HK actress Angela Tong just wants to play new mum

Now that she is a mother, Hong Kong TVB actress Angela Tong could soon be done with acting.

Speaking to Life! at a sit-down interview here recently, the bubbly 38-year- old says that the drama series she is about to start filming could be her last.

This week, she is scheduled to begin shooting Meet The Daughter-in-laws, in which she and actress Joyce Tang, 37, will play the titular characters to a nitpicky mother-in-law played by Nancy Sit, 63. It will be her first acting role since she gave birth to daughter Alyssa in March this year.

"The thing about acting is that the schedule is so unpredictable. They can give you a call sheet and tell you that you will work from 9am to 4pm, but on the day itself, you may not even start until 2pm," says the Canadian-born Chinese in English. "Now that I'm a mother, I keep thinking too much about my baby. So I'll try filming this drama first, which is 15 episodes versus the usual 20, and see how things go. If I get too worried, I may not act anymore."

She was in town to promote a new weight loss treatment by Marie France Bodyline, which has appointed her as the new ambassador for the brand.

Tong, who is married to actor and action choreographer Chin Kar Lok, 48, adds with a laugh: "Anyway, my husband has already said that it's perfectly fine if I don't work and just stay at home with the baby. It's great to have that kind of luxury."

Hong Kong TV drama fans remember her best as the physically unattractive but good-natured girl Lee Siu Ho in Life Made Simple (2005). The part won her a Best Supporting Actress award at the 2005 TVB Anniversary Awards.

"I loved that role. I had so much fun with it, and audiences seemed to enjoy watching that character. It'll always be one that I am proud of," says Tong.

Should the call of motherhood get stronger, she has another work option: hosting.

"Hosting TV shows is a lot more laidback than acting in drama series. When you do dramas, the schedule is so jam-packed, so I may want to do hosting. There's an English-language lifestyle TV programme Dolce Vita that I've been doing and I can't wait to get back to that."

It is clear that she is a lot more easy-going about her career than the typical ambitious star. She does not even crave leading roles, which she says mean "a lot more work".

Since joining TVB in 1995 after the Miss Chinese International beauty pageant that year, in which she was a finalist, she has taken on a lead role only once, in the drama Marriage Of Inconvenience (2007).

"I'm not dying for leading roles and even less so now. I'd try out my role of a mother right now."

1) Who is the more hands-on parent - you or your husband?

I am more hands-on. I do everything such as changing diapers and feeding the baby. It's not that Kar Lok doesn't care - it's that I don't want him to do these things because I will nag and say, "No, no, no, you're doing it all wrong." It's ironic because he's the one with a good memory, so what he does now is give me directions. For example, he remembers the proper steps to bathe a baby and he'll remind me of what to do.

2) Are there any roles that you will say no to?

I probably won't take on roles with intimate bed scenes. Now that I'm a mother, it's just weird to do them. I'll feel uncomfortable. Previously, I'd think that since I'm an actress, I should be professional and just do it.

3) Your husband was reportedly jealous of your intimate scenes with Roger Kwok in this year's hit drama Inbound Troubles. Is that true?

He was only joking. I originally wanted to try to distract him from that episode. But the station ended up using that scene in the promo trailer and kept playing it all day long, so I couldn't do anything about it. When he saw it, he jokingly turned around to frown at me, and asked me, "What were you doing?"

4) Would you be jealous if he had intimate scenes?

I would feel a little something. It's only natural. He did this series once and he kissed Ella Koon in it. And I was like mumbling under my breath and going, "Oh, I don't like her." (Laughs) I definitely felt a little something.

5) You're a celebrity mother. How do you react to strangers coming up to you and talking to you about your baby?

I'm usually pretty cool about it. People do it all the time because they've seen my dramas and they think they know me, like I'm their friend. They're usually very polite. What I don't like is when they touch my baby, especially when they touch her hands because she puts them in her mouth all the time. So once these people walk away, I'll be wiping her hands.

6) When your daughter gets older, how will you tell her that her parents are celebrities?

I haven't thought about that yet. She will naturally find out about us being in the industry. It's not like I'm going to say, "Hey, I'm famous and you're a famous baby." You know what, I'll hand this matter over to my husband because he'll know what to do. He's the sensible one in the family.

7) So if your husband is the sensible one in the relationship, are you the more spontaneous one?

Yes, definitely. Kar Lok is the calm one and he always gives good advice and knows how to handle tough situations. I'm the indecisive one. I'm forgetful and I still have a pregnancy brain.

8) How would you like to be remembered?

As a good mother and a good wife. Also as an outgoing and happy person, and someone who is very open about everything. Hopefully, my happiness is contagious.

yipwy@sph.com.sg

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