Roxanne Tong struggles to replace scandal-hit Jacqueline Wong in TVB drama

It was a career step-up for Roxanne Tong but she slipped up badly on the first day of work.

The actress, 32, was tapped by Hong Kong broadcaster TVB to replace Jacqueline Wong in the reshoot of police procedural drama Forensic Heroes IV.

Wong, 30, was sidelined after she was caught kissing singer Andy Hui, 51, in a taxi in April.

Tong, who was told to shed 4.5kg by TVB bosses to take on Wong's role, said the pressure got to her on day one on the set.

According to the on.cc portal, Tong, who revealed that she told good friend Wong that she would be replacing her, could not deliver her lines on cue.

Tong admitted that things "got pretty serious".

But she said the situation improved as the days went by, with fellow cast mates like Raymond Wong doing all they could to ease her in.

"I understand the pressure she's in," said Raymond Wong, 43.

[[nid:445754]]

Media reports said he was furious when he found out that the work he put in in the scenes with Jacqueline Wong had gone to waste.

Tong, in a bid not to further prolong the reshoot which was said to cost $1.7 million, spent a lot of time to memorise her lines.

The reshoot was also a pain for the other cast members.

Raymond Wong said since the original scenes were shot quite a while back, it was not easy to recall what mood his character was in the various scenes that had to be redone.

Forensic Heroes IV, seen as one of TVB's major productions to mark its 52nd anniversary this year, is slated to be shown in Hong Kong and mainland China in November.

Meanwhile, Sammi Cheng seems to be having a hard time coming to terms with her husband Hui's infidelity.

Though the Cantopop queen said she would protect her marriage, she is still nursing a bruised heart almost two months after the scandal broke, going by her online posts.

Even surrendering to the hard work to prepare for her upcoming Hong Kong concerts has not provided a respite for her.

In a recent post, Cheng, 46, wrote that not many people can go through life without mishaps.

Noting that it is not easy to bounce back, she noted: "Sometimes, we are able to equip ourselves with great courage; yet, sometimes, we will be fearful to the point of trembling."

She added that she is "not special" and that "we (must) learn from our mistakes and mature".

But fans fear it could take a long time for calm to return to Cheng's life.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.