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HK Magazine

I grew up in Hong Kong. I went to a local school because my parents didn’t want to compromise my Chinese education.
	It was quite hard being Eurasian in a Chinese school back in those days. I was the only half-half girl, along with one other person.
	When I was 14, I wanted to experience the States. I moved to New Jersey because my aunt was there. I decided it was a little too quiet for me— there were only grass and cows.
	I came back and went to an international school, then went to the London School of Economics.
	I released an album when I was 15. I won a singing competition—the winner got to sign with Tetsuya Komuro, the Japanese music mogul.
	It was an abrupt awakening to working life. Entertainment is tough.
	I was introverted as a child. Music was my only way of connecting to other people, to reality and not feeling alone.
	My songs hit No. 1 in the dance charts in Taiwan. My company wanted me to quit school and do it full-time. I realized I wasn’t becoming someone I admired, so I decided to let it go.
	In the music industry, at that age, you’re really just singing other people’s songs. I didn’t feel like I had anything valuable to say.
	I always say to younger girls who want to pursue a career in acting and music: “Get an education.” You have that fallback and that becomes your integrity.
	I don’t have to compromise my moral values to make money or to succeed. When you have that, the stench of desperation also disappears, which makes you more valuable to employers.
	To me, having no options is losing your integrity.
	My dad [kung fu star Roy Horan] never had boys, so my sister and I learned how to fight, and shoot arrows and guns from a young age. It’s cool for a girl to learn self-defense skills.
	He has amazing stories. He worked in movies with Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee and then became a professor.
	My father is an amazing guy. His fighting is still 20 times better than mine.
	After I graduated from university, I signed with [legendary agent] Paco Wong. By chance, he asked if I wanted to audition for a martial arts movie as the lead actress. I got it, which was completely unexpected.
	 After I left  Paco, at the end of 2009, I got to a point where I only had a few thousand dollars left.
	 I didn’t know where   I was going. I thought my career was coming to an end and I was ready to drop it.
	I thought , “Just give me a sign.”
	The next day  I got a call from a wealthy fan of mine in China. He asked me to sing at his wedding. I asked him to pay me what he thought I was worth. After that, I checked my bank account and I had enough to live for two years.
	I bumped into Alan Tam. I remember telling my friend, “I’m sitting next to a really successful singer.” He laughed and said, “Someday, someone is going to say this about you.” Alan Tam’s friend taps me, pulls up a photo of me on Google and says, “This is you, right?” I didn’t know how to react. Alan says, “We know your movie. Don’t give up.”
	People look at someone’s career and think it’s smooth sailing, but it has its highs and its lows.
	Aspiring actors freak out when they are between jobs. I’ve been there. During that time, you really have to work on your skills. Differentiate yourself. Don’t copy.
	I think that being mixed race now really does give me more opportunities.
	People are recognizing the importance of China as well as the Asian community as a whole. They’re taking us seriously.
	I identify more with Chinese culture. I think that my thinking is westernized, but my impulses are very Asian.
	I’m not a very touchy-feely person. It’s still weird for me when a stranger comes up to me to hug me. But because I’m half-American, my mind is OK with that.
	If I’m acting in an Asian production, I actually have to change the way I think to play a character. In “Legendary Assassin,” there’s a scene where I see a guy showering, and I throw a towel over him. The western side of me will check him out—”How does he look naked?” But the Chinese side of me will be embarrassed.
	In the last Asian Film Awards, they announced me as “Celina Jade from Hollywood.” And I really wanted to go, “No—I’m from Hong Kong!” This is my home. I’m not giving up on my Asian roots.
	Out of everything I do, if I had to pick one, I would do a movie that’s a musical that involves fighting.
	The most important lesson I’ve learned: success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get.
	 


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HK Mag Staff Pick Their Favorite Eats for the Last Time

HK Magazine Archive

Celina Jade

Magazines

Actress, singer, model and martial artist Celina Jade broke through with her 2007 film “Legendary Assassin.” Since then she has worked in Hollywood and Hong Kong, had a recurring role on American show “Arrow,” and starred in last year’s stage musical “Good Morning Hong Kong.” She tells Andrea Lo about becoming famous as a teenager, racial stereotypes and being recognized by Alan Tam.
