Macau Cable TV Interviews Thomas Lim

Macau Cable TV interviewed director Thomas Lim on 14 May 2009. This interview will be broadcast in early June.

Below is a rough transcript of the interview. The interview was originally conducted in Cantonese and Mandarin.

MCTV: We are very pleased to have Mr. Thomas Lim from Singapore as our special guest today. Thomas is a long time friend of Macau and has been involved in our local theatre productions for several years. He has relocated to Macau last year to produce his own independent films, and it is safe to say that if you have been keeping up with news of the theatre and film industry in Macau, you would have already heard of his name before. Thomas, why don’t you introduce yourself to our TV audience?

TL: My name is Thomas Lim, and I was born and raised in Singapore. I started acting for theatre in 1999, and subsequently received formal theatre training in London in 2002. In 2004, I began acting for television and film when I moved to Beijing. And in 2008, I relocated again to Macau to make my own films, writing, producing, and directing them.

MCTV: We also understand that you are very well travelled, and have backpacked across over 30 countries. There must be so much that you have experienced. Can you share some of your travel experiences with us.

TL: I would like to think that traveling has been the best teacher in my life. Honestly, I was always quiet and shy as a kid. And although it is true that being a theatre actor helped me become a more open person, I think even more so, travelling and living abroad for extended time helped me develop a sense of identity in this world that I live in. And that gave me more ease in living in my own skin, and gives me the confidence to chase my dreams. I think from the day when we were born, we have been constantly searching for our identity. We first learn about ourselves as sons/daughters to our parents, and brothers/sisters to our siblings. Then, we go to school and we discover more about our place in a bigger environment (the school), developing skills to socialize with our schoolmates and teachers. Then the natural next step was to find our place in the society as we step into the working world. Few others take yet another step into the world outside of their own countries, to discover their identities in relation to foreign cultures. I see different sides of me surfacing in the different places that I have travelled to or lived in, which is natural as I had to deal with the different unfamiliar situations that I encounter abroad. And these experiences allowed me to learn more about myself. I would say that it is everyone’s responsibility to rediscover themselves each day, as we are changing everyday, as is our environment too. And if we are able to do that, we are already successful as human beings regardless of social or wealth status. That’s something that I have grown to firmly believe, and I have learnt that from my travels.

MCTV: It is rare to hear of Singaporeans venturing out of their own country on their own. In fact, it is more common to hear of Macau people, or people from Hong Kong or China immigrating to Singapore. What made you decide to move to China? Was is because there were more opportunities in China?

TL: I first went to Beijing to learn Chinese Kung Fu. I was in London for more than a year before that to study and work as a theatre actor and my goal back then was to become an internationally acclaimed physical theatre actor. It was also in London where I realized that being a Singaporean, I was too 'general'. By that, I mean that because I don’t have a distinct culture, nor a distinct language, I often felt that I didn’t have what I call a ‘special something’ as an actor to the international eye. So, I decided to leave London and return to Asia. And because I am a Chinese descendent and have always loved Chinese Kung Fu, I decided to go to Beijing to learn that, hoping to use that as my ‘special skill’ to complement my acting. But midway through my Kung Fu sessions one day, I injured my back badly. I was in pain for more than a year, and became very depressed as I thought my dream of becoming a good physical theatre actor was in jeopardy. So, I started to think of other ways to chase my performing dreams, and that’s when I decided to try acting for films and TV. It was also because during that time, which I believe would still be the case now, there were a lot of American and European productions going to Beijing to shoot. So, one thing led to another and I started to act in both American and local Chinese productions.

MCTV: It must have been tough trying to carve out a career in another country. Can you also share with us your thoughts and experiences of living in Beijing and London?

TL: Again, I think it is all about self-discovery. Beijing was a rough place to live in. You really had to look out for yourself out there as it was so competitive. That environment was completely different than Singapore or London, and honestly, Beijing was a bigger culture shock for me than London was. But I welcome challenges and I would think that Beijing introduced me to some of my highest and lowest points of my acting career. And that directly translates into some of the happiest and most depressed moments of my life. Because acting was the only thing that I wanted to do back then.

MCTV: I can imagine that an actor’s career would be a tough one. Were there times when you felt like giving up, and if there were, how did you overcome these emotions and what did you learn from them?

