The Next Top Fa Dan

Since TVB's loss of Charmaine Sheh, the TV station has lost their top actress and biggest cash cow.  As a result, they are grooming their current young actresses to take over the spot.  Although they are no longer too interested in one big star, they still want more strong first line actresses.  This post isn't trying to predict who can replace Charmaine Sheh, but rather, analyzing and evaluating who has what it takes to be the most successful actress in TVB overall.

My Top Choice
#1 - Myolie Wu
Favorite character/performance(s): The witty and professional lawyer Wong Sze Fu/Kris in "Ghetto Justice", Ling Ling in "Survivor's Law"

Favorite pairing(s): Myo&Sammul in "When Rules Turn Loose", Myo&Kevin in "Ghetto Justice"
Strength(s): Arguably the most versatile of all the young female actresses currently in TVB, consistently delivers solid performances despite receiving some mediocre roles
Weakness(es): Has been criticized by netizens for her performances in the past

In my opinion, Myolie Wu has what it takes to be the most successful actress in TVB and is the most versatile of today's generation.  In the blink of an eye, she has been in the entertainment industry for over 10 years, and her experience shows.  She was stuck playing weak and mediocre roles for a while, but has since overcome that rut.  Recently, she has been seen portraying a variety of roles that have garnered her praise and won over netizens again such as her roles in "A Chip Off the Old Block", "The Rippling Blossom, and "Ghetto Justice".  She does equally well in both comedy and drama.  Due to having the most consistent success this year, Myolie also has a very high chance of finally taking home the coveted "Best Actress" award.  I haven't started "Curse of the Royal Harem" and think she should've been nominated for "Ghetto Justice", but I still support her.  She has worked so hard and overcome so many obstacles as an actress, it is time for her to shine!

Honorable Mentions

#2 - Kate Tsui

Favorite character/performance(s): The tough yet adorable cop Ling Sin-Yee/Ada in "Forensic Heroes III"
Favorite pairing(s): Kate&Kenneth (in several series), Kate&Roger in "Wax and Wane"
Strength(s): Has determination that has consistently kept her working hard and improving her acting; works well with almost every co-star
Weakness(es): Has trouble portraying good and feminine characters due to her natural air of fierceness, still has many haters who refuse to accept her as an actress

Kate initially received a lot of criticism for being a bad actress, many people going as far as saying she should quit the entertainment industry.  However, she didn't let that criticism get to her and instead made it constructive by becoming determined to continue working hard to improve her acting.  This is why personality-wise, she has what it takes to be a successful actress.  Her narrow eyes give off this glare that can make her look evil, which used to be always present in her past performances.  This year has been a breakthrough for her acting-wise because she has successfully shed that "evil glare", but is still able to use that to her advantage when the time calls for it.  She possesses a natural air of fierceness that no other artiste has, which makes portraying tough and intelligent characters her specialty.  Her one major flaw is her inability to play good and gentle characters like Man Ka Fu/Peace in "Wax and Wane", where she seems tired, most likely from trying so hard to shed that natura air.  However, over time, I believe Kate can become a well-rounded actress.  Until then, she is still one of my favorite TVB artistes due to her determined personality, fighter girl spirit, fierce aura, and improvements in acting!

#3 - Fala Chen


Favorite character/performance(s): Szeto Ngan Ping in "Can't Buy Me Love"
Favorite pairing(s): Fala&Timmy in "The Stew of Life"
Strength(s): Has the widest variety of characters
Weaknesses(es): Fails to create sparks with co-stars on an emotional level

Compared to actresses like Kate, Linda, and Selena, Fala has the widest variety in the characters she plays.  Her acting has improved and she has shown us that she has comedic talent as well.  Fala was my top choice to be the next Charmaine Sheh a couple months ago, but that opinion has changed.  Her emotional scenes themselves are decent, but she has a lot of trouble creating sparks with co-stars on an emotional level.  By that, I mean she appears emotionally detached in romantic scenes.  She portrays lighthearted and sweet chemistry (i.e. she had chemistry with Timmy and Kenneth in the comedies "The Stew of Life" and "Can't Buy Me Love") just fine, yet struggles in going deeper.  Fala does not seem to like working with her on-screen love interests and particularly hates kiss and love scenes.  She avoids them at all costs and usually opts for camera angle tricks whenever possible.  Meanwhile, Kate manages to have chemistry with almost every on-screen love interest and can appear to be both lighthearted and passionate.  I've come to the sad realization that Fala acts well herself, but has not emotionally connected to any of her co-stars in a more dramatic series.

