In recent years, Hong Kong has seen a rise in new generation actors, and Will Or is one name worth paying attention to.
The Hong Kong film “Drifting” received 11 nominations at this year’s Hong Kong Film Awards. Will, with his role as “Muzai” in the film, not only received his first nomination for “Best Supporting Actor,” but also was nominated for “Best New Performer.” This kind of recognition is as important as being accepted by the film world for any new actor. Even for Will, who coincidentally found himself involved in the film, this recognition is both precious and unreal, with the interesting part lying in the unspoken.
Debuted for 6 years, not too long, not too short, being nominated for both the Taiwan Golden Horse Awards and the Golden Rooster Awards, it is clear that his acting skills have been recognized, achieving impressive results. However, always curious about finding ways to express his Will, after encountering the acting challenge of the role of “Muzai” shortly after his debut, what are his thoughts on the interesting tension between acting and self-expression? With the hope of injecting new energy into the film industry, what kind of performance value does he hope to present through his own interpretation?
This week, during the Hong Kong Film Awards, let him personally share with us – who is Will Ko Wai-lam.
“It wasn’t in my plan, but deep down I’ve always had this desire.”
Rewind to before Will started his career as a full-time actor, he was a student in the Creative Media Department at City University of Hong Kong. Although he had always been very interested in the film industry, he never imagined that he would one day appear on the big screen. Initially planning to work behind the scenes, he ended up auditioning successfully and starring in the Fresh Wave short film “When the Mist Rises.” The “Good Take” during filming gave him goosebumps all over, and from then on, he became addicted to that feeling, fell in love with acting, and it became the opportunity that opened the door to his acting career.
After “As the Mist Fades,” Will’s acting career took off. In 2016, he made his debut in the feature film “Point Five Step” as the character “牛屎.” He then appeared in ViuTV’s “February Twenty-Nine,” as well as in music videos such as “Galactic Repairman” and “It’s Okay To Be Sad,” gradually becoming more familiar to the public. He also co-founded the YouTube channel “16:9” with a group of young actors. It wasn’t until he played “木仔” in “Drifting” that his talent truly shone, portraying a young homeless man with aphasia.
To portray this character with almost no dialogue and a realistic role, in order to increase audience engagement and resonance, Will also put in a lot of preparation. He especially shaved his head into a skinhead style. As someone who loves to eat, he even needed to “not eat” to make the character’s appearance more striking and vivid. He shared, “Playing a homeless person doesn’t mean I have experience being homeless, but I will try to imagine similar experiences, not limited to the job or identity of a character, but more about thoughts and emotions.”
From a young age watching the Hong Kong Film Awards grow up, he can now step onto the red carpet with the role of “Muk Zai”. His identity is no longer just a part of the film industry, but a film represents himself. No wonder the person in question describes this happiness and joy as “cool”.
“Acting is a way to satisfy one’s desires.”
Will likes acting, but he jokingly says he’s not someone who wants to be an actor “24/7”. When tired, he wants to rest, but the satisfaction that acting brings is irreplaceable. He still hopes to “get goosebumps again”, saying, “When I act well, with a good script, director, and co-star, in the right circumstances, I feel very satisfied!”
He described that among many media, movies require the most time to immerse in. It is the actor’s responsibility to be well-prepared, which is also the source of his sense of security. “I always do a lot of research, of course, I also need to rely on my imagination, I need to read the script many times, keep reading, keep reading… Every time I will always discover something new.”
“Every character has my shadow, each one is me, but at the same time, none of them are me.”
The so-called “life is like a drama, drama is like life”, many times movies are inspired by real life, actors bring another life to the screen through their acting skills and versatility. During the interview, discussing how to discover the uniqueness of actors, Will believes the most difficult part is not being able to “Command-C” and then “Command-V”, “Sometimes you may encounter similar roles, making you want to reshape past experiences that seemed feasible, but then you will find that each character, each work is independent, so you have to find suitable methods with a completely new level of commitment.”
Will continue to share: “When I establish a relationship with a character, I must incorporate my own elements into it, then find common ground from the character’s own characteristics, extract the overlapping areas, it will become unique to me, while also possessing the character’s versatility.”
When it comes to getting into character, Will shared his little secret, “Every time I choose some songs, then slowly filter them, from a playlist to three songs to one song, so every time I take on a role, I can have a song that ignites the memories of the shoot.” On the day of the shoot, Will changed into one of the female outfits, wearing a pleated skirt, applying dark nail polish, and selecting favorite music to “ignite” the mood. He then entered a new character state, exuding a hint of charm in his every move, showing a “both strong and soft” side compared to his usual tall, sunny boy image.
“I am a dedicated performer”
The vast majority of films must follow a certain pattern, and the elements that make up a film are highly complex, requiring a script, actors, art, lighting, cinematography, music, post-production, narrative techniques that cater to the audience’s understanding, and the language of the camera. For an art form, these constraints are like shackles on the head of the creator.
When modern art encourages the abandonment of traditional creation methods and welcomes new concepts and forms of creation, such as installations and performance art. In comparison, film is subject to many constraints and therefore rarely stands at the forefront of artistic development, blurring the boundaries between film and contemporary fine art. Will also believes that film cannot simply be classified as art.
The artistic creation process will continuously tap into our bodily wisdom. Only when we continuously “allow” and “believe” does the intuitive power begin to emerge, like Will in the process of filming a movie. At first, he didn’t believe he could do it, but in the end, he completed the creation through hard work.
Will believes that art needs to be practiced, and that art needs the work itself as a carrier. “Actors can also be a carrier, whether a movie is a work of art, in the end, it is actually judged by the audience. So until this moment, I will not call myself an artist, but a performer, a dedicated performer.” Focusing on doing well in the present with a craftsman spirit can also be an art.
As an actor, many times it’s all about interacting with the characters, and because of this, it might be easier to discover one’s inner self. “When I was young, I didn’t see envy or jealousy in myself, but I found that they are not necessarily bad things, because they also give me some gains, allowing me to appreciate the different ways of handling things by other filmmakers, preventing myself from being lazy and letting myself off too easily,” Will explained.
Embarking on the path of performing arts, you may not always encounter a smooth road, more often than not it is rugged and difficult to traverse. But after such a unique year, Will admits that he is one of the more fortunate ones. Although he says he is afraid that “luck may run out at any time,” we all know that opportunities are always reserved for those who are prepared. “There are no accidents in the world, only inevitabilities.” Regardless of the outcome of the award, we congratulate Will on his nomination for the Golden Horse Awards and look forward to his next performance.
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Executive Producer：Angus Mok
Producer：Vicky Wai
Photography：Issac Lam
Videography：Andy Lee, Joyce Che
Styling：Vicky Wai
Make Up：Angel Mok
Hair：Oscar Ngan @ ii ALCHEMY Hair
Video Editor：Andy, Lee Joyce Che
Editor：Carson Lin, Yoanah Chan
Wardrobe：MIU MIU, GUCCI, DEMO
