24-year ago, Idy Chan successfully brought SLL - a role created by Mr. Jin Yong (Kum Yung), to life. To date, she is still the best SLL in most audience mind. Separated from the showbiz for 14 years, the Idy Chan in front of me is not only pretty as always but also she has changed greatly. A gentle smiling face replaces the icy face in the past. Coming back from the seclusion and now Idy is ready to act again with Damian Lau Chung-Yan.

Idy Chan almost had her chinese name as "bamboo" instead of "Lotus". If it happened, then she would be a good match with "sha sum" (a kind of plant I think) in cooking one of those cantonese style soup instead of matching Andy Lau Tak-Wah in ROCH.

During the interview, I asked Idy Chan where her name comes from and I got a very funny answer.

Idy Chan: My father planned to name us 4 sisters in the order of "Mui, Lan, Kuk, Jok" (mean plum, orchid, chrysanthemum & bamboo). But later he found it didn't sound good of "Kuk & Jok" so he changed them to "Mui, Lan, Ching & Lin". Therefore, being the 4th child I should name as "bamboo". It'd be weird if I named after it.

Reporter: I heard TVB ask you to film again so who's the guy you are going to partner with?
Idy Chan: TVB wants me to shoot a modern series with Damian Lau. We had collaborated before. And I have a suggestion. I hope the drama could bring out some meaningful message to the viewers, not barely entertainment. But it's just an initial idea.

Rather play role of dead body than to entertain customers
Reporter: Were you just land the female leading role when you just graduated from the training class?
Idy Chan: During training, I filmed quite a few modern series for Patrick Tam Ka-Ming. But thru the internship, I always played the role of palace maid - the girl who wore her hair in 2 buns and fanning the fan in the back. After the grauduation and signing of the artists contract, I still played as passer-by or dead body. I remembered there was one time when I played a corpse, I got scolded and kicked by the FM for my poor lying position.

Idy Chan: I played corpse and palace maid for many years and the reason was I didn't get a good life principle & social skill. Back then when the management people asked me to dine with some ad clients, I would strongly reject it since I thought it was really bad thing. I once told them, "Don't ask me again. I'd rather play a dead body instead." And the outcome? I ended up playing corpse for several years. It was only years later I realized it wouldn't be a big deal at all. After all the money TVB paid us, came from these clients.

Although Idy Chan dare not accept any dining with customers, she still innocently get involved in a female artist prostitution disturbance.

Idy Chan: There was a time I received a call from TVB and they told me to come back to office as the police wanted to speak to me. It scared me a lot as I wondered what I'd done wrong. The fact was a middle agent (who arrange the prostitution), died from a fire at home. The police found out a contact notebook in his house and there were lists of many female artist's names and phone nbrs. I was one of them and my name had been specially encircled. The police wanted to know if I contacted with this guy before. But I knew nothing about him. He's a total stranger to me.

I came to realize something after this event, someone at the TV station sold the artist's phone nbrs to those wanted them. They could get it very quickly with most updated nbrs.

Reporter: Did any middle agent contact you back then?
Idy Chan: Maybe it did happen without me knowing it. Becoz once I sensed someone asked me something I didn't want to hear, I would firmly express my disapproval. For instance, when someone asked me if I'd have interests for dining, I would answer bluntly, "why? why must I dine with him?" So it'd never been a problem to me.

Loving Fat Chai is like an unrealistic dream
Chow Yun Fat and Lin Mui was once a heavenly-made couple. But now she still hestitates when mentioning Fat Gor.
Reporter: Were you dating Chow Yun Fat when you two filming
Idy Chan: Hmmm...I think so. I was his secretary in the series.
Reporter: I've read some old reports, it said you two like hanging out a lot in Lamma Island where Fat Chai was grew up.
Idy Chan: This is where the problem starts. People like to blow things up. It's just funny. I'd been shooting EYT for 3 years; everytime when I saw uncle Ball (Leung Sang Ball) he would ask me, "where's the darkie?" becoz back then Fat Chai was tanned and skinny. So when others heard uncle Ball ask, they would talk to him, "who's the darkie? Just make your question clear or she won't know what to answer you."

Idy Chan: There was this guy Tao Ping who always pretended to help me but actually he was just played along with uncle Ball, teasing me a lot. How could I know to answer them when I was just a newbie and still kinda shy. When people asking me questions, I always kept a straight face becoz most of the questions were about my relationship with Chow Yun Fat. I didn't know what to tell them. Why? Becoz I couldn't reply. Fat Chai was not famous at that time. He didn't film and yet. He was still working hard on the career. How could I tell other people that we are dating, especially in our times? Nobody had ever seen we were dating (giggles) so our relationship was just fake, there was no such thing.

