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阿Sa 蔡卓研專訪 Interview with Charlene Choi September 10 2012
相信一提到四樓新翼的時候,可能有很多校友都不知道那裡有一間「蔡卓研學生活動室」。筆者這次更有幸在這裡與蔡卓研（Charlene, 阿Sa）促膝長談。對於這顆閃爍在娛樂圈的巨星，在過去的校園生活裏又是怎樣一番光景呢？
初到「瑰崗」
其實， 阿Sa是在中四的時候才由瑪利曼中學轉校過來玫瑰崗的。當被筆者問她為何會轉來去另一間學校讀書時,她笑笑說：「因為在中三學期尾的數學成績不太理想而不能在原校順利升讀中四，所以要轉校。」但香港有幾百間中學，又是什麼原因促使阿Sa選擇在玫瑰崗開展另一段的校園生活呢？原來阿Sa是十分喜歡藝術科，尤其是服裝設計，當她知道當時玫瑰崗也有服裝設計這個科目時，阿Sa便選擇加入玫瑰崗這個大家庭。
然而，對於一個轉校過來的新生，剛開始時當然會感到有點不太適應。「 開始來到這裡上學的時候，不禁感嘆這間學校真的好大，心中也莫名其妙地害怕起來。雖然也有一兩位跟我一起從舊校轉過來讀書，但畢竟這是一個新的環境，加上身邊沒什麼認識的人，自然會覺得有點害怕。而且，我是從女校轉過來的，老實說，當時父母確實是有點擔心的。記得當時每次有男同學打電話給我，他們就總會捉著我問長問短。」
說到這裡阿Sa也忍不住笑了，望了望身邊的盧凱儀老師（Ms.Harriet Lo），接著說：「當時我覺得玫瑰崗的老師都十分平易近人，他們都以朋友相處的方式對待學生，不會擺什麼架子。特別是
Ms. Lo。她真的很可愛，她是教我數學科的，記得學期初的時候，不知道為什麼，她委任我當班內的財政。老實說，我真的很驚訝，因為我的數學真的很差呢。但 Ms. Lo對我說對我有信心，從而增加了我對自己的自信和對這間學校的歸屬感。其實Ms.Lo很受我們全班的愛戴。她總是不厭其煩地教導學生。她又總是不好意思的樣子，真的很可愛又很攪笑呢。所以就算是班裡最調皮的男同學，也被Ms.Lo馴服地服服貼貼，她從來不會兇惡地責罵學生，相反她會用她的真誠去教導學生。」可見這一段深厚的師生情誼是在那時建立起來的。
筆者問：＂妳是不是拍攝香港電台電視部電視劇”Y2K”而入行的？＂阿Sa搖搖頭：「拍”Y2K”的時候我還不算正式入行，正式入行可以說是拍完”Y2K”之後。」那她又怎樣被港台選中做”Y2K”呢？「其實在這之前在讀中五時，我被一位叫Wendy的同班同學慫恿去做一部由吳鎮宇執導、一部叫「自從他來了」的電影的臨時演員，結果我們班的半班同學都被那位同學介紹參與演出那部電影。後來，該部電影的製作助理加入了香港電台，他又找回我們那班「自從他來了」的臨時演員去試鏡，很幸運又很莫明其妙地我在那次試鏡被選中了參加”Y2K”的演出。」
校園焦點
其實阿Sa從中三開始，已開始為雜誌當兼職模特兒。當被筆者問起如何分配工作和讀書的時間，畢竟魚與熊掌難以兼得。她想了想：＂其實在我開始做part time model的時候，我的父母也有提醒過我，必須好好分配自己的時間，所以我通常都在放學後才去為雜誌拍照的。我也絕不會因為工作而告假不上學的。」縱使後來“Y2K”的拍攝工作十分繁忙，但阿Sa亦堅持要參與會考，雖然最終會考成績不算十分理想，但畢竟比起讀書，她說她更享受演出”Y2K”的過程。
