From Weaver to Hibiscus: A Retrospective Interview in 1987
Interviews with Yung Mei Ling
K-100 Pictorial No. 20 - 1982 Interview - Hong Kong TV Special Edition - 1987 Retrospective Interview
She has been dead for two years, but the most unforgettable thing about her is her pretty face. I remember that when she was running for Miss Hong Kong, she said she wanted to be a successful textile designer, but I believe her dream of becoming a weaver will not be fulfilled for the time being. However, her confidence and determination make me believe that she will succeed, no matter what she chooses!
When she was running for Miss Hong Kong, she was just for a holiday in Hong Kong living in the UK and said she liked the life in Hong Kong, so she would see what was in store for her and if it suited her, she might stay for a long time.
As a result, she left her diploma in textile design and stayed in Hong Kong to join TVB. Initially, she hosted "Women's New Look", and to her surprise, she adapted quickly and was calm and comfortable in her appearances. It seems that television work suits her personality and I believe she has enjoyed herself during the year.
I remember one time, Mrs Lee, who teaches cooking, said in a casual conversation that Yung Mei Ling would have a good career in the entertainment industry.
Sure enough, soon afterwards, the roles of the twin griots in 13 Girls and Huang Rong in The Legend of the Eagles fell into her lap. For a newcomer, her fortune was enviable. But at the same time, there are a thousand pairs of eyes on her, watching her make mistakes and picking out her flaws.
Yung Mei Ling said "I know that I am not good enough in terms of acting skills and experience, so I have to spend ten times more time and effort than others to learn. If people ask me how I got the role of Huang Rong, I can only answer that I was lucky. But in the days to come, I'm going to have to work harder than anyone else. I have to face people with my performance and tell them that the role has not been wasted."
She speaks with a certain determination, despite her delicate appearance. She is undoubtedly working very hard, and the audience can even feel her dedication in front of the screen. It is an undeniable fact that she is struggling. At first she is very deliberate in her acting, and the effect is unnatural, but gradually she gets into it and does it properly. She is as smart and clever as Huang Rong in Jin Yong's novel.
I believe that with time she will become a skilled actress, and her first performance gives us all confidence that she is good material. I hope she can play a part in a fashion drama after she finishes shooting "The Eagle".
"I think you can't be limited in your role, otherwise you won't have a long artistic life," she says.
Yung Mei Ling has been in television for a long time, and she sighed at the time about the job.
"It's not easy to be an actress nowadays! It's not just acting," she said. It turns out that she was not satisfied with what she had achieved.
"I wish God had given me five more years of youth, five years younger, it would have been a different story."
She feels that in addition to acting, an artist has to have talent and courage in all aspects of her life. If the company has an announcement to sing, dance or perform a dangerous act, she must have the courage to accept the challenge.
Apart from her career, her love, her loving mother and grandfather, and her mortgage, she feels that she has not lost anything at all in these years. She has only one regret: God did not grant her prayers and did not give her five extra years of youth.
Source: http://www.barbarayung.net/ Hong Kong TV Special Reporter - Siu Wah
翁美玲由織女到黃蓉．1987回顧訪談內文
【翁美玲訪談實錄】
◎K-100畫報第20期．1982訪談內文 ◎香港電視特刊．1987回顧訪談內文
她已逝世兩年，最使人忘不了的是俏黃蓉的模樣，當年寫這篇訪問稿的時候，正是她演藝事業的開始，沒想到.... 記得翁美玲在參選港姐的當兒，曾表示希望當一個成功的紡織設計師，但相信她這個織女夢暫時是無法實現了。不過，她的信心與堅定的意志令我相信她是會成功的，無論她選擇的是什麼！
翁美玲參選港姐的時候，剛從英國回來度假，她說喜歡香港的生活，看看有甚麼發展，假若適合她，也許會留下來一段長時間。
結果，翁美玲放下她的紡織設計文憑，留在香港，加入了無線電視。最初，她主持【婦女新姿】，出乎人意料，她適應得很快，出鏡時鎮定自如。看來，電視工作是很適合她的個性，相信在這一年中，她亦感到很快樂。
在錄影【婦女新姿】時，一群節目主持人及參演的藝員常會在一起，記得有一次，教烹飪的李太在閒聊中說翁美玲在娛樂圈將有很理想的發展，大概她是略懂相理，看出翁美玲會在這圈子裏走運。
果然，過了不久，【十三妹】的雙格格，【射鵰英雄傳】的黃蓉，都落在翁美玲身上。以一位新人來說，她的運氣是令人羨慕的。但同時，亦有千對眼睛盯看她，看她出錯，挑她的缺點。
翁美玲到底不是別人。我知道自己無論是演技與經驗都不足，所以找得比別人花上十倍的時間和努力去學習。
「別人若問我憑甚麼獲得黃蓉一角，我現在祇可答他是運
氣好。但接下來的日子，我卻必須以演出的成績去面對
別人，告訴他們角色沒有被浪費。」
外表嬌弱的她說起話來卻是異常堅定。她無疑是非常的努力，觀眾甚至能在螢幕前感覺到翁美玲的盡心機。她是吃力的，這點是無可否認的事實，初時她很刻意的去做戲，效果是不自然，但漸漸就入戲，也表現得恰如其份了。妳的聰明伶俐實不下於金庸筆下的黃蓉。
相信假以時日，她必能成為有演技的演員，她的初次表現給予大家這信心，她是塊好料子。
「希望在拍罷【射鵰】之後，有份演時裝劇，我覺得角色不能局限，
否則藝術生命就不會長」她說。
翁美玲做電視的日子不算短，對於這份工作，當時地嘆了口氣說：
「現在做藝員可真不容易啊！點止演戲咁簡單。」原來她是對自己的成就未感滿意。
「我希望，上帝多給我五年青春，讓我年輕五歲，那局面就完全不同了。」
她覺得，做藝員除了演戲，還要兼備各方面的才華與膽識，假如公司有通告，要唱歌，要跳舞，或者表演危險動作，都要有接受挑戰的勇氣。
總結起來，翁美玲在娛樂圈是得多於失，除了事業、愛情，有疼她的契媽、契爺，還供了一層樓，她甚至覺得這幾年，根本沒有損失過什麼。她只有一個遺憾：上帝沒有垂允她的祈求，並未賞賜她額外的五年青春。
本文資料來源：
《香港電視特刊》
記者-少華
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