Part 2: Entering the Entertainment Industry – a 20 Year “Tryout” Searching the records and browsing old reports regarding Esther, found out that before she entered ATV, she had actually tried out for TVB’s acting class, but was not accepted; afterwards, she took a job as an OL, but also acted in TV movies part-time as a contract artist. In 1989, she officially joined ATV and was instantly promoted by them; at the time, everyone said that she bore a resemblance to actress Annie Bridgewater. Back then, during an interview, she had said that she would give herself 2 years to ‘try out’ this job and see if a career in the entertainment industry suits her; the result – the ‘try out’ turned out to be 20 years! Won TV Queen with series “Lady Flower Fist” Throughout her career, Esther acted in numerous memorable roles, however it was her performance in the series “Lady Flower Fist” that won her the “TV Queen” award (at TVB’s Anniversary Awards). In addition, her character in the series “Armed Reaction” is most loved by HK audiences. Asked about which series or character can be considered her ‘representative work’, Esther replied: “Every series that I’ve made and every role I’ve played have given me a sense of accomplishment; for me, as long as I am satisfied with the performance and the results make me happy, then all of them are considered memorable. When it comes to acting partners, I’ve collaborated with Bobby AuYeung and Roger Kwok the most. The last series that I filmed before leaving TVB in 2000 was “The Legendary Four Aces”, which to me, was the most unforgettable experience. This was the first (and only) TVB series where Nick and I collaborated as a couple – also, during filming of this series, Bobby was silly, Nick was crazy, plus Gordon Lam and Marco Ngai…the whole group of us wild and crazy people, half working and half playing…it was a lot of fun.” Won’t Let Her Daughter Watch “Season of Fate” Talking about her series “Season of Fate”, Esther actually does not allow her daughter to watch her performance in the series. She says: “In the series, I’m always hitting Roger – if my daughter sees that and, wanting to imitate me, starts hitting people, then that’s not good.” With regard to the ratings for “Season of Fate” being only so-so, Esther commented: “If the series had higher ratings, of course I would be happier; the fact that the ratings are so-so right now is a little bit disappointing, especially since everyone put so much effort into their performances. It’s hard to capture the tastes and preferences of every single audience member; each character in the series actually carries some type of heavy burden, however the script-writers tried to use a lighter, less serious method to handle this, so perhaps it was not the type of ‘fighting’ or ‘dramatic’ series that the audiences were anticipating.

Original Source of Mingpao Weekly Interviews Esther Kwan – Parts 2 and 3