Reporter: It was a rumor that Chow committed suicide after the break-up with you?
Idy Chan: (laughs) You should ask the involved party.
Reporter: Another rumor was Chow's mom disapproved your relationship with her son and that's the cause of the break-up?
Idy Chan: You really should ask the involved party.
Reporter: Aren't you the one?
Idy Chan: I'm not. I'm just a passer-by.

Liking for WYY than SLL
Idy had played Mo Yung Kou, Yu Kei... but the role she loves most is WYY in
Reporter: You had played a lot of beauties, like those created by Jin Yung and Ku Long and even some beauties in history. I found most of them were ancient series.
Idy Chan: Becoz to this date they still think I'm born with an ancient face and look less pretty in modern costume. When I mention any word about modern series, they would tell me no way and just forget it. In fact I did think I was beautiful and presentable in "Love Me, Love Me Not".
Reporter: Among all the beauties in those martial art novels, which one you like the most? is it SLL?
Idy Chan: Actually I like WYY in "DGSG" the most. She is well-educated and has good memory, albeit she doesn't know any kungfu. She is also very gentle and elegant. The role of SLL made me famous. Almost everyone in the Chinese society knows me from ROCH. I'm really grateful for the people who gave me the role and I also thank Mr. Jin Yung who's praised me a lot. I'm really very happy. However, I think SLL is kinda boring. She always keeps silent. Many people think SLL is like me but I don't agree a bit.

In early time, many close reporter friends told me they did want to give me 2 slaps becoz of my constant silence and without trying my face would turn sullen when I was asked with all those questions I didn't know how to respond. In fact, I was only fear and it made me look like angry.

Andy - full of affection but yet timid and implicit
The pairing of Andy Lau Tak-Wah and Idy Chan made the ROCH83 a golden classic. But the fact is Andy had secretly falling for Idy, making his love scene so real on screen. Didn't Lin Mui feel anything?
Reporter: Apart from you, there're many other female artists played SLL. Any one of them gave you deep impression?
Idy Chan: I didn't watch them. But for YG, I sill think Any Lau is the best.
Reporter: Andy Lau once confessed he had secretly admired you.
Idy Chan: I didn't ask him but I heard it from someone later. Anyway, it's not strange if you are in love with your partner during filming.
Reporter: Didn't you feel it when you two were filming together?
Idy Chan: (think for a while) did he, did he not....He's so implicit and he treated me very well. Perhaps I just don't know.

Homosexual love - what you see may not be true
Lin Mui has gone thru a hurtful love road. An earlier rumor said she was fell in love with a female freind. Her response is just a chuckle.
Reporter: Years ago you were caught hanging out closely with a female friend (ad director Maisy Choi) by some magazine and they caimed you two had a homosexual love?
Idy Chan: Many people like to guess/sum up things just based on one single facet. Actually having shot doesn't respresent anything. I think of a witty words which Lee See Kei has spoken in the TV serie - "Not everything you heard is real thus what you see may not be true". I think it is applicable here. Thanks sister See Kei for these words.

Reporter: Rumors went like you had won the mark six (in HK) and also the lottery in Canada, the amounts are $10 million and $30 million respectively?
Idy Chan: Just laugh it off. Rumors stop with the wise people.

When asked how's her recent love life and how does she maintain the liveihood all these years. Idy only shuffled, "Thanks for your concern." When did SLL give up the Gumong "Yuk Lui Sum King" and practise "Tai Chi" instead?

Epilogue
Thank you Idy. Thanks Idy finally promised the interview after her refusal to me a month ago.
Thank you Idy again. Thanks Idy agreed to go farther to Tai Mo Mountain for taking the photos.
Thank Heaven. It stopped raining when we were shooting the photos.
Thank the photographer. Thanks his profession in making these beautiful photos which got the best of Idy Chan.

Photography: Lam Tak Hung
Makeup & Hairstyle: Classical Mordern
Clothing: Sin Sin

[Mingpao - Translated by Kit] Chan Yuk Lin & Chow Yun Fat not means to be together

Earlier on Idy Chan interviewed in TV programme "Be my Guest" ⁽¹⁾ and the public curiously wanted to know: If she'd won total $47 million lottery in Canada and HK? The relationship with her female friend? But the answer she gave out to Stephen Chan was "I will tell you privately, haha." During the interview, Idy Chan admitted that she got some admirers in both genders but she didn't comment if she would accept love from the same sex.

Idy talked a lot about her relationship with Chow Yun Fat. She was only 17 when they were dating and she once thought she would marry to Chow. However when Chow's getting famous whereas she's only busy in playing roles of dead, they seldom had much time spending together and on top of that they didn't get along very well so Idy initiated a break-up. Still now they didn't run into each other after the separation. She thought they were just not mean to be otherwise they could remain as friends. When Stephen Chan asked her if Fat Gor had committed suicide at her home? She responded, "I was there but let me tell you in private."

• Sources: Apple Daily / MingPao

⁽¹⁾ Watch the whole episode here @ Google Video