A New Kind of Role
Since winning the Miss Chinese International pageant in 2012, Tiffany Cheung has been a staple on Hong Kong’s TVB network, primarily cast as sharp professionals like lawyers and doctors. For the network’s major anniversary drama Radiance City, she deliberately pivoted into darker territory, playing a pampered socialite entangled in a wealthy family’s vicious power plays. To build the character, Cheung brought over 30 of her own designer outfits and accessories. As the story progresses, her character’s gilded life collapses completely, a transformation the actress portrayed through stark, minimally made-up scenes that contrast heavily with her earlier glamour.
Despite the on-screen opulence, Cheung insists she does not envy that world. “I’m quite introverted and don’t like socializing,” she said. “On my days off, I just want to be a homebody, lie flat, and play with my cat. I don’t want to have to worry about every single step or live by other people’s moods.”
The Pivotal Scene
The most talked-about moment in the drama involves a highly vulnerable sequence where Cheung undresses, exposing her bare back in just underwear. She initially refused the script outright. “When director Ricky Chan and my co-stars Julian Cheung and Ron Ng first talked to me about it, I felt uncomfortable and said I wouldn’t do it. I was being a bit stubborn,” Cheung recalled. The scene required a single continuous shot with no room for camera tricks.
Her resistance softened only after veteran actresses Anita Yuen and Elena Kong sat down with her. Kong helped reframe the sequence as a narrative tool showing just how far the character would go for her husband. “Anita also gave me reassurance and promised to help clear the set. Because they both care so much for me, I took their advice strongly to heart,” Cheung said. The three-hour rehearsal for precise blocking paid off; they completed the shot in just two to three takes. “The sense of satisfaction was immense,” she added.
Respecting the Audience
The scene still generated significant controversy online, with critics accusing the production of pressure. In response, TVB edited the broadcast airing, limiting the view to Cheung’s upper back. Producer Ricky Chan confirmed the network values audience feedback and made the adjustment accordingly.
Cheung also addressed working with Ron Ng, who plays her on-screen husband. Initially intimidated by his quiet demeanor, she found him attentive and funny. She noted that Ng would adjust the air conditioning if he saw her rubbing her hands together from the cold. “People who love animals are usually kind. We bonded over that,” she said.
Life Beyond the Screen
Last year, Cheung ended an eight-year relationship with her foreign boyfriend. Though some consider her at a prime marriageable age, she feels no rush. “Now I just go with my feelings. If it’s right, it’s right. I want to be loyal to my own emotions above all else,” she stated. Her willingness to take professional risks and her newfound personal ease suggest a career—and a life—driven by instinct rather than expectation.
