Fresh from a major win for her role in the critically acclaimed The Way We Talk, Chung Suet Ying speaks to David Ho about writing songs, her favourite animals and how meaningful it is to bring inclusivity to the big screen
Chung Suet Ying thought she was simply doing a favour for a friend, but that turned out to be the beginning of an endeavour that led to her winning Best Leading Actress at the most recent Golden Horse Awards, widely considered the Oscars of Asia.
The role that helped Chung clinch the award was the character Sophie in the 2024 film The Way We Talk. Sophie, who is deaf and received cochlear implants as a child to help her fit in, becomes the ambassador for an awareness campaign on the devices. However, she encounters others who are proudly deaf and discovers a new side to herself through sign language. The film follows her journey towards accepting her identity as a deaf person, as well as other characters learning to pursue their dreams despite the challenges of being deaf.
White knit turtleneck and trousers _ Ralph Lauren; Ladybird Colors Phases de Lune _ Blancpain
The 30-year-old actress and lyricist was initially asked by writer-director Adam Wong to help interpret as he did his research for the film. “It was a couple of years before shooting. I had taken sign language courses before so Wong asked me to come help him translate at a meeting he had with members of the deaf community,” Chung recalls. It turned out to be a dinner with deaf folks who had undergone cochlear implants, similar to the character Sophie that she eventually played.
Little did she know, Wong already had his eye on her for the project, after directing Chung in her first film, The Way We Keep Dancing, released in 2021. The sign language coach for The Way We Talk even noted that Chung’s sign language skills were actually better than her character’s were supposed to be, since Sophie was a novice at signing in most of the film.
Brown shirt, vest and skirt _ Loro Piana
When we have our chat, Chung is still on the promotional trail for the movie as it releases in other countries. She has just returned from Singapore and will headed to Malaysia next when The Way We Talk comes out in July. She found the meet-and-greet sessions to be particularly meaningful.
“It’s a film about the deaf community and their culture. What I found meaningful was the attendance of the deaf community and their eagerness to ask questions. We have a sign language translator at each of these meet and greets, and you can see how they are so happy to be able to stand up and express themselves to us,” she says.
Beige dress _ Isabel Marant; Fifty Fathoms Automatique _ Blancpain
Chung considers herself “very lucky” for the warm reception and accolades that have followed the role. The Golden Horse Awards win is no doubt a prestigious seal of approval, especially since Chung’s first on-screen role was just in 2019.
“Before I went to the awards, I went to comedian Bonnie Wong (aka Ah Jeng)’s talk show. She used to be a colleague of mine actually. We’re both women of similar ages and I found it so empowering to watch her show. It inspired me a lot to see what a peer of mine can achieve if they do what they love,” she shares.
“It also made me think of another friend of mine, Jojo Shek, who won a Hong Kong Film Award for editing a few years ago. She’s also a woman of a similar age and it reignited my passion and drive for what I do. There are so many talented people my age who may get tired at times, but seeing them made me realise we shouldn’t let up. They gave this hope to me. So when I won the Best Actress award, I wanted to pass on the hope to my peers as well.”
Brown shirt, vest and skirt _ Loro Piana
For The Way We Talk, Chung also had the chance to work with another one of her peers that she looks up to – singer Panther Chan. Chung wrote the lyrics for the movie’s theme song, which was sung by Chan. “Panther was someone I watched on TV. I was so happy to work with her!” declares Chung.
“This song was something we worked on after the movie was shot. Wong (the director) told me that there would be space for sign language to be included in the visual component of it. I asked if I should write it from Sophie’s point of view, but was told no. So I wrote it from the POV of the three main characters. But I was very familiar with the foundation of all three characters after filming, so it was alright,” she says.
Embellished denim jacket _ Maje
It’s not a surprise to anyone familiar with Chung that she would take on the lyric writing duty. Her work as the lead in the 2023 film The Lyricist Wannabe, where she played a student dreaming of becoming a Cantopop lyricist, had nabbed her nominations for Best Leading Actress at both the 60th Golden Horse Awards and the 42nd Hong Kong Film Awards.
Her talents for lyric writing emerged from classes she took during her student years at Hong Kong Baptist University. “It was a very competitive class to get into! I thought it would be easy, but I had to submit two sets of lyrics every week. I used to not like writing anything in secondary school, because my teachers would give me low scores,” she recalls.
“But I have no regrets taking this class because it was fun. Our teacher Chow Yiu-fai was very encouraging and made every student feel confident. It was a meaningful way for me connect with humanity through Cantonese lyrics,” she adds.
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Chung wound up loving writing so much that she volunteered to write lyrics over the music demos of her fellow students. In 2019, she started adding writing credits under the pen name Chung Said. Her song credits to date include Jace Chan’s “Born to Be Different”, Janice Vidal’s “Little Miss Janice” and Joey Hung’s “Dirty”. Chung has also appeared in Eason Chan’s music video for “A Dance for Tomorrow”.
Despite this, Chung shows no interest in a singing career herself. “I’ve met so many talented people who love music so much. There are limited chances in this world, please give it to them!” she says earnestly. That said, Chung is open to singing should the role require her to and hopes to add a wuxia film to her credits in the future.
Red and white striped polo shirt _ Dolce&Gabbana; Villeret Quantième Phases de Lune _ Blancpain
Over the course of our conversation, Chung takes time to mull over our questions carefully and give us nicely considered answers. But when it comes to her life outside of work, she is much more relaxed, which happens to be her favourite thing to do. “Rest! Resting can be fun,” she says of her hobbies. “Oh, and eating too!”
When pushed, Chung tells us she enjoys learning more about animals, citing Sir David Attenborough’s documentary works as her go-to in her downtime. She lists “wolves, gorillas, pandas, sea otters, lions and all baby animals” as her favourites creatures.
Chung is already getting to ready to film her next role, not giving us more details other than that she is playing “a lady who gets mad easily”. We look forward to seeing her bring this temperamental character to life soon, which is quite different from her rather laid-back personality in real life.
Brown shirt, vest and skirt _ Loro Piana
Chung acknowledges that it has been “a very fast journey” when it comes to her career, going from her first credited role in 2019 as a recurring character on ViuTV’s Limited Education series to winning Best Leading Actress in 2024.
When we enquire if she has had any struggles with fame, she is rather breezy about it and quirkily likens it to being in an Ocean Park cable car. “You know when you are in the cable car and someone in the next car waves to you, and you’re excited to say hi back to them? It’s like that. If someone recognises me on the street, I’m always happy to say hi,” she says.
Blue ruffled dress _ Ryunosukeokazaki
Even with more eyes and pressure on her now, it would seem that Chung remains as excited about her craft as ever. “I’ve been very lucky,” she says. “It’s not difficult to fall in love with something you like, so this hasn’t been hard. Time just feels short when you’re doing something you’re passionate about.”
White knit turtleneck and trousers _ Ralph Lauren; Ladybird Colors Phases de Lune _ Blancpain
CREDITS
Photography / Hungmc
Styling / Anthony Tong
Hair / Hillnex
Make-Up / Cathy Zhang
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