Rosamund Kwan (關之琳), queen of 80’s and 90’s Hong Kong cinema, is now retired from acting. Though the 54-year-old has detached herself from entertainment and starting a business in fashion, the media is still more interested in reporting about her past and current relationships than anything else. In an interview on the Chinese talk show A Date with Luyu <魯豫有約>, host Chen Luyu (陳魯豫) boldly asked Rosamund about her thoughts on the paparazzi reporting about her private life—including her gold-digging and homewrecking rumors of the past. Rosamund, daughter of actors, was quick to clarify. “No one can really know about the difficulties I had to go through for my career. People have assumed that I grew up in a nice household, or that I have princess sickness. I actually have a very tough personality. I am not afraid of suffering. What does it mean to be greedy for money? Who doesn’t want money? Who doesn’t want to eat? If my boyfriend has money, why would that automatically mean that I want his money? Why can’t you say that he wants my fame? The people who make these claims are obviously jealous.” Rosamund’s parents were the late Kwan Shan (關山) and Cheung Bing-sai (張冰茜), both well-known actors from the 60’s. Because of her famous parents, the media had regarded Rosamund as a rich second generation, and that she was expected to follow her parents’ footsteps. But her parents’ relationship grew more estranged overtime, and when Rosamund turn 18 years old, they divorced. After graduating high school, Rosamund immediately went into acting—and it wasn’t because she wanted to do it for fun. “My house caught on fire, so I had to save it,” she said. Rosamund meant it both figuratively and literally—she recalled a time when her house’s office room had actually caught on fire, and she was the first to run downstairs to extinguish it. Years ago, there were rumors that Rosamund was the third person in a relationship, which resulted in the couple’s divorce. Rosamund said, “I wasn’t the one who started it. I can’t stop what other people do for me.” Asking if she regretted the decision she made, Rosamund immediately said, “Of course. People got hurt.” When it came to the topic of co-stars, Rosamund said the actor who gave her the most emotional connection was Tony Leung Ka-fai (梁家輝). Andy Lau (劉德華), her most frequent collaborator, is more like family. “I would see him more than I see my family,” said Rosamund. Rosamund recently divorced her husband of seven years, Pierre Chen (陳泰銘). It took a while for her to recover from the loss, but she’s already learned to let go. “My life has been filled with splendor. I have no regrets.” Creds: Ming Pao