一個從外校轉過校過來的兼職模特兒，當時想必是學校的＂風雲躉＂，說到這裡，阿Sa有點尷尬地笑起來，這時候阿Sa的舊班主任Ms.Lo插嘴道：＂她當時真的很出眾的，很多其他班的男同學都會特地到班房外偷看她。＂阿Sa立即笑著抗議地說：「我想其實是因為我天生「孿」髮，頭髮又一大把，所以我當時總是扎著兩條小孖辮上學。可能其他同學在想：【都十幾歲人了，還用這樣「出眾」的造型上學？！】可能是因為這方面我比較出眾。」
性格活潑外向的阿Sa，在中學時代表演慾就已經很強，她回憶說：「我每年都有參加學校的歌唱比賽，記得中四那年還拿了第三名呢！＂在旁的Ms.Lo瞪大雙眼說：「我記得那次歌唱比賽我是初賽的評審，當你唱完過後我還很驚訝地跟你說想不到你會唱歌！」即時引得一陣哄堂大笑。這時筆者翻開「那些年」阿Sa的畢業同學錄，看到阿Sa最敬愛的老師是
Ms. Lo 和區妙玲老師
- 一位是班主任，另一位是的任教服裝設計的老師。這時候阿Sa突然想到：＂記得以前的訓導主任是很嚴厲的，但卻也能和同學打成一片。記得得有一次因為和同學發生些口角才被罰到訓導處，不然平時都很遵守校規。＂但被問起是哪個老師，阿Sa頓時有點吞吞吐吐，但經過在場人一番討論後，才知道這個訓導主任就是鄧麗萍老師（Ms.Elsa Tang）。
原來阿Sa在會考後也在玫瑰崗的商科讀過一陣子，但正正在那時候，阿Sa剛剛與英皇集團簽約，為出道做準備，故此對於學業與事業兩者之間，阿Sa選擇了後者。 但她坦然並沒有後悔。阿Sa說：「我覺得自己真的很幸運。可以找到一分自己有興趣的工作。現在我有時候也會能聽見身邊的朋友埋怨自己的工作有多麼沉悶和不如意，所以我十分珍惜可以做自己有興趣和喜歡的工作。」
距離上次阿Sa回來母校已經是八年前了，Ms. Lo 對於阿Sa那次的到訪還記憶猶新：「記得上次是為了拍攝香港電台的一個節目而回來學校的。當時已是放學時間，我記得當阿Sa的車子一到“鬥獸場“的時候，那場面真的好震撼！鬥獸場在那時候被人群塞得水泄不通，當我要走過去接阿Sa的時候，那些學生不斷塞給我阿Sa的照片叫我幫他們拿簽名呢。無論走到哪裡他們就追到哪裡！我從那時候開始，深深感受到追星的瘋狂！＂阿Sa回應道：「其實我也不太記得當時的情況，最讓我深刻的就是，8年前去了學校一些地方，原來有很多在我讀書時候是沒有去過的，我們的學校實在太大了！」
友共情
阿Sa直到現在還是會和舊日的同學聯繫：「我好懷念那個時期，因為我本身性格比較外向，而剛好玫瑰崗的同學們都是很活躍的，故此我在這裡認識了很多知心好友！記得我們總是在午飯時間一群人坐在籃球場上邊吃午飯邊聊天邊看其他學生打籃球，這段時間是最令人懷念呢！現在們仍然會久不久相約吃飯聚舊呢。有時候我們都會提起學校，說如果能一起回來走走，在當年拍攝照片的地方，再照多張一樣的，然後來個比較，肯定會出現很多笑料呢！」中學的友誼總是如此真摯，這是人生最值得珍惜與享受的時段。
其實多年來有時
Ms.
