BC Business
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At just over five feet tall, with a shy, soft-spoken demeanour, Anna Wong doesn’t exactly seem tough. And that’s precisely why she’s earned herself the nickname Silent Killer.
“I’m tough, but I don’t have to be loud,” explains Wong, a Vancouver-based fitness trainer who has collected an enviable list of celebrity clients, including Hollywood actress Emmanuelle Vaugier (star of TV’s Supernatural), funnyman Keenen Ivory Wayans and up-and-coming actor Adrian Holmes (below). “Most of my clients are type-A personalities, and they don’t need to be yelled at,” observes Wong over a cup of coffee in Vancouver’s Yaletown. “They’re like regular people, but they’re very driven… There’s millions of dollars invested in these movies, so if you don’t fit the part, there’s somebody else who wants it.” Wong’s personal story could well be the basis for a feel-good Hollywood tearjerker. In 1991, at age 19, she had a near-death experience when she was in a serious car accident that crushed her legs, necessitating numerous surgeries and intensive rehabilitation. For a while, Wong thought she’d never walk again, but she was determined to get well and became fascinated by the human body’s ability to heal. She developed a passion for fitness and entered a career in personal training. Wong now has more than 200 clients who pay her an average hourly fee of $80, and says she just “fell into” training big-name clients through contacts in the film industry. Currently, she’s working with local K-1 (mixed martial arts) champ Michael McDonald. His nickname? The Blacksniper. Not that Wong’s intimidated. “I can whip anybody into shape,” she insists, with a sly grin. Sounds like the Blacksniper may have met his match with the Silent Killer.