Profile | How Hong Kong actress Carina Lau rose to stardom from her ‘mainland girl’ roots, overcame topless photos scandal and wed Tony Leung Chiu-wai
- When Carina Lau started acting in Hong Kong in the early 1980s, she was known as the ‘mainland girl’, and had small ‘girl-next-door’ roles in television dramas
- She had her breakthrough in a Wong Kar-wai film, overcame being kidnapped and photographed topless, and wed fellow actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai in a US$4 million ceremony
Carina Lau Ka-ling is a formidable Hong Kong actress whose popularity has stood the test of time. Her name is synonymous with style and a classy demeanour, and she is known for her numerous business ventures.
Fans can keep up with Lau on Instagram, where she frequently posts snippets of her jet-setting lifestyle.
Lau, who was born in 1965, grew up in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, in mainland China. She had an early interest in acting, but envisioned a future as a factory worker because of where she grew up.
That changed after Lau moved to Hong Kong at the age of 15. Although she was known as the “mainland girl” and was insecure about her Cantonese, she worked hard to improve her language skills and graduated from broadcaster TVB’s acting programme in the early 1980s.
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At the start of her career, the actress often took on girl-next-door roles and was limited to small parts in television shows. Her role in Looking Back in Anger (1989) – one of the most-watched TVB series at the time – established her as a leading actress.
“When I started off acting at TVB, it was more or less a job,” Lau told the Post in 2013. “My training early on was necessary, but was also on a very superficial level. What really changed me was when I met Wong Kar-wai, William Chang [Suk-ping] and other passionate and genius filmmakers.
“I really get the hang of it when I feel like my soul is intertwined with the character I’m playing,” Lau added. “That excitement is beyond what words could describe. I feel the character’s pain, her helplessness, her everything. When I’m there, I secretly feel happy for my own acting.”
“I’d say never give up on your dreams,” she told the Post in 2013. “Destiny strikes you when you are least prepared, but as long as you are prepared your dream will come true.
“A hard-working person might not end up being successful, but a successful person is most definitely a hard worker.”
“I thought people saw me as a mainland girl and that made me look down on myself. When my photos were revealed [in East Week in 2002], I was very surprised that the showbiz community and the Hong Kong people were supportive. I was so moved and thankful,” she told mainland newspaper Nanfang Daily.
Aside from her acting career, Lau invested in several restaurant and fashion ventures, although these have since closed. She showed her business sense when Leung was without a manager, stepping in to fill the role, and she is known to accompany her husband to film sets.
The actress is also known for her fashion sense, having been spotted in pieces from luxury brands including Dior, Prada, and Louis Vuitton. She boasts an extensive jewellery collection, often donning pieces from Cartier, Tiffany and Bulgari.
Lau’s personal life has received plenty of attention. From 1986 to 1988, the actress was in a relationship with, and later engaged to, Hong Kong business tycoon Julian Hui Chun-hang. At the time, Lau reportedly considered giving up acting, but chose not to do so after the couple broke up.
Soon after this, she began a relationship with Leung, who she married in 2008 in the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan to much fanfare. Costing US$4 million, the wedding featured a guest list of celebrities including Faye Wong and Wong Kar-wai.
Lau has a reputation for being a reliable professional who has remained humble despite her fame. Although she has taken on fewer acting roles in recent years, her career is far from over.
