The unwritten rule at all interviews with super-celebrity Andy
Lau is: Stay away from questions about his private life.
China Daily's Xu Fan breaks the rule with good reason.
It's no secret among Chinese entertainment reporters. Andy Lau
will answer almost any question with one exception. Don't ask about
family.
The 49-year-old Hong Kong-based showbiz A-lister is celebrating
30 years in the business with a new album aptly named
Unforgettable, and he will also go on tour with 20 concerts later
this year in December.
During his recent tour in Beijing, he fended every question with
his usual smiling ease, and allowed the mask to slip only once.
"I don't even talk to my father about my family life, so why
should I confide in the media?" he retorted when asked if hiding
his long-time relationship with his Malaysian beauty queen wife was
a heavy price to pay for fame and fan loyalty.
"Some things I can share with my fans because they know me, but
not with the media. Who knows what kind of a person they will make
you up to be?" he says with a slight quiver in his voice, unguarded
for a nanosecond as he fielded questions in an interview with China
Daily in a well-appointed room at a luxury hotel in Beijing.
As usual, Lau is surrounded by protective assistants and an army
of agents.
It is a formula that has worked so far for Lau, this separation
of public and private persona.
In an arena where relentless competition, fickle fans and fierce
back-stabbing are the order of the day, Andy Lau has survived more
than the traditional 15 minutes of fame and become an iconic
evergreen for generations of fans.
Thirty years is a long time to have bloomed and boomed in
Chinese show business.
Lau has acted in more than 140 films, recorded 120 albums, held
nearly 500 concerts and won more than 500 awards for his work in
music, on stage and screen, as well as for his work in charity.
In addition, he is one of few in the entertainment industry in
Hong Kong to have been appointed Justice of Peace (JP), a
ceremonial title given by local government to model leaders in
society.
Andy Lau is an official role model.
But, some critics have said there is one person Lau needs to
treat better - and that is his 44-year-old wife Carol Chu, in a
relationship Lau has kept under wraps for more years than he would
ever admit.
Chu comes from Penang, born to a rich family and blessed with
good looks that had her capturing a handful of beauty pageants
crowns when she was younger.
At the peak of her popularity, Chu met Lau, who was visiting
Malaysia with a celebrity soccer team.
Their courtship was conducted in absolute secrecy and their
relationship kept away from the media spotlight for 24 years, until
recently when her father passed away, and the couple flew to
Malaysia to attend the funeral.
The paparazzi mobbed Hong Kong airport on Aug 25, 2009, when the
couple returned to Hong Kong after the funeral and Lau publicly
acknowledged his wife for the first time.
Lau published an apology on his official fan website a few days
later.
"I felt so ashamed that I didn't keep my promise to tell it
embarrassed my family, friends and the media who trust me. I'm so
sorry." Why apologize? Because he had promised to tell his public
if he got married.
The belated recognition and apology seriously dented his
otherwise impeccable reputation.
It seems sad that a man nearing 50 should have to hide his
marital status and his right to have a family from the public. But
there is justification enough.
Fervent fans have been known to threaten suicide if their idol
so much as glanced favourably at a female. Another celebrity,
Jackie Chan, had to tread warily after one of his Japanese fans
nursed a devotion until death, literally.
Chan only admitted to his marriage to Taiwanese actress Joan Lin
when his grown son, Jaycee, entered the industry.
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