Local actress Kate Leong plays a casino Public Relations in Come, The Light, Koi-Wang chao’s latest film. Moving from theatre stages to movie sets, she hopes to turn professional in the future and keep on falling in love with complex characters.
Macau CLOSER: Tell us a bit about your character in Come, The Light and also about the plot of the film?
Kate Leong – I play Wei a casino PR. The general perception of casino PRs is that they are people who work very hard and love to buy luxury items for themselves. However, Wei is a very simple girl whose dream is just to save enough money to get married. All she wants is to have a lovely family with her boyfriend. The story begins with the couple winning the lottery. The boyfriend is addicted to gambling and the girl only wants to get married, so they have different expectations of the future. The film mainly aims to discuss perceptions and views on future and family from the perspective of the different genders. Like Wei, many women dream of getting married and having a family, unlike many men, who put their career as their priority and work hard to achieve this.
How was it to act in this film?
It was fun to work with the team. The members of our team came from many different places, such as Malaysia, Taiwan, etcetera, and there were many unforgettable funny moments because of the different words and different languages we use. We always worked in a very harmonious atmosphere, so the experience was quite good. I was very lucky to get this opportunity by chance, as I didn’t go to any casting for this movie. At the time I was teaching some kids and the director and producer of the movie were trying to find some child actors. One day they came to my class and the producer told me that Koi-Wang Chao, the director, wanted to know whether I was interested in taking part in the film, so here I am now. Another interesting thing is that all the actors and actresses in this movie have a theatrical background, so the director always needed to remind us about the differences between acting in a film and on stage. On stage everything should be magnified, but in a film everything should be minimised.
Have you ever acted in films before?
This is not my first time as an actress; my first film production was in Find a Way, which was also a local production.
Are you a full-time actress these days or would you like to become one?
I am now a freelance and I don’t know whether I can consider myself to be a professional actress at this stage. I am now performing for films and also on stage for some theatrical productions. But I am definitely working hard towards the goal of being a professional actress or an artist in the future.
How did you become interested in acting?
I started to know about acting when I was in secondary school. Then I met so many people who gave me many opportunities in acting – directors, producers, teachers. The interesting thing about acting for me, is that I can interpret different kinds of people, which I cannot do in the real world. I can experience other lives through acting and it is also a way for me to vent my emotions. For instance, I can act as a blind lady or a 40-year-old lady even if I’m only 19. Acting is a very powerful and moving process.
Do you have a favorite actress?
I don’t. Whenever I watch a very moving performance, I want to do that character myself. Of course, that’s because these very talented actors and actresses perform them. But I’m usually moved and in love with the character in the first place.
Now that the movie has been released, what are your plans?
My other film, Timing, will be released soon as well, and I’ll have some theatrical performances in both Macau and Taiwan.