FORMER child star Petrina Fung Bo Bo has been on high mountains and walked through deep valleys.
Today, when the 64-year-old Hong Kong legend looks back at the turbulent times that drove her to depression, she is very thankful for the hardships that she had endured.
A car accident that happened on June 2 this year in Thailand changed her perspective on life after her brush with death. That led her to accept the role of an ambassador for D’Home Mental Health Association for three years recently.
“The accident occurred while I was having my holiday with my son in Bangkok. We were on the freeway and we did not realise the car in front was stationary. We could not stop our speeding car in time, so it smashed into the front vehicle and turned turtle,” Fung said in an interview at E&O Hotel in Penang recently.
Also present were D’Home president Datuk Leslie Lee, his wife Datin Neoh Guan Eng and Fung’s friend L.P. Ong.
“I broke my nose but I didn’t feel pain. I was conscious and felt peaceful.
“My son suffered only a minor scratch. We were really lucky. So, I feel very thankful and I appreciate the love of God. I believe God wants me to stay back and do something meaningful to help others.
“So, I am now doing this social work for the Penang people. I am also very touched because D’Home accepts patients free of charge when they need help.
“I can share my life experiences with others and let them know that it doesn’t matter if you have depression because it can be cured if you look soon enough for medical advice or medication.”
Fung began her acting career from the age of three as an extra and became rather popular from five and a half years old. Between six years old and nine, she made 120 movies. She played all sorts of roles but never been to school then.
In her over 60-year illustrious career, she is said to have starred in over 200 movies, including classics like ‘Legendary La Rose Noire’ (1992), ‘Endless Love’ (1993) and she also starred in the ATV dramas, like the classic 1984 classic ‘Empress Wu’.
The two movies, ‘Legendary La Rose Noire’ and ‘Endless Love’, won her the Hong Kong Film Award as Best Supporting Actress consecutively in 1992 and 1993.
After having to live her life in a goldfish bowl at that tender age, she began to crack due to the pressure of fame.
“From six years old to nine, I was very popular because I was cute and lovable. Many producers and investors knew I was a box office star and made them a lot of money.
“In fact, I paid tax when I was seven years old in Hong Kong. That is very cute when I think about it. That was why my father established a film company called ‘Bo Fung’ after I passed my seventh birthday because I had to pay tax.
“My father used to be an actor. But he disfigured his face during a morning exercise at a park. He lost his job after that. And that’s how I went into this business.
“Once I was over 10 years old, I was afraid that I would lose my job because I didn’t look cute anymore. Then I wouldn’t be able to support my family.
“I was so worried that I had many sleepless nights. Then my stepmother took me to a doctor and I was given an injection to sleep.”
Fung then decided to quit her job at the age of 16, ran away from her father and flew to England.
Although she made so many movies as a child, she said her father did not leave her anything. That’s why the first year of her studies in England was sponsored by a fan’s parents from Malaysia.
Whilst in England, she suffered another psychological blow when she learned from her biological mother that she was not from the Fung family. She was, in fact, born in Sandakan.
She could not accept that fact at that time and cried incessantly. She was sent to see a doctor, then referred to a psychiatrist, who then referred her to a mental hospital for a short time.
While she was at the mental hospital, it caught fire. She recalled it was “quite an experience” running away from the burning building.
In later years, her share of family problems also caused her to go into depression again. She is twice divorced but losing the custody of her two sons from the first marriage was a terrific blow to her.
But today, Fung is thankful she has a good relationship with her two sons, aged 38 and 36. The elder, who studied cinematography, is now a film assistant director while her second son is “stable and working in China”.
At 33, Fung went to Canada to study family therapy as she wanted to learn how to express herself.
“I had acted so many roles and I realised I have no time to be myself. I need to learn to express myself from young. My audience said that I was so cheeky and talkative but they were all scripted. I only have to follow the script and input of some of my expression.
“The words were not from my mind. So, when I had a problem, I did not know how to express it in my own words. And I usually kept everything to myself.
“I could not tell others my problems because I feared they would be published. And I did not know how to protect myself.
“I was also trained to be a perfectionist. I could not be otherwise because all the director uncles would ask me to do the best job and if I didn’t do the best I could, I would have to do it all over again. That would mean wasting time for others.”
She said fame could be a horrible thing, citing that it burdened her when she filed for divorce.
“When I lost custody of my sons, I had to face the reporters. It’s very stressful. I wasn’t living for myself. I was living for others,” she recalled.
Now that she is no longer that famous and hounded by the paparazzi, she is relieved and feels at peace.
In 2017, Fung came to settle down in Penang when she got her Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) status.
“I will try to write my memoirs. I love Penang. It’s very romantic, peaceful and quiet. You have old and new architecture and you also maintain the different cultures,” she said.
Fung, who always likes to dress immaculately and wears a matching hat, shared her past experiences in a mental health talk that was organised by D’Home on Aug 3.
D’Home president Datuk Leslie Lee expressed that it was amazing to hear what Fung had gone through.
“I would like to thank her as well as the state government for supporting D’Home Mental Health Association in what we, as an NGO, do to reach out to more people in the area of mental health.
“Mental health being the basic fundamental of every person’s well-being is very important,” Lee said, adding that he could not have agreed more with Fung for choosing Penang in the MM2H programme because of the food, friendly people and pro-active government policies to make Penang a cleaner, greener, safer and healthier state to live in.
Fung, who is still doing some acting on and off or giving public talks, said she is still taking medication but slowly reducing the dosage.
“I am getting better and better. I don’t feel depressed now, especially after the accident. I live with the feeling of appreciation for everything as soon as I open my eyes in the morning and praise God for His blessings upon my life.
“You know, an eagle will fly higher when there is a storm or strong wind. So, when there is a problem in your life, you have to face it. That will make you even stronger, just like the eagle.
“For me, the best medicine for depression is care and understanding. We need kind-hearted family members, loved ones and friends to give their support. Care and understanding mean love to me. If you don’t understand me, how can you love me? When you have love, you have the patience to help someone.”
Story by K.H. Ong
Pix and video by Chan Kok Kuan