Film about teenage delinquency tests the mettle of its three young stars
Making their big screen debut in a gritty drama about teenage delinquency pushed the film's three young stars to their limits, writes Chris Lau
Rainky Wai Yu-sum, Heidi Lee Ching-yee and Kabby Hui Nga-ting are no strangers to the camera. Wai, 20, and Lee, 23, are Canto-pop singers who have appeared in a string of music videos and television commercials, and 19-year-old Hui is a popular model with fans in Hong Kong and the mainland.
But when they were picked to star in a drama about three teenage delinquents, directed by Philip Yung Tsz-kwong, a year ago, the young women were put to the test.
Not only is May We Chat their first foray on the big screen, their roles - three school-age girls Yut-gei (Wai), Wai-wai (Lee) and Yan (Hui) who befriend each other via mobile instant messaging app WeChat - are a far cry from their own lives.
Someone grabbed my hair and pushed me against the wall. I was afraid
Wai's character, who likes to wear a pink wig, is a troubled teen with impaired hearing.
"I was extremely nervous as I had to play someone who is incapable of fully expressing herself," says the actress, who doesn't utter a word in the film.
Lee plays Wai-wai, a chain smoker, who drops out of school and deals drugs to feed her younger sister and addict mother. As Wai-wai, she had to take her first puff on a cigarette: "I had to smoke, pretend to snort ketamine, and swear a lot," she says.
Hui wasn't cast until the week before shooting began. Her nerves could be ascribed to the short time she was given to prepare for the part of Yan, who is from a privileged background.