Still, Lam is still highly enthusiastic about his job and is never bored. “Since we act for many different characters each day, I see every day as a new challenge for myself,” he says brightly.
There is another thing he values, “We [voice actor] see each other day and night, the relationships between us are very close,” says Lam. “We are like siblings, seeing each other more than we see our families.”
In order to keep doing the thing he loves, Lam needs to keep his voice in good shape, but perhaps surprisingly he says he does not have any special methods to protect his voice. “I eat deep fried food like ordinary people!” he jokes.
As he gets older, Lam has noticed that his voice is not what it used to be. “Nothing can be done about it,” sighs Lam. “My voice was sharper in the old days but now it is much deeper. All I can do is try to imitate my voice from the past.”
Lam has also had health problems in the past few years. In August, he was invited to the opening ceremony of the “100 Years Before the Birth of Doraemon Exhibition” in Harbour City. Unfortunately, he had to pull out after injuring his leg. “It was a pity,” says Lam, “but I managed to visit [the exhibition] by myself after my leg recovered.”
Moreover, Lam suffers from diabetes and his vision is getting worse. Although it improved after laser surgery, his work has been affected.“My eyes get tired after looking at the monitor in the studio for a long time,” says Lam. “I have to reduce my working hours in these few years.” He says he has reduced his working hours from 60 hours per week in the past to 10 hours per
week.
In spite of his poorer health, 60-year-old Lam has never thought of retiring. “Take Tam Bing-man; he is still working in the industry at the age of 78. There is no retirement age in this industry,” says Lam eagerly, showing his continued passion for voice acting. “I will keep on as long as I am capable of doing it!”