Also, in terms of character specialty, she is the opposite of Kate.  Feminine characters are her strength while tough characters are her weakness.  Of what I saw of "Lives of Omission", Fala was not believable as the tough and strong Madam Jo. This weakness may actually limit her more than Kate's.  In the end, both of these problems will hold her back as a serious actress.

#4 - Tavia Yeung


Favorite character/performance: Suen Ho Yuet in "Moonlight Resonance"
Favorite pairing(s): Tavia&Ruco in "The Other Truth"
Strength(s): Emotional/crying scenes
Weaknesses(s): Lack of variety in roles, has not done comedy

Despite possessing a natural elegance as well as major talent in drama series and emotional scenes, Tavia has been extremely limited in her roles lately.  Does she have the capability to be a lead actress?  Definitely!  But ever since she was promoted to lead actress, she has been restricted to weak and quite frankly, irritating characters that require her to cry way too much.  She has yet to show whether or not she has talent in comedy.  In general, her acting is much better than that of Kate and Fala's, but I question if her exquisite acting stretches beyond drama.  Tavia used to be my favorite TVB actress, but the repetitiveness and unlikability of her recent characters has caused me to no longer be excited to see her onscreen.  She could easily be much higher on this list if she had the opportunity to be more daring in the characters she portrayed.

Other Choices

#5 - Nancy Wu
Favorite character/performance: Hui Man Sze in "Gun Metal Grey", Eva in "Forensic Heroes III"
Favorite pairing(s): Nancy&Vincent in "Gun Metal Grey"
Strength(s): Overall a capable actress; consistently delivers in supporting roles
Weakness(es): Voice is not too pleasant and slightly irritating when she yells/screams

If an actress is truly talented and capable, they will leave a good impression on you no matter what the character they're playing.  This statement applies to Nancy, because while she has played irritating characters in the past ("Bing Bing" in "A Fistful of Stances"), she rarely fails to give a solid performance.  Her one and probably only major drawback in her acting is that her voice is not too pleasant on the ears when she yells and screams.  Maybe it's for this reason that I can not imagine Nancy as a lead actress, even though I absolutely love her.  However, I am pleased to see that she is a second lead in the boxing series with Kevin, Raymond Wong, and Selena Li.  Her character is a deaf and mute professional boxer.  I see another breakthrough for Nancy on the horizon.

#6 - Selena Li
Favorite character/performance(s): Cat Li in "Forensic Heroes II"
Favorite pairing(s): Selena&Kenneth
Strength(s): Does well in ancient series and emotional scenes
Weakness(es): Has a naturally sweet and innocent aura that could hinder her ability to portray evil

Selena is pretty as well as adorable.  Coupled with her solid acting, she is endearing to watch onscreen.  She has also proved she can play spoiled and somewhat conceited characters like in "To Grow With Love" and "The Four" without being too irritating.  She looks beautiful in ancient series and does well in her emotional scenes.  She can make improvements, but has a lot of potential and I hope to see her in more series in bigger roles!

#7 - Linda Chung
Favorite character/performance(s): N/A
Favorite pairing(s): Linda&Steven
Strength(s): Cries well
Weakness(es): Also has a naturally sweet and innocent aura that could hinder her ability to portray evil

Compared to the other potential fa dans, I think Linda has the least chances of becoming a top actress and I've yet to completely warm up to her.  Although she is a decent actress, she also has a naturally sweet and innocent aura like Selena.  However, I think this limits Linda more than Selena as she comes off as even more innocent to me.  This will keep her from portraying a wide variety of characters, especially villains.  However, she does do a very good job with her emotional scenes.

This is my evaluation and personal choices for who has what it takes to be the most successful actress in TVB.  What are your choices and thoughts?