After winning the 1999 Miss Hong Kong title, Sonija Kwok (郭羨妮) was quickly recruited into the drama department at TVB. It was considered to be a lucky streak. Due to her personality, which was slow to warm to people, Sonija rarely mixed with crew members and heard numerous complaints. She felt disheartened, “I did not know what I wanted at the time. I considered leaving the entertainment industry.
“After winning the Miss Hong Kong title, I started acting in TVB series. My first drama was A Step in the Past "尋秦記", which is still very popular in mainland China today. During filming I was not happy since it was my first time filming an ancient drama. My dialogue was very genteel and unsuitable for me. Fortunately, the veteran cast, such as Jessica Hsuan (宣萱), Kong Wah (江華), and Louis Koo (古天樂) took good care of me. We filmed in Hengdian and Mongolia. Perhaps due to my personality, which is slow to warm to people, I was not well acquainted with the rest of the cast. Many crew members and action choreographers asked whether I remembered that I used to hide in a corner, drawing pictures [during breaks]. It was very funny. Of course I will no longer do that now and will talk a lot more with the cast and crew!”Learning From Past Experience
“As a new artist, each time the cameras started rolling on set, I was unable to breathe and felt immense pressure. I was afraid of being scolded by others. Some of the past complaints included, ‘What time are we getting off? That depends on Sonija!’ Of course, I was unhappy upon hearing such words. I do not know how to communicate that well with people and keep too many things inside myself. Now, of course I will not care what other people say. If someone were to say that to me now, I will ask him to clarify his statement and resolve the issue on the spot. I only learned how to handle such situations after many years’ of experience.”
Being Scolded by the Audience
In the past, I felt disheartened and considered giving up acting. I attempted to register for some classes. At the time, I did not know what I wanted to do. Was my personality not a good fit for the entertainment industry? It was quite curious, as many things seemed to pull me back into the industry. As a result, I never considered my path to be smooth; it was quite difficult in many aspects.
After A Step in the Past, I filmed Where the Legend Begins (洛神) and Perish in the Name of Love "帝女花". The characters I portrayed in both series were despicable. The audience did not know who I was at that time, but my onscreen personas were deeply embedded in their brains. On the streets and in online forums, many people scolded me. When Where the Legend Begins was re-broadcast earlier, I was afraid to watch it; my face was quite horrendous. I told my manager that I did not wish to portray such despicable characters. Afterward, I did not act in any more evil roles. In recent years, I have acted in light-hearted series such as D.I.E. "古靈精探".
Source: Oriental Daily
Translated by: Jayne @ JayneStars
