A changed woman: Juggling fame and family

 Anita Kwan Yi-tung’s youthfulness and playful demeanour make it difficult to imagine she is already a young mother of two: Marina is three and Eleena is just six months old. “I used to be thinner,” Kwan says – another thing that is hard to believe. “My husband says I am happier now, which is why I am not so thin. Actually, a lot of people in my industry notice a change in me: they say I’m more emotional and softer, but I think a fuller face just makes me look more approachable,” she jokes.

Humble beginnings

It doesn’t take long to discover how active and inquisitive Kwan is – she chose to become an actress because she cannot sit still, especially behind a desk, for long – so it would be understandable if she found being a mother somewhat limiting. But it seems that since her switch to HKTV and her marriage to Andre Lam Siu Fui, Kwan has evolved.

She began her career as an actress with local terrestrial channel, TVB. Kwan describes her typical roles as the tough, bad girl. “I wasn’t a regular actress, so if I had a series I would work and when I didn’t, I would be busy playing sports, swimming and watching movies.” If it wasn’t for her active disposition, she might never have met her husband: with Kwan being an actress and Lam an anchor, they worked in different buildings – but met through a weekly company darts league competition.

Around 2009, Kwan stopped working with TVB because she couldn’t get the right balance she wanted for her career. “I felt the pay was not very high and I wanted to be able to shoot outside Hong Kong – or do movies – but the schedules I had made that very difficult,” she explains. With some of her friends and colleagues already working at HKTV, Kwan believed she could make the move. It is one she does not regret. “The feeling is very different – and I’ve had the chance to work with my husband, too, which was a good experience for us.”

Family time

It’s not just her work that is more balanced, however. The schedules offer actors more rest between shoots instead of filming both day and night. Now that she’s a mother, she can manage family more easily, too. “When my daughter was in hospital, the crew were very understanding and let me stop filming until she was better,” she recalls. They also allow her to take time out to host a weekly radio show on Metro Radio on Thursdays.