Older folks speaking their minds about the younger generation — and not always in a good way — certainly isn’t a new or rare phenomenon, especially in showbiz.

In a recent interview with Hongkong media, actor Bobby Au-Yeung lamented that young actors these days tend to be very self-reliant as soon as they start out, and do not have the habit of approaching their seniors for advice like he used to do.

In fact, the 60-year-old revealed that he once kindly shared some advice to a junior on the set of a TVB drama, only to be met with an incredulous expression that seemed to say, “You’re teaching me?”

“Actually, I did it for the good of the show, but after that, I didn’t dare to do it again,” he said.

According to Bobby, young actors not having enough respect for their seniors is something that “has always been there”, but it appears to have “gotten worse” these days.

“I grew up watching [veteran actors like] Bowie Wu, Law Lan, and Angelina Lo, but I’m in my 50s, and people in their 30s may not necessarily know who they are. To them, they are just old people. Some don’t even know who the Four Heavenly Kings are!”

One younger actor Bobby had lots of praise for was 40-year-old Mat Yeung aka the guy who was arrested last year after crashing his car and refusing to cooperate with a blood alcohol test.

He reported that Mat respects him a lot and doesn’t turn a deaf ear to Bobby’s advice. When asked what he thinks of Mat’s legal troubles, Bobby responded, “After this, he will become more sensible and hard-working.”

“Life’s like that sometimes,” he continued. “When you meet with great challenges but pull through, you will work even harder and become more worldly-wise and careful, and won’t make the same rookie mistakes again. It doesn’t matter, just acknowledge your mistakes and change.”

So, what other words of wisdom does Bobby have for the new generation of stars?

“Be patient and attentive, and it’s better not to get into relationships so easily ‘cos once you do, you stop making dramas, especially for women,” he said.

“Some people date too much. Back then, Jessica Hsuan, Esther Kwan, and Charmaine Sheh were never preoccupied with dating. Don’t worry so much about dating ‘cos it can be very distracting and you won’t be able to concentrate on your work.”

Photos: Bobby Au-Yeung/Weibo, Mat Yeung/Instagram