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She says she is not a star, but during her six years in show business, Flora Chan Wai San has become one of
the most popular actresses in Hong Kong. She has participated at least 10 drama series and hundreds of shows.

She was born in Hong Kong but emigrated to Boston when she was about 4 years old. She got a bachelor’s degree in journalism at Boston College and returned to Hong Kong for her career.

Her profession
Before becoming an actress, Flora worked as a teacher, a reporter, a production assistant and a production scheduler.

During her days at the Pearl Channel of Television Broadcasts Limited, there was a chance for her to become an executive producer, but she decided to pass it up, choosing instead to act in a drama series.

Said she: “It was a difficult decision, but I just followed my interest. That’s how I chose to be an actress.”

She said acting began as a trial, but she soon developed a real interest in both acting and singing.

She never expected to become so popular. She said luck contributed to her success.

“I was lucky that I found my right image in a very short time, and TVB has provided me with a lot of chances.

“It is very fortunate that the characters I have come across so far are all suitable for me,” she said. “But, of course, I have worked hard.”

All gains, no losses
As an actress, Flora has to sacrifice part of her time sleeping and keeping in touch with friends. She does not think this is a loss, however.

She insisted that even the problems she had with her hearing have been a plus.

“Although I suffered from a health problem with my ears, and even though it forced me to stop all my work, I still think it has been a positive experience for me.

“Since I lost my health, I have learned to treasure the things I possess.”

She has gained other things, too, such as the experience of working with people and opportunities to know more about herself, to grow and to mature.

“Among the biggest gifts I have received are the friends I have made, such as Ada Choi and Bowie Lam,” said Flora.

She has played a lot of roles with distinct characters.
Every role reflects part of herself.

“To be an actress, you have to extract the parts of your own character that are most similar to the role you are playing and amplify them so that you can act more naturally,” said she.

The one thing that she admits to is being

A perfectionist

a perfectionist, and that has become a source of pressure for her.

“When I was working in my first drama series, Justice V, the director suddenly asked me to act as a smoker.

“However, because I don’t smoke, my performance was so unnatural that we spent a lot of time on that shot. I was so disappointed with myself that I couldn’t fall asleep that night,” she recalled.

After a period of time blaming herself for not performing the role perfectly, she came to realize that many things are not under her control. “I am not trying to find an excuse, but most of the time it is not my fault that leads to failure,” she explained.

“I have learned to forgive myself. I just do my best.”
Reading Chinese characters were also a problem for her for awhile.

Because she grew up in the America, reading and understanding Chinese was not easy.

“In the very beginning, I invited others to help me read them so that I could mark down the pronunciations of the characters by using English,” said she.

“Because I am interested in it, I learned very fast. Now I am able to understand most of the words in a Chinese script.”

Her family

Flora said working under such pressure means family support is important.

She has a brother and a sister.

“At first my parents opposed the idea of my coming back to Hong Kong,” said Flora.

“My parents were worried that I wouldn’t get used to life in a place I was not familiar with. They also thought that my personality was not suitable for this career — too straightforward they said.

“However, because I insisted, they finally turned their opposition into support. Now they are glad to see me settled down and having a stable job.”

Sometimes they still express their concerns about her work.

Said she: “They not only talk about the good things, but also criticize me when I am not performing well.”

Flora said that although her career, marriage and love life are vital, she always considers family as the No. 1 thing in her life.

Even when she is busy, she phones her family once a week. If possible, she flies back to America once a year.