Hong Huifang’s initial acting efforts didn’t go well until she got her big break on Samsui Women

Hong Huifang may be one of the most acclaimed local actresses today but did you know she was almost forced to give up acting when she was a newbie?

In a recent interview with Chinese media 8world, the 63-year-old Golden Horse Best Actress nominee revealed that she only joined showbusiness because she had limited job options.

After graduating from the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation’s (SBC) 5th Artiste Training Class, she was given only bit roles, either playing dancers or escorts, in dramas before becoming a full-time artiste in 1984.

Huifang, however, not one of SBC’s favoured talents back then.

Even though she was only in her 20s at that time, she was told that she was only hired because the company needed someone to play the “mum” roles. 

According to Huifang, she had a very matured look, so much so that fellow actor Hong Guorui once quipped that “everyone has aged, except Hong Huifang, because she has looked [this old] since she joined showbiz”. 

Her first year as an actress didn’t go well. In fact, in 1985, she was told that she would be let go if she did not improve. 

Lucky for her, that was when she snagged the role of Ah Xiu in the now iconic 1986 drama Samsui Women.