Joel Chan to play first lead role 25 years after debut
HONG KONG: After years of supporting performances, Joel Chan's efforts have finally born fruition.
The 41-year-old Macau native is reportedly considered for a lead role in a two-episode mini drama produced by Yip Chun-fai. According to Law Pui-ching, head writer for TVB's ‘The Exorcist's Meter', she is looking to cast Joel in the mini drama. If it happens, it would be Joel's first lead role 25 years after debut.
Joel made his first debut as a singer in 1993, soon after winning a singing competition hosted by TVB. Joel was only 17 years old at the time. His performance earned him a record deal with Andy Lau's label, New Melody, and he released two albums under the label. After the 1997 Asian financial crisis, New Melody went bankrupt, and Joel was forced to quit. He transitioned to acting, and starred in the 1998 television drama Happy Monk alongside Kelly Lin, but was left without a job soon after.
In 2000, Joel signed with TVB and had his first major role in ‘Virtues of Harmony'. It was a steady rise for Joel, and in 2009, he rose to prominence with his performance as Tsor-lun in 2009's ‘E.U'. He was the second male lead in 2010's ‘A Pillow Case of Mystery II', and starred alongside Jessica Hsuan, Myolie Wu, and Sunny Chan in the 2011 anniversary drama ‘Curse of the Royal Harem'. a lavish lifestyle with casino heiress. It severely damaged his image. When he ended his romance with Florinda in 2013, Joel returned to TVB for a second chance. His comeback work was in 2014's ‘Noblesse Oblige'.
After a few more years of supporting performances, Joel scored a popular hit with 2017's ‘The Unholy Alliance' as Kent Ling. The role earned him the first award of his 25year career—My Favorite TVB Supporting Actor at the 2017 TVB Star Awards Malaysia in November.
And all that waiting has not been in vain. However, nothing is confirmed yet. In an interview with Joel, he said, “I haven't heard about this, so I'm not going to say anything. I'm also on vacation. The company and my manager haven't called me about it either, so I have nothing to say! Sorry!”
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The group also took second