great to read any- article related to Jessica

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hey guys, i've found an old article dated Jan '05. hope u guys enjoy readin it, thou the news maybe a erm....outdated. =P


Break time for Jessica

By LI EE KEE

Jessica Hester Hsuan is finally getting time off after 12 years of hard work. Since wrapping up the filming for TV serial My Wife, Your Honour three months ago, she has been on a much-deserved and much-needed vacation.

“When you are filming, you are detached from the outside world. Now I am trying to step back into reality,” said the actress in fluent English, a result of spending eight years in England.

In a recent phone interview from Hong Kong, Hsuan said: “I am doing stuff I have not been able to do for the past 12 years.” This includes spending time with her parents who live in Beijing, catching up with friends, and caring for her six dogs and cats.


Jessica Hsuan: ‘To have close friends and true fans remember me for who I am, that is my biggest achievement.’
The breather was also prompted by a decline in her health over the past year. Hsuan even collapsed once.

“Doctors attributed it to stress and insufficient rest,” disclosed Hsuan, before adding that she is feeling much better now.

“When I renewed my contract with TVB (Television Broadcasts Limited) recently, one of the conditions stipulated was that I would only film one 20-episode series a year.”

But make no mistake about it, the 33-year-old still enjoys her work. Her first project for the year is a yet-untitled comedy for which shooting begins in March.

Hsuan gushed that the show would be great fun to do as it will reunite her with Square Pegs cast mates, among them Roger Kwok and Winnie Yeung. Square Pegs was a highly successful TVB series last year.

No details are available yet about the story although Hsuan noted that it is not a prequel to Square Pegs. There was talk of a follow-up but she declined the offer to reprise her role.

After obtaining a degree in material science and engineering from Imperial College, University of London, Hsuan planned on taking a two-year break (“I had no idea what I wanted to do after graduating” . A travel enthusiast, she decided that there was no better way to see the world (“and get paid as well” than to become an air hostess.

She had had her Cathay Pacific application form ready when fate intervened. A call from TVB’s talent department (someone had spotted her in a commercial) changed the course of her life.

“As a kid, I hated having my picture taken. So it never crossed my mind that I would end up being an actress,” she laughed.

“I had my concerns initially because acting was a low-paying job. Everyone assumes that becoming an actor/actress guarantees you riches but that is only true if you are very successful. So I was surprised that they made me a good offer.”

Her parents knew better than to voice their objections. Hsuan rarely changes her mind when she has set her heart on doing something. Her mother, however, was worried that she might become wayward after reading stories of celebrities’ life in the fast lane.

“She did not say anything but merely asked me if I had thought about it carefully,” related Hsuan.

The Shanghai native said that she is content with what she has, as she never really desired fame or glamour.

“I did the job because I enjoyed the work. It was a chance to meet lots of people and we became a family.”

Hsuan, along with fellow TVB colleagues Kwok, Flora Chan, Joyce Tang, Nancy Sit and Bowie Lam will be bringing some star power to the Astro Wah Lai Toi Awards 2004 tomorrow.

One of the hot picks (based on viewers’ voting) in the Favourite Leading Actress category, Hsuan was touched that Malaysian fans still remember her (she has been keeping a low profile over the past several years) and support her.

“Awards are not my major concern. To have close friends and true fans remember me for who I am, that is my biggest achievement.”