Actress Explains How She Avoided The Edison Chen 2008 Scandal

People are often remembered for what they did, not what they didn’t do. While most want to be remembered for the good they’ve done, people often find it easier to recall the bad.

In 2008, photos of 40-year-old actor Edison Chen (陳冠希) in bed with several well known female stars were leaked. Almost 13 years later, an unnamed actress who was lucky enough to escape the scandal, came forward to explain how she did it.

The leak originated from a repair shop. Apparently, Chen had taken his laptop there to be repaired. The shop, after finding the photos, stole them and posted them online. The fallout cost many as the incident involved actresses like Cecilia Chung (張栢芝), Gillian Chung (鍾欣潼), and Bobo Chan (陈文媛). The careers of these actresses and Chen himself took a brutal hit. However, it turns out, not all the actresses were exposed.

Veteran Hong Kong journalist Bai Lu Mei recently mentioned that a married actress stated she once had a one-night stand with Edison Chen. According to the actress, she had met Chen in a bar and as the two shared mutual friends, they hung out together. Later, the duo returned to Chen’s house. While in bed, Chen asked if he could take a nude photo of her as a souvenir. “I wondered how someone could take this kind of photo,” the actress recalled. “What the hell is there to commemorate it?”

The actress refused his request and asked him to turn off the light before they went any further. Chen did not object to her denial. Instead, he obeyed her and turned off the light. After the scandal, the unnamed actress was glad she had refused his request. However, she sympathised with the other actresses who were caught in the fallout. They gave consent for Chen to take their pictures, as they trusted him, but even Chen hadn’t predicted the damage those pictures could do as a result of a mistake. The actress also said she had confessed everything to her husband before they got married.

The incident not only injured careers, it also damaged the relationships these actors had with each other. Some media reported that Edison Chen and Miriam Yeung (杨千嬅) had a falling out over the incident as she did not support him. However, Miriam Yeung has stated that she is still friends with Chen. Although she did believe that Chen had to bear responsibility for the matter, she did not feel their relationship was damaged in any way.

Chen however, does not feel the same way. He vehemently declared that both Eason Chan (陳奕迅) and Miriam Yeung were not his friends. The declaration came after a netizen pointed out that the two were supporting his rival street fashion brand, Madness run by Shawn Yue (余文乐). “THEY AIN’T MY FRIENDS SO THEY CAN DO WHAT THEY WANT,” the irate actor shot back. Chen also used to be friends with Yue before a falling out over actress Gillian Chung ruined their friendship forever.

Nowadays, Chen is happily married to his wife Qin Shupei. He is enjoying life with her and their lovely daughter. However, the incident does make one wonder – can someone’s relationships ever recover completely from an incident like this?

Sources: China Press, Showbizz Daily, 8 Days