Charmaine Sheh Used To Stick Newspaper Clippings Of Reviews Criticising Her Bad Acting On The Mirror As Motivation To Improve

Hongkong actress Charmaine Sheh, 47 recently shared about how she got her start in showbiz through the Miss Hongkong pageant, and how she bungled her very first acting gig in 1999.

In a new video series by Chinese newspaper People’s Daily, Charmaine revealed that she landed the very first role she auditioned for — Miu Yeuk-lan in The Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain. 

“Unfortunately, I did not play the character well. 'Cos I really couldn’t act, all the criticisms [I got] were that I was bad at acting, spoke too softly, and that I wasn’t good at conversing [with the other actors]... There were many harsh criticisms,” Charmaine said.

That's a lot of criticism to handle.

However, Charmaine was not daunted by the terrible feedback. Describing herself as someone who doesn’t like being looked down on, the actress shared that she was spurred on to improve her acting, thanks to the naysayers.

“I remember, after seeing the reports saying that I was bad at acting and all that, I took the newspaper [reviews] and stuck it on the mirror I used every morning, as a way to encourage myself. [I'd tell myself] ‘Next time, I wouldn’t ever see such words again, Charmaine Sheh, you have to buck up!’” Charmaine said.

The turning point for her was 2001’s Country Spirit. At that time, most TVB dramas were either shot in a studio, or a special film set. However, Country Spirit was filmed entirely in Guangxi, and was an entirely different experience for Charmaine.

War and Beauty's a classic.

“I was extra excited then, to be able to eat, chat, grill chicken and live authentically with the village folk there. That was the kind of person I was. From there, I learnt how to act, and immerse myself in my role,” she said.

“I remember when I was filming War and Beauty, we went to the palace, and when I wore the costume, I became that character immediately. There was no need to act at all, it was a very great feeling."

She's thriving now.

The actress went on to assert that success is not something that you can confer upon yourself.

“I don’t care what [others might] consider as a success. I only care about one thing, and that’s making sure I put in my best effort for every project. At least I’ll be satisfied with myself, and can hold myself accountable to the audience," she said.

"I hope that [with every project], I’ll be able to give the audience a surprise and something new, with a different challenge, a different role. I’m very satisfied [with what I’ve done so far], ‘cos I’ve not lived my life in vain."