"Wing Wing" the clown a.k.a Tony Leung
“Wing Wing” the clown, a.k.a Tony Leung, has been a full-time clown for the past 15 years. He’s currently mentoring clown school students at the Juggling Home of Hong Kong, passing on his clowning expertise to the next generation of funnymen. He tells Kiki Elijandy about the cons of being paid to clown around, and what it takes to make people smile.
HK Magazine: Were you born a clown, or did you come to it later in life?
Wing Wing: I was first exposed to clowning when I participated in an amateur class during high school. The class exposed me to the basics of juggling and other clown acts, which captured my interest. After that, I pursued Ocean Park’s Clown College courses to further develop my skills. Basically, my life has been revolving around it since 1998.
HK: What are some difficulties you have encountered?
WW: Comical performances don’t involve a lot of talking or being vocal. It’s your body language that makes the audience laugh. Sometimes, when the audience—especially young children—don’t understand the performance, I have to think on my feet about how to create a better atmosphere.
HK: What message do you want to get across as you clown?
WW: The message is simple—happiness. I want people to feel a pure sense of joy, even if it’s only for the duration of my performance. Especially in Hong Kong, people have a stressful lifestyle, so it’s a great way to relax and have a good laugh.
HK: What‘s the biggest obstacle for kids who want to get into clowning?
WW: The older generation might lean towards a feeling that the industry is mostly for people who can’t progress into university, or those who can’t find a proper job. To many, society’s view of a career in clowning is the main obstacle.
HK: It can’t all be laughs. Are there clowning cons?
WW: The peak demand for clown performances is usually during holiday seasons, public holidays or the weekends, which also means that I have to sacrifice my personal time with my family and friends to work. But to me, it’s fine—because I’m doing something I love.
HK: The Juggling Home of Hong Kong has established a certified program for those who wish to become professional clowns. How will this help?
WW: I think it’s great to have a platform for the younger generations who are interested in comical performing to meet professionals. Students will be able to come into contact with skills—from juggling tricks to balloon twisting to the ability to communicate with your audience. At the moment there are so many people in the industry who just smear their faces with colors and call themselves “clowns.”