Grace Chan Reflects on Ten Years in Entertainment and Family
INFLUENCERS

Actress Grace Chan Reflects on Ten Years in Entertainment and Family Life

Hong Kong-born and Vancouver-raised Grace Chan has remained an icon in the city’s entertainment industry for a decade. She first claimed local fame winning Miss Hong Kong 2013 and Miss Chinese International in 2014.

A multi-hyphenated actress, philanthropist, influencer, mother, and wife, Grace Chan’s figure transgresses multiple spaces and industries, breaking into the Year of the Rabbit in 2023 as a Hong Konger beloved by fans alike.

The Beat Asia sat down with Grace for a deep reflection on her decade-long career in Hong Kong’s television and influencing industry, and what her next chapter in motherhood will follow with the birth of her third child Carlos in January 2023.

Hey Grace, thanks for sitting down with us to chat! How would you describe yourself as someone who has had a decade-long career in entertainment and other industries?

These days, I feel that we don’t identify ourselves in one category. I am an actress, mother now, wife to my husband, and daughter to my parents. We are more open to being multi-dimensional. Life for me, and others, is more about being more multifaceted and finding different areas that you can build upon.

Did you imagine your career manifesting in the way it has since winning Miss Hong Kong in 2013?

I wouldn’t say so. Growing up in Vancouver, Canada, I returned to Hong Kong out of a little dream I had when I was younger to compete in Miss Hong Kong. I wanted to see where it led me. I've just graduated from university, and I had nothing to lose. I didn't think of myself as wanting to be in the entertainment industry.

I feel unprepared in the beginning to propel myself into being an actress, and there’s so much that I didn't know, compared to other people who've had training or are passionate about acting. It was overwhelming. Having kids, I have had to tone down this [side] in my life and switch to more hosting and content creation.

Did you see yourself returning to Hong Kong to reconnect to your cultural Chinese identity?

I was born in Hong Kong, and we moved because many of my mum’s friends were moving. She said if you guys can do it, I can do it. Back in Vancouver, we ate Chinese cuisine and spoke Chinese at home.

That was never lost in our culture, because my parents wanted us to maintain that part of us. Every year when I would return in the summer to visit family in Hong Kong, I would develop that little dream of participating in Miss Hong Kong.

It's not surprising to me that I returned to Hong Kong to participate in Miss Hong Kong and live here, because every year I was thinking about that one day I will return and live here.

From participating in Miss Hong Kong in 2013, were you prepared to enter the world of TVB and acting?

I don’t think so. I never had formal training as an actress, and I didn't even think of entering the industry because I was more reserved in school. When I starred on Overachievers in 2014, acting was and is never about awards, because what we do is subjective.

One person could love the way you represent your art, and someone else could hate it. I don't want to be awarded for something that I feel like isn't a very objective field. Acting, to me, was more about: do I like it, am I having fun? It’s what made me continue acting.

I don't think I'm a good actress, to be honest, but I enjoy the process. I enjoy the people I spend time with, and I think that's more meaningful than anything.

If you can look back at your five years active performing in TVB dramas, what is one takeaway you have that’s useful in reflection for 2023?

Whenever you're on TV or as a public figure, the one thing that is always difficult is how the audience perceives you. When I was younger, I was susceptible to people saying mean comments, taking it personally, and spending a lot of time unhappy about these things.

Now having with kids, I want to show them. If you have a strong mentality, there isn't anything that can take you down.

In your past four years as a mother to now three children – congratulations to the birth of Carlos – how have you seen personal growth through your marriage and having kids?

I have always been family oriented, grateful to my parents, who I always looked up to and were supportive of anything I did. I hope to be half the parent that my parents were to me. Nothing speaks louder than actions itself, such as prioritising my time with my children, spending time with them, making sure you're concerned about their life.

It’s also important to me to nurture the relationship I have with my husband, because inevitably our kids will grow up and have their own families as well. Who's going to be the one next to you? It's the person you married, and I think that's a relationship worth spending time over.

What does the birth of Carlos and now having three children mean for your bond with your husband Kevin?

When two people decide whether they have children, it must be a definitive decision. When you have kids, you realise that's basically what you're going to be working on for the rest of your life together. Luckily for me, my husband and I are in the same mindset on this point. He helps me a lot in the house.

If I'm working, he'll stay at home to watch the kids. If we want to discuss how we want to raise our kids, we always put it up on the dinner table and talk about it. We have become stronger through this.

What are you looking forward to in the Year of the Rabbit?

This year will have a lot of change, because I have another child, and we might need to look for a new place to stay. My eldest is nearly four, and we need to find a primary school place for him. For my career, I have and will always leave it to God.

Get the latest curated content with The Beat Asia's newsletters. Sign up now for a weekly dose of the best stories, events, and deals delivered straight to your inbox. Don't miss out! Click here to subscribe.