Finally, the winner of the title, ‘Person of the Year’ is announced. She is the internationally renowned actress from Hong Kong, Maggie Cheung. We were very grateful to have the opportunity to interview Maggie, who was also the winner of the Best Actress awards in Cannes and Berlin Film Festival. She is such a stunning yet humble celebrity. She generously shared her experience of failure. It is definitely an inspiration to all of us.
It is unbelievable that Maggie has faced great difficulties in the acting career. “I was like a little ugly duck with rabbit-like teeth. It was lucky enough for me to be a ‘vase’ in the soap operas, though.”
Not exactly knowing how to act, she was only responsible for showing smiley faces in her early performances. There were numerous outspoken critics telling Maggie that her acting was very amateur. All were harsh comments. Her heart was broken. Her tears kept streaming down her face.
“Yet, I never gave up. I always stood and watched some experienced actors performing in front of the cameras. They were extraordinarily excellent in acting. I learned a lot from them.”
Though Maggie couldn’t play major roles at that time, she equipped herself with various acting skills without cease. Then, one day, she found her own chance at last, and she grabbed it.
When Maggie was picked by director Wong Kar-wai to join the shooting of As Tears Go By, she could finally apply her acting skills learnt. Soon after that, she started receiving invitations from prominent directors, like Kwan Kam Pang and eventually Zhang Yi-mou. Blessed with opportunities, Maggie filmed Centre stage, Comrades: Almost a Love Story, Hero and so on. She has won the greatest number of acting awards among other Asian actresses, and turned regional stardom into worldwide success.
We may have our own setbacks, too. Nevertheless, we have never been widely criticized by the public. Maggie could overcome her hurdles, so why can’t we deal with ours?
Maggie’s story can hugely inspire us. To start off, we learn that we should never give up during tough times. Instead of being frustrated and mumbling about our misfortunes, we should root out the causes of our problems and learn from the mistakes. When Maggie was acknowledged that there was vast room for her to improve her acting skills, she honed the skills immediately. Thus, if we face obstacles, we should improve ourselves accordingly.
What’s more, seizing every opportunity is as well very crucial. Wong Kar-wai was a nobody before his first film, As Tears Go By, was shown. If Maggie didn’t prepare well and grab the chance preciously, she may have never risen to such a high place in performing arts. Therefore, as the cornerstones of future society, we youngsters must always get ready and try our very best whenever a task comes to us, too. We don’t know which is our golden chance, right?
It is always true that the road to success is bumpy and not easy. Whoever can be brave and persistent can say goodbye to the obstacles. It may sound difficult, but there are in fact only two essentials for triumphs — determination and preparation. We should all keep them in mind.
“I felt upset, but I wouldn’t stop practising. I have faith.” the Person of the Year proclaimed.