Michael Tao (陶大宇) and Wayne Lai (黎耀祥) have known each other for more than a decade -- their ‘brotherly’ relationship started back in the year 2000, when the two of them collaborated in the ATV series Showbiz Tycoon 《影城大亨》. Given the rare opportunity to be interviewed together with Michael, Wayne shared a few stories about their relationship that were never revealed before, including recounting all the support that Michael had given him back in the day. As for Michael, he expressed that even though Wayne is younger than him, his EQ is very high, which helps complement his own shortcomings in that area.

MT = Michael Tao
WL = Wayne Lai

MT: Wayne, seeing you get the TV King award for 2 years in a row, I’m truly very happy for you. If I had to describe my feelings towards you receiving those two awards, I would have to say: ‘well-deserved’ and ‘no easy feat’!

WL: Thank you! Thank you! Actually, I really cherish this opportunity [the interview] to get together with you to drink a little wine and chat from the heart. Towards all the support you have given me in the past, it’s all engraved in my heart! Back when we filmed Showbiz Tycoon, we were together practically every day throughout the 6 to 7 months of filming! Every morning, when you bought coffee, you would buy for me too -- when I bought a house in 2000, I would ask your opinion and when you bought your Porsche, I would tell you to drive it to work so that we could ‘enjoy’ it together – we even experienced buying stocks together and ‘losing’…..haha! Basically, we experienced a lot together and became very close and would also be concerned about each other’s health. After we finished filming the series, it was difficult to part – I really wanted to see you, my ‘big brother’, again!

MT: I actually had a lot of life principles that I needed to learn from you and each time I asked, you were able to advise me – though some of the advice appeared correct but was actually wrong….hahaha! Plus back then I had quite a temper and would get upset easily – whenever I saw something that seemed unfair, I would burst out….but, the two of us never argued with each other and after I let out my frustrations, I would be fine!

WL: I still remember back when we performed in shows together, you gave me a tie – when I bought my house, it was as if you knew I needed money….you had the opportunity to perform in the Mainland and not only did you include me in the performance, you also gave me half the earnings! Do you still remember?

MT: Oh….that time, the boss of a company in Mainland invited me to do a show over there – I asked him about inviting another artist as well, but he said no, he only wanted me. Since I really wanted you to perform together with me, I told the boss: “I’ll bring along another artist to help make the atmosphere more lively – you can just pay the regular rate.” I remember asking you at the time: “Wayne, how much do you normally charge for doing shows? Whatever the rate is, I’ll give you the same amount – come have some fun together!” Afterwards, I gave you a portion of my earnings from that show….earning less money actually didn’t make much of a difference to me – most important is that we had a fun and happy time singing and ‘playing’…it was almost like going on a vacation trip together!


Channel the ‘negative mood’ onto the characters

WL: Brother Michael, you truly cherish relationships – from everyday life to food and drink, you always took good care of me!

MT: I remember back when we were filming Showbiz Tycoon, I even bought your socks for you! That time we were rehearsing at the studio and I noticed the socks you were wearing had labels on it – since the backdrop for the scene was supposed to be 1960s/70s and the pants you wore were a little short [at the ankles], I went out and bought a half dozen plain white socks for you to wear to work! But, I will only limit myself to buying socks – if you need new underwear, your wife has to buy it!

WL: Ah, yes…..at the time, I thought that pulling my socks up as high as possible would make it less noticeable! You’re very attentive!

MT: Perhaps because I’m a Virgo, constantly in pursuit of perfection, so when I’m filming, if something doesn’t look right to me, I get upset….

WL: The fact that you noticed my socks proves that you are truly very attentive. No wonder you would get so hot-tempered when filming, as there are so many details to be concerned with. People who don’t know might misunderstand that you get angry easily, but in reality, you’re just pursuing perfection. In comparisons, I don’t concern myself with that type of stuff anymore because I’ve already gotten used to the ‘rules of the game’ – even if you get upset, it’s still not going to help the matter any, so might as well channel that ‘negative mood’ onto the appropriate characters [roles] instead.