TL: Of course. I think being an actor is much harder than anyone who’s not in the business can ever imagine. The easiest part of an actor’s job I would say, is the acting. Unless you are a star, otherwise the acting usually makes up only 10% of a normal actor’s whole career. If they are lucky, maybe 50%. The rest of the time is spent networking, going to dinners and parties, trying to get people to like you, trying to convince them to cast you etc. This whole process was very hard for me after some time because it forces me to remain in a passive position all the time. Actors are very sensitive people, as are directors and producers. And an overly proactive actor could be easily be misunderstood as being desperate, and people could get turned off if they sense that in you. Unfortunately too, being passive doesn’t work for me for too long as it is not natural to me. I cannot be passive. I like to create stuff. If I just sit around waiting, I feel the human spirit dying in me. And I don’t like that. But, I try to see the positive in things, and looking back, I have indeed gained many friends in this industry, and they have taught me heaps of things that I never knew I had the chance to learn. One of the most important things that I have learnt is how people perceive me as an actor, a person, or as a friend. And I also learnt how to read people’s characters better after all that tough times.

MCTV: So, why did you choose to base yourself in Macau now? I would think that places like Singapore, Hong Kong or China would have a bigger market for filmmaking. Why Macau?

TL: Like I said, being passive kills me. And an actor is always forced into a passive position. But, I needed to be creative. I have established a small group of close friends in Macau even before moving here because I have been doing short theatre gigs here since 2004. These friends are probably some of the greatest friends that I have in this world, because of their genuine and honest nature. They’ve always made me feel very welcomed during my short visits in the past. And perhaps most importantly, I think Macau gives me a small platform for creating new work. This is a city that is drawing more and more attention from the outside world, especially other Asian countries. Plus, it is also a very beautiful city with a lot of character and history. So, I decided to settle here to make my own films.

MCTV: Since your arrival, you have made a feature film called ‘Roulette City’. Can you tell us about the story of the film?

TL: This is a film about a Mainland Chinese person who came to Macau to gamble at the casinos in hope of winning money to pay for his sick mother’s medical bills. His first try won him a lot of money but eventually he lost something of greater importance – that is, a relationship which he had formed with a local Macau girl who worked as a casino dealer. This girl struggled between keeping her dealer job as a quick way of earning money and quitting the job and going back to the university for a better future.

MCTV: That sounds very interesting. How did you form your ideas for writing a script like that?

TL: I like to examine the differences in opportunities presented to different people in different parts of the world. And the Macau-China border is extremely interesting in my eyes, because on one side of the border, we have Macau where everyone leads a comfortable life, especially in recent years when the gaming industry really took off. Then, on the other side of the border you have Mainland China where everyone struggles to keep themselves alive. Well perhaps most of them don’t have to worry about putting food on their tables or a roof over their heads anymore, but if you look at the opportunities available to the people on both sides of this particular border, there is a vast difference. Another thing that interests me was the fact that in Macau, many young people quit Universities to work in the casinos. If they earned themselves a University degree and found some other job, they could possibly be paid less, and the work might be harder. It’s the first time in my life that I’ve heard about people getting paid more to do easier work by choosing to not attend University. So those are interesting stuff for me to know, and I used all of them to form the story of 'Roulette City'.

MCTV: Was it difficult to find suitable actors for the film?

TL: It was hard. There is talent, but there isn’t an industry in Macau to give people who want to be actors a chance to become a professional. And I don’t just mean excellent acting skills. I mean bringing a professional actor’s attitude to the set everyday. That will come only if actors become experienced enough. But there is definitely talent here in Macau. And the two Macau actors who played lead roles in this film are extremely talented. I was very lucky to have cast them.

MCTV: I also understand that other than producing, writing and directing this film, you also played the leading role in it. How did you manage to perform so many duties at the same time?

TL: If given a choice, I wouldn’t act in my own films, unless I became very experienced as a director, or had a huge crew and amazing assistant directors. I had to act in this film as I couldn’t find a suitable male actor to do the job. The actors that I spoke to and auditioned were either not good enough, or didn’t have the time. I shot this film on a small budget. So, I couldn’t afford to pay people much. And I needed this male actor to be on set for at least 3 weeks. I actually had an actor who was interested in the role but I had to re-cast a day before the shoot, because the rehearsals did not go the way I wanted them to. So, it was hard, but I think all first time directors have similar ‘horror stories’ to share. I am not alone.

MCTV: Finally, when and where can we watch this film?

TL: I will be sending the film out to festivals first of all, and that will begin in June. Then, it should be screened as part of the Macau Film Festival next year, which could be a good time for Macau audiences to see it. Or, I could arrange for an earlier screening at the Macau Cultural Centre before the year ends. I’m not sure yet. I am still dealing with the final stages of post-production now, and didn't have time to think much about the next phase of the film yet. But I would like the film to do it’s rounds at the festivals abroad before making it’s Macau premiere.

MCTV: Thank you Thomas for taking time to attend this interview, and I hope your experiences could serve as inspiration for local youths who want to make films. We wish you the best in your film and theatre career, and look forward to seeing ‘Roulette City’ very soon.

TL: Thank you very much for having me. I appreciate it