Josie Ho 'anxious about ageing', says she is the 'OG Crazy Rich Asian'

SINGAPORE – The wildest of her wild-child days may be behind her.

But Josie Ho still has no qualms speaking her mind, including how she should have been cast in the hit Hollywood romantic comedy Crazy Rich Asians (2018).

The 48-year-old Hong Kong actress-singer, who was in town on July 17 to attend a special screening of the Sarawak, Malaysia-set period film Rajah (2023) that she starred in and produced, tells The Straits Times: “I wonder why Crazy Rich Asians didn’t approach me. I’m the OG.”

When it comes to being crazy rich, Ho is definitely an OG – the Internet slang for “original gangster”, which has come to refer to those seen as pioneers or originators.

As the youngest daughter of the late Hong Kong billionaire casino tycoon Stanley Ho and his second wife Lucina Lam, she grew up in a world of one-percenters, rubbing shoulders with socialites like American reality television star Paris Hilton.

He died at the age of 98 in 2020 and had four wives who gave him 17 children.

The eldest child of Stanley Ho and Lam, Pansy, 60, is a businesswoman who took over a large chunk of her father’s businesses – which also include interests in the property, transport and hospitality sectors – becoming arguably the most successful and prominent of his large brood.

Josie Ho’s other siblings from her mother – sisters Daisy, 59, and Maisy, 56; as well as their younger brother Lawrence, 47 – are also involved in the family’s businesses.

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When asked if Crazy Rich Asians is an accurate representation of the luxe lifestyle, she references a wedding scene shot at Chijmes in Singapore.

“It’s pretty similar, but I’ve never seen water on the floor in a church wedding, so maybe not that crazy. But (like the movie), it is a lot of people getting drunk, mahjong and mean aunties.”

Even if Ho’s own life was not enough for a film, she says her famous family can at least make a reality television show a la American series Keeping Up With The Kardashians (2007 to 2021).

“If we did that, we’ll make a s*** ton of money,” she says. “I don’t think everyone in my family would be very willing to do it, but if you told them how much money they could make, they might change their minds.”

But who would be the Kim Kardashian, the queen of reality television (and her family), among the magnate’s offspring?

“It has to be Pansy,” Ho says, before breaking into laughter. “She’s definitely Kim. She’s the boss.”

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On why she charted her own path, Ho says: “I didn’t want to look like them (my siblings). I just felt like maybe I could do my own thing, make something different, something crazier, something more fun.”

Ho’s rock-chick street cred was established with her punk rock band Josie & The Uni Boys and her bold, edgy style – sporting blunt bob haircuts, leather jackets and thick eyeliner.

She also made a mark with films like sex comedy Naked Ambition (2003) and Johnnie To’s action drama Exiled (2006).

Speaking of her late parents – Lam died in 2022 – Ho says: “My dad was always very supportive of me, but my mum was very traditional. She wanted me to bring home achievements. She used to read the newspapers and get angry because the tabloids always made me look bad.

“She was a very proper woman and she wanted her daughters to behave properly as well.”

Despite Ho’s rebellious streak, her mother always rooted for her.

When Ho was double-nominated for best supporting actress at the Hong Kong Film Awards for both The Twins Effect (2003) and Naked Ambition – she eventually won for the latter – the older woman was on the edge of her seat.

“I was the dark horse that year. I didn’t think she would care, but her maid told my maid that she was clutching a cushion really tightly when she was watching the awards ceremony at home, waiting for the winner to be announced. And when they said my name, she jumped for joy.”

Ho went on to become even more involved in film.

She co-founded production company 852 Films with her Hong Kong actor-producer husband Conroy Chan, whom she married in 2003.

She has been taking care of him since he suffered a “life-threatening illness” in 2022, though she declines to name his condition.

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The couple, who have no children, have produced films both in and out of Hong Kong such as Rajah, action movie Habit (2021) and sports comedy Full Strike (2015).

Rajah – a retelling of the 19th-century story of Sir James Brooke, a British soldier who founded the Raj of Sarawak and ruled as the White Rajah – has no release date in Singapore yet.

Ho also played a brothel madam in Singaporean director Eric Khoo’s erotic drama In The Room (2015), which saw her clad in lingerie and having sex scenes.

“It was my sexiest movie to date,” she recalls. “It’s good that I did it then. Now, I have a tummy and things are sagging, but at least that earlier era of me is preserved on film.”

She admits: “I’m anxious about ageing. When I was in my 20s, I had a way better figure, but we can’t win [against] gravity.”

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