The rising movie star speaks about future roles, motherhood and what it takes to represent Hong Kong in fashion and films
Before Louise Wong made her movie debut portraying one of Hong Kong’s best-loved stars, Anita Mui, she wanted to represent her city and heritage through fashion. At the age of 16, Wong embarked on her modelling journey by winning the Asia Pacific regional contest of Elite Model Look—the same international contest which has launched the likes of Cindy Crawford and Gisele Bündchen—and remains the only Hongkonger to achieve this accolade. She was soon booking gigs throughout Asia and in Europe—one of very few internationally recognised Asians in the role.
“Opportunities for Asian models were scarce; the most well-known Asian model before [my time] was Du Juan. I have always admired her ability to embody both fashion and commercial appeal with elegance, and her ability to make a lasting impression on everyone,” she says.
But finding work was not easy. “Even designers would honestly tell you, ‘We like you very much, but we can’t put you in the campaign.’ It can be quite frustrating and make you question whether it’s really that difficult. I refused to believe it was, and was determined to work harder. I wanted to represent Hong Kong: I believed that there could be Hong Kong fashion models who could make a mark in the industry.”
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Her shift to acting is getting her noticed by an even wider audience: Wong won the award for best new performer and was nominated for best actress at the 40th Hong Kong Film Awards for her turn as Mui in Anita. This year, she starred in A Guilty Conscience, which follows the trial of a single mother wrongly accused of the murder of her daughter and which is the highest grossing local film in Hong Kong to date. But even with her shift into acting, Wong has not forgotten the impact of style.
After all, inspired by Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen in particular, she studied fashion design, and worked as a stylist between modelling gigs. She is now a frequent front-row fixture and the darling of brands including Louis Vuitton, Giorgio Armani and Omega; she shows up to the shoot for her Tatler’s Asia’s Most Stylish cover dressed head-to-toe in slim-fit black, effortlessly channelling a supermodel aura.
Wong speaks to Tatler about the challenges she faces as an actress, fashion as a visual language, and staying true to her passion.