Cecilia Choi
From theatre to film
When Cecilia Choi decided she would specialise in theatre and drama at university, she had no ambitions beyond enjoying her degree; she didn’t plan to become a film star, let alone influence Hong Kong society or the film industry. And she certainly didn’t expect, only three years after her film debut in 2017, to bag a Best Actress award from the Hong Kong Film Critics Society and a Hong Kong Film Awards nomination for Beyond the Dream.
This year, she is starring in A Light Never Goes Out as Rainbow, the architect daughter of famed Taiwanese actor Sylvia Chang’s character Mei-heung. The film, set for release this month, follows how the pair carry out the dying wish of Rainbow’s father, one of Hong Kong’s last neon light masters, while the younger woman also reflects on her relationship with her family and how the city is changing.
Choi, now 28, says has had an impact on her, both as an actress and a daughter. “My character is tough, rational and not particularly expressive in conveying her emotions,” she says. “My father has also passed away, so this production prompted me to process my relationship with my family a lot more,” adding that her personal experience helped her more accurately portray her character’s emotions. “The death of a family member might not hit you at the
