are constantly learning something new. It touches every point of your soul because it gives you this strength to take care of someone else. I’m able to be in tune with myself much more now so that, when acting, I’m not trying too hard. As long as I do all my homework and know the character’s past, present and future aspirations, then I am able to go into the set and just be. I’m much less stressed and am fully enjoying the moment and process.”
學會放手 獲得更多
因為嘉欣在《星空下的仁醫》的動人演繹，很多人對她未能取得「視后」而感到不值，但她毫不在乎。人成熟了，便不執着於比較；內心堅定，對獎項浮名自然放得下。「從一開始，我覺得接拍此劇是一個使命，希望帶來溫暖和正能量；完成使命了，自己亦進步了，那是超乎獎項的價值。」
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