Lo 聯絡阿Sa時，都是希望她能捐錢幫助學校，對此阿Sa坦言沒有一絲不好的想法，相反她總是二話地慷慨解囊捐錢回饋母校，阿Sa很開心說：「我有能力去幫助自己的學校，讓自己的學弟學妹有更好的環境學習，是一件非常榮幸的事情！我是十分樂意去做的！」
感想
對於將來有志加入演藝行業的學弟學妹，阿Sa認為：「很多事其實冥冥中總有安排的。我小時候從未想過會投身這個行業。每當自己在一些國際型的活動裡，就會後悔在年少時讀書時不好好學習英文，以致現在要加倍努力去彌補自己的不足，所以現在我仍然有不斷進修英文和普通話。大家要知道現在社會競爭非常激烈，雖然表演本身很重要，但我也經常提醒自己要不斷地自我提升，否則便會被市場淘汰！所以，我知道身為一名香港藝人到外地發展，首先便要在自己本地先做出成績，外地的人才會尊重你為一位在本土受歡迎的一級藝人。所以必須得有顆堅毅的決心！」
閒談中談到 近年來的有數宗有關母校的負面新聞時，阿Sa也有一番見解：「其實我相信不只是我們學校有這些問題，每一間學校都會有自己不同的問題。學校發生這些事情，我覺得也只是個別學生的問題，可能時代不同也促使到學校內文化也逐漸地轉變。」
最後阿Sa藉此鼓勵學弟學妹們：「要
“work hard, play hard”！現在讀書壓力雖然很大，但中學階段卻是人生中最精彩的時間，希望學弟學妹們能好好享受這段在將來最值得回憶、最寶貴的日子！」
縱使阿Sa的工作繁忙得驚人，但她仍特別抽空回來母校接受我們今次的專訪。在此我們舊生會編輯組向阿Sa致萬二分謝意，更祝願她在未來在藝壇繼續發光發亮！
文：庄丹平、伍宇鍔
It is the pleasure of RHSOSA’s Editorial Team to have the opportunity to conduct an interview with one of our celebrity alumnus: Ms Charlene Choi.
Joining RHS family
Sitting in the room in the New Wing that was named after Charlene Choi, she shared with us how she joined Rosaryhill School. ‘I actually studied at Marymount Secondary School from Form 1 to Form 3 first before I came to Rosaryhill School to continue my secondary education. I decided to come to this school since I was allowed to be promoted to Form 4 in Marymount because my academic results were not very satisfactory. I chose Rosaryhill School by myself after having conducted some research on different secondary schools in the district. At that time, there was a subject called ‘textile design’ that interested me and since I was always fond of art subjects, I then decided to give Rosaryhill School a try.’
As a new student of Rosaryhill School, it was certainly quite a big change for Charlene to adapt at that time. ‘When I first came to this school, I said to myself: “Wow, this school is so big….” and I actually was a little scared. Although I did have a few friends who also were transferred to Rosaryhill from Marymount, afterall it was still a new environment to me and I also did not know that many people in this school, I was feeling quite insecured in the beginning. Moreover, I had always been studying in girls schools before; therefore, my parents were quite worried at that time. I still remember my parents always asked me lots of questions whenever I received phone calls from male classmates.’
When we asked Charlene about what she felt about Rosaryhill School, she said ‘ I felt that the teachers in this school were all very friendly. They always treated us as their friends. Ms Harriet Lo was one of them, we always thought she was very lovely teacher. As you know, Ms Lo is a mathematics teacher, she picked me to be the class’s treasurer for some unknown reasons…to be honest, I was really shocked because mathematics was always my weakest subject. However, Ms Lo told me that she had faith in me and that in fact strengthened my sense of belonging for Rosaryhill School. Furthermore, Ms Lo was extremely popular in our class. She always taught us with lots of patience. Although she was our teacher, she always talked to us shyly and that made her even more lovely….so even the naughtiest student in our class listened to her. It was all because Ms Lo never got mad at us and she never scolded us for anything. We all knew she used her heart to teach us so we all respected her a lot.’
Charlene first gained public attention from a TV drama series produced by RTHK called “Y2K” but she said she had yet joined the show business officially when she filmed “Y2K”. She said she formally joined the entertainment industry after her participation in “Y2K”. Then how did she get her part in “Y2K”? She told us ‘Actually it was in Form 5 when one of my classmates called Wendy invited me to act in a movie directed by Francis Ng Chun Yu as an extra. Eventually about half of our class took part in that movie. Subsequently, the production assistant of that movie joined RTHK’s television department and he invited us to attend an audition for a show called “Y2K” and at last I was the only one who was picked.’
Star in school
Actually before Charlene started her acting career, she had already been working as a part-time fashion model for various fashion magazines. She admitted that she always knew that it would be difficult to work and study at the same time but she had promised her parents that she would always give priority to studies when there were conflicts between the two. At that time she only did her part-time modeling jobs after school and she would never take leave from school for work reasons. Despite the subsequent filming work kept Charlene very busy, she still insisted to sit for the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination. Although Charlene’s examination in HKCEE was not very satisfactory, she admitted that when compared study to filming, she still preferred the enjoyable filming experience she had when she filmed “Y2K”.
