HENRY PRINCE MAK
HENRY PRINCE MAK, known to kpop fans as PRINCE MAK from JJCC, became a Chinese movie star after leaving the group.
It is in the pages of Rolling Stone India magazine that the Chinese actor retraces his life and his various activities.
In a hotel room in Shanghai, the Rolling Stone India journalist met the actor. That first impression is to meet a normal young man, fulfilled, smiling and eager to answer his questions.
“I’m an artist and I’m here to show that even normal people can achieve what they think is impossible..”
First, as an introduction, HENRY PRINCE MAK begins by telling
“I believe many people know that I am an Australian-born Chinese who debuted in Korea with Kpop group JJCC. I spent my childhood in Australia as a normal Asian child, and my parents wanted me to pursue something more professional, like becoming a doctor or an architect. But none of that appealed to me. So I went on the road, pursuing my dreams of being a singer or an actor.”
On the path he has chosen to take and which has not been the easiest, HENRY PRINCE MAK confides that he has given himself the means to pursue his dreams, not taking things lightly to live this that he currently lives. The moment that changed everything was meeting his mentor, his teacher and the person who brought him into this industry Mr. Jackie Chan.
“I’m grateful to have met him and I’m happy to be a very lucky guy.”
Luck and hard work propelled HENRY PRINCE MAK to fame and eventually propelled him to stardom. But fame is not easy, it comes with responsibilities. “I think that’s the most important thing. But I also think my biggest responsibility is to make good music, good movies and make everyone happy. As an artist, I hope entertain people. I want to send a message: even a normal person, a normal child, can do extraordinary things, you know. If you have a dream, follow it. I was just an ordinary Chinese boy in Australia. I had practically nothing, I didn’t know anything about Korea and I didn’t know anything about Kpop. I just went there following my dream and did my thing.”
The choice that the artist made, forced him to leave his family and during the interview, he will express the fact that if he could go back he would like to go back to childhood because for him things are easier when we is a child and also he could spend more time with his parents, being separated from them for a long time since he left home to fulfill his dreams.
The journalist will bring him back to his experience in the world of kpop, through the YouTube video that the young man shared talking about his experience, and not just the good sides.
I wouldn’t say it’s rage or anything. I just like to share my experiences with people and I want more people to know what’s going on in Kpop. I mean, not just Kpop. But not everything in life is all good. Isn’t there good and bad in everything? And I know a lot of people, even around me, a lot of kids, or even my cousins, want to be Kpop stars. I just want to let them know and make them aware of what to watch out for and what to expect, to help them out a bit along the way. I think I have a lot of experiences that I can share with people.”
Then the interview will pass on its current events, because HENRY PRINCE MAK became an actor in China, on the kind of film which the actor prefers.
“I would say that I am a hard working actor. I’ve done a lot of action movies, and I’m not someone who, you know, has been doing kung fu since he was young. I only started to develop my confidence after meeting Jackie Chan. So now I make action movies. I think 90% of the movies I make are action movies. And yes, for me it is quite difficult. You know you have to fight; you get hurt and things like that. But it’s also very rewarding in the end to see yourself beating 100 guys on screen.”
“I love doing action movies, but it’s not that I just want to do. It’s just a coincidence that the very first movie I did was ‘Operation Red Sea‘, and that was very important in China. I think it was in 2018. It was the highest-grossing movie at the box office in 2018. And it was also nominated for an Oscar. So it did really well. And because from that movie, I ended up having a lot of jobs. But it was pretty much all action-related. And then the next big movie that I did was ‘Raging Fire’, which also blew up, and then came ‘The Sniper’ and a lot of other movies I’ve done.”
“Currently, there is this musical that I am doing. I’m playing the lead role, so, yes, I feel very lucky. Also, I met a lot of nice people and made a lot of good movies.“
The interview will of course end with the future, the projects of the artist, who has many and does not intend to stop.
“Yes, currently I’m doing a musical. It’s a very, very big musical in China. And we’ll be touring China. We’re hoping to tour India and maybe some other places. This is my first musical, and it’s extremely difficult for me. I’ve never done musicals before. I don’t have any experience. But it’s fun. When I was in JJCC for three years, I was a singer. And then I went solo. I’ve been doing movies for four years now. And, I just want to experience something different. So, I’m doing this musical. Besides, I have a lot of movies that don’t haven’t come out yet. Yeah, I’ve done over 10 movies already, and I think only three or four have come out. So there’s a lot of things to come. And after the musical, I also have a another movie to shoot, and hopefully next year I can release another solo song.“
HENRY PRINCE MAK is an example for any artist coming from a small kpop group and who dreams of a career, the most important thing is work. Likewise for many young people, it transmits a hope that things are possible if we take the time to give ourselves the means, to work and to believe in it.
The full interview: HERE
Journalist: Shawn
Translator: Shawn
Source: Rolling Stone India
