Aimee Chan reveals why she may not act with husband Moses Chan again

HONG KONG — Canada-born actress Aimee Chan intentionally kept a distance from her husband, Hong Kong actor Moses Chan, in her first acting role in nine years, so she could draw a clear line between reel and real life.

She plays dual roles of a twin brother and sister in the ongoing TVB drama Romeo And His Butterfly Lover, while Moses Chan, 52, plays her star-crossed lover from a rival family. 

Other than the challenge of portraying a man, Aimee Chan, 42, said she faced even greater pressure performing alongside her husband.

"As a wife, I can be myself, but as an actress, I was afraid I would not know how to face him," she told the Hong Kong media on Monday (Nov 6). "Can I be myself when the camera is off and become the character when the camera is on? I didn't know if I could do it at the time as this is my comeback show."

As such, the 2006 Miss Hong Kong winner asked him to keep a distance from her on the set — and not get too close at home too.

"Even though he still calls me 'honey' and 'baby', when I got home, we did not behave intimately," she said. "Actually, I didn't notice it until Moses said two months after filming ended that 'my wife is back'."

Romeo And His Butterfly Lover marks the first time the couple are starring together in 11 years, since The Last Steep Ascent (2012) and Master Of Play (2012). They got married in 2013 and have three children — son Aiden, who turns 10 in December, son Nathan, eight, and daughter Camilla, seven. Chan took a break from acting in 2014 to be a full-time mother.

However, she acknowledged that she may not be able to act with him in the same project again as they seek a balance between family and work.

She cited how the production was shut down soon after they began filming Romeo And His Butterfly Lover in September 2022 as their daughter was infected with Covid-19.

"As actors, we need to continue filming, but as parents, we have to take care of our children," she said. "Moses had to take care of our three children by himself and I couldn't help but tell the producer that we had to stop filming, as I really wanted to go back and help him."

She added: "We found that it was really impossible for both of us not to be at home in this situation. We might be able to find a balance if we are acting in different dramas."

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.