A part-time fashion model immediately got a lot of attention from other students in the school and her class teacher Ms Harriet Lo provided us with more information: ‘She was very outstanding at that time and I still remember I always found many boys hanging around her classroom trying to take a peep at her from afar.’ At this juncture, Charlene contested ‘I think it was only because I had natural curly and thick hair and they might wonder why I still made pigtails on both sides of my head at that age….’
On the other hand, Charlene admitted that she always enjoyed to perform in front of others, ‘I participated in singing contests every year and I remember I got 2nd runner-up when I was Form 4!” Ms Harriet Lo also said ‘I remember that too! I remember that I told you “Wow, you actually can sing!” The Editorial Team also found Charlene’s graduation year book and she put Ms Lo and Ms Au Miu Ling as her most respected teachers in it. Ms Lo was her class teacher and Ms Au was the teacher who taught Charlene textile and design. Charlene shared with us that she did remember the teacher in charge of discipline, Ms Elsa Tang, used to be very strict but she also could be quite friendly and approachable. Charlene said apart from the only one occasion in which she had had a verbal argument with her classmate during the class and eventually she was punished by Ms Elsa Tang to stand in the Discipline Office, she considered herself to be a well-behaved student in school.
After her completion of HKCEE, Charlene did try to continue her studies in our school’s Business Section; however, at the same time she also signed an artiste contract with Emperor Entertainment Group (“EEG”); knowing it would be hard to do well in both studies and entertainment business, she had to make an important decision which path she would take and eventually picked the latter. Charlene told us that she did not regret what she decided, ‘I really think I was very lucky to have found a job that I really like. Sometimes my friends would vent in front of me and complained how boring and meaningless their jobs were and so I really treasured that I got to do what I enjoy doing.’
It had been 8 years since Charlene came back to Rosaryhill for a visit and Ms Harriet Lo vividly remembered that ‘Charlene came back to film something for RTHK and she came back at the time when the school finished so Charlene’s car was immediately surrounded by students and it was quite a scene! “When I went to her car to greet her, so many students requested me to get Charlene’s autograph…they just followed us wherever we went and I truly realized what “star power” meant….”, Ms Lo said. Charlene, on the contrary, did not remember much about that visit except that it was only until during that visit she realized that there were many places that she had never been to when she was still a student in RHS.
Friendship Forever
Charlene still maintains contact with her old friends from RHS: ‘I really miss those days in RHS. I am an outgoing person by nature and generally students were also very outgoing so I made a lot of close friends here. We liked sitting next to the basketball courts during lunch periods eating lunch and having chats together….We still would have gatherings from time to time and whenever we talked about the school, we always said we should come back for a visit. We can take photos at the same places where we had taken photos and we can then compare the photos, I am sure it would be really funny when we see the comparisons….’, Charlene told the Editorial Team.
Over the last few years, Ms Harriet Lo had approached Charlene for a few times asking Charlene to make donations to the school. Charlene told us that in fact she felt it was her honour to do that and she was really glad that she had the ability to help the school so that the students could have a better study environment.
Words to share….
For the students who are interested to join the entertainment profession, Charlene shared with us the following advice: “I believe in destiny. I actually had never thought I would join this profession and whenever I was required to attend in some international activities, I always regretted that I did not study English hard enough in the past…therefore, I am still taking lessons to improve my Putonghua and English. Competition in my profession is getting more and more severe , so although giving a professional performance itself is very important, I still keep reminding myself regularly that I need to keep improving myself to prevent myself from falling behind in the fast developing and demanding entertainment industry. I know it very well that people would give you more opportunities outside Hong Kong only if I am widely recognized and respected by fans in the local market,” Charlene honestly shared with us.
Charlene was also aware of various incidents in our school that attracted negative publicity. “I believe they were only isolated incidents. I just think the culture within the school changes with the time. Not only our school had those problems. I think every school has its own problems too. Charlene said.
At last, when we asked if she had anything to share with the current students in RHS. “Just work hard and play hard. I know students are facing heavy pressure from studies and exams but secondary school life is the most precious period in our lives and I really wish that the current students would try to enjoy every second of it. It will become the most precious memories in their future.” Charlene sincerely shared with us her thoughts.
Despite the heavy work schedule, Charlene still tried her best to do this interview with RHSOSA’s Editorial Team. We hereby express our most sincere gratitude and we also wish Charlene all the best in her career and personal life. Charlene, we are all proud of you!
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