Charmaine Sheh has a lot of faith in herself

Source: Mingpao
Translated by: kingkongit27 @ Asian EU

Charmaine Sheh’s motto in life does not include “Attaining something without effort and the words “Cannot do it”. She believes that if you put effort and commitment into something it can be done. Most important is that you have a lot of faith in yourself.

It all started from competing in Miss Hong Kong 1997 and awarded 2nd runner up. Within the last 11 years of her acting career she had been through a very long journey. When she first started acting she was often criticised by the media and public for having a squeaky voice and that her acting was very childish. But all this criticism only made her become stronger and more determined to succeed. After many years of hard work and dedication she finally became one of TVB’s top Fa Dan’s and in 2006 was awarded Best Female Actress.

Receiving this award had encouraged her to work even harder and get to an even higher level of her career.

Although Charmaine’s appearance may look very gentle she in fact is very tough. Similar to her role in “Forensic Heroes II” as Madam Ma. As a child Charmaine had to become independent and depend on herself for a better future. “When I was a child I had always been independent, you can’t expect everyone to take care of you so you need to be tough. After competing in Miss Hong Kong I decided to stay in Hong Kong alone without my mother. Therefore I had always had the belief to work very hard. I am lucky that I had found a job I am very fond of. I really enjoy acting, seeing myself improve all the time and entertaining an audience is such a great thing.

11 Years of Acting, Successful Career

Charmaine states that she is very lucky to have a very successful career. “I was often criticised when I first started acting for having a squeaky voice and not knowing how to act. Although I had worked extremely hard in my career it’s mostly been enjoyable. Within the last 11 years of acting there had been endless times where I had been working day and night non stop. There had probably been 7 or 8 years where I wasn’t able to celebrate festive occasions or have time for myself. I had sacrificed a lot of personal times as well as less time spent with family and friends. Although I have sacrificed a lot for working hard, I guess it’s worth it as it’s given me a successful career”.

“I am a very confident person as I have alot of faith in myself. I think if someone cannot do something it’s because they do not actually want to do it. Also maybe they have given up before they started. By committing to something doesn’t mean you will not get anything in return. That’s why I think more young people should work harder. Currently I still don’t think I am at the level where I am extremely satisfied with my performance. There is still room for improvement and to get even better. I hope one day my acting will be approved within the same level as my seniors, such as Tony Leung.

Would like to act in a Comedy series

Charmaine had already appeared in over 30 drama’s. There had been many roles that gave her the opportunity to shine through such as Country Spirit, War & Beauty, Maiden 'Vow, Forensic Heroes II etc. But in the future she hopes to have the chance to appear in an comedy series. “In the past I have acted many bitter roles and would like to try to make people laugh. I have asked my management to help cast me in a future comedy series. Let’s see if that will happen in the future”.

When we told her that she was already TVB’s #1 Sister, she immediatley replies “ Liza Wang is, not me”. (Asked which newcomer she considers has potential in acting? )Charmaine thinks for a moment and replies “I think Linda Chung’s acting is improving a lot. I thought her performance in “Heart of Greed” was very good.” Charmaine and Linda actually have very similar points, both being criticised for having a squeaky voice and working alone in Hong Kong.

What Charmaine currently wants in life is to be able to spend more time with her family. “In the past I worked 365 days a year and never took a day off. But recent years I noticed my mother getting older. That’s why I would try and book a holiday early with my management so that I could take time to spend time with my family. While also being able to see other aspects of life and different people which is very helpful for my acting.

Marriage and having children, No time schedule

Many years ago Charmaine was hoping to get married at the age of 27. But she had already turned 33 last month. “My hopes were shattered, now I am afraid to set a time schedule for marriage. Personally you cannot predict or control things that happen in your life. As for meeting a boyfriend I guess it will just happen when the time comes. Actually I hope to have someone by my side who cares for me. We must be able to communicate well and have the same beliefs. The most important thing is that he is flexible. He must not interfere while I’m working but when I’m off then he can spend time with me. At the moment I do have some pursuers but they are not suitable for me. I am no longer a 18 to 22 year old that wouldn’t mind going on several dates. Currently I need to think about it as I don’t want to waste any time. I personally like children but if I had kids then I would need to sacrifice my work. I would like to spend all my time caring for them and seeing them grow up”.

Although her love life is empty she has had several rumours in the past with actors she’s worked with, such as Benny Chan, Chilam Cheung, Joe Ma etc. But the most recent rumoured actor was Ron Ng. Charmaine replies “It’s just made up gossip and maybe they targeted at me because I’m still single. In the past I had alot of negative rumours but they had got less in recent years. For instance while I was filming “Word Twisters Adventures “ and “Forensic Heroes II” I did not get any rumours with any of the cast. In fact it’s good because I don’t even read the negative news or gossip about myself”. (The reporter states that she seems to have a High EQ from the way she defends herself.) “My EQ is quite high, even though I may get mad at first when I hear about the negative gossip but after awhile I forget about it. I can’t control how others perceive me from the news so what is the point of getting myself mad? Would that mean I would need to tell those reporters off who wrote that particular news? But actually if they are brave enough to write it then they wouldn’t be afraid of being told off. We are all working to make a living and everyone has their limits. I guess if you respect me then I will respect you”.