MT: The words of wisdom from a two-time TV King – channel the negative energy into the role you’re playing rather than to other people or things in real life! You definitely have high EQ – that’s why even I rely on you to help appease me when I’m in a bad mood! I remember a few years ago when I was filming Sisters of Pearl《掌上明珠》and I bumped into you again at TVB City – sometimes, when I was upset over something related to work, I would go over and vent to you about it and then I would feel much better afterwards. I probably bothered you a lot back then, huh?


Happy to take his son to work with him

WL: We haven’t seen each other in 2 to 3 years….Michael, seeing you again today, whether internally or externally, you haven’t changed much at all – instead, I feel that you’ve gained more [personal] experience and also there’s more calmness in your eyes! I remember in the past, you always seemed to have a ‘fire’ in you and when you walked, you would charge forward at a very fast pace – now the feeling that you give me is that you’ve fallen back a little, more calm and collected and definitely a lot more comfortable than before.

MT: We’re at a different stage in life now. In my eyes, you’ve also matured a lot – you’ve become a benevolent father! Your son is a very good boy -- he likes hanging out with you, taking pictures with you, etc. Many youth nowadays are very distant from their parents and would rather play video games or play with their cell phones if they have spare time – it’s very rare that he’s willing to follow you around to places!

WL: I don’t mind bringing my son along with me and letting him experience the environment in which his parents work – it helps him better understand what the entertainment industry is all about!

MT: Definitely agree, but I myself am not used to having relatives around when I work because it’s too much pressure for me. I would worry that they’d get bored waiting for me and it actually makes it harder for me to concentrate – that’s why I admire you for being able to accept it!

WL: Sometimes I would feel that way too. Out of necessity in my work, sometimes I would need to have more interaction with other artists and understand their rhythm in order to assimilate better into the acting and make things more natural….occasionally, when there are awkward moments, I would tell my wife it’s best for her not to come!

MT: Your wife is very understanding though…she’s very good! Having your family accompany you can actually be quite a blessing – like when you recently went to film in Hengdian, your wife went with you and took care of you!

WL: That time, we had gone to Hengdian to film for The Confidant《大太監》. Rest periods weren’t a problem, but actually having all the tourists there did slow down production. The area where we filmed is a popular tourist area where a lot of tour groups actually buy tickets to come watch filming – there were quite a few times where we had to ‘NG’ because we had to stop due to people interfering. The most difficult part was having to wait around in the scorching heat with our thick costumes on!

MT: You have a lot of endurance though! Back when we filmed Showbiz Tycoon, you were also filming movies outside – you practically didn’t get to sleep at all! When the behind-the-scenes crew saw how exhaustively you worked, even they shook their heads…back then, as soon as we finished in the studio, you would rush off to film the movie -- there would even be a car waiting outside for you!

WL: During that time, I think my record was going 4 days straight without sleeping on a bed! My son wasn’t born yet, as my wife was still pregnant – since I was a newcomer in the movie industry, there was a lot of demand at the time. I never played any lead roles and mostly had bit parts in the movies, but in order to make money, I would film no matter how exhaustive it was – my record was filming 6 movies at the same time! The foundation I have now is mostly from everything I endured back then!

Source: Oriental Daily
Translated by: llwy12 @ AsianFanatics

A very nice read :) Michael have been in more interviews lately haven't he? The one with Kenix, Bobby & Felix and now Wayne Lai. It is interesting to read all these interviews that showed us a glimpse of their pasts.

It surprised me that Michael is older than Wayne!! Wow...now thinking about it, Wayne is not that old...he just looks a bit more mature than others. Reading this, the more I admire Wayne...what he have today, he really deserved it.

I also miss seeing Michael after this. Hope that tvb will ask him to go back onscreen.