Life is a game of patience
Do you believe that setbacks can make a person stronger?
In this issue, ELLE speaks to Kevin Cheng.
Kevin: The spent the first half of my life waiting
Kevin got his very first Best Male Actor award of his life in 2006. On stage, agitated, he said "My mom supported me for 13 years. I can finally tell her tonight that your son is not in the wrong profession. As long as you persist, dreams do come true.
Kevin debut as a singer and had a few albums to his name but no theme to his name - a song that can be associated to him. After almost 2 decades, he has been conferred TV King 7 times, have been awarded various Best Male Actor awards in Hong Kong and the role of 8th Prince in Scarlett Heart rocketed his popularity in Mainland China. Since then, Kevin has returned to the recording studio, back to his dream. This album, which is still in production, is a present that Kevin is giving himself. It also represents memories of persistence and bravery.
From being a singer to being an actor, 20 years is a long and torturous journey. Kevin says "My journey is more difficult and longer than others"
I can only cook when I'm bored
Kevin debut last century during the 90s and signed with Polygram, which at that time was the place to be. Hong Kong's singing industry was also at its peak. "I love singing since young. When Polygram approached me offering me a contract, I jumped at it. That's how I entered this industry"
"Fan Bingbing once said "I can accept as much praises as I can accept criticisms" I find this very apt" Kevin hits back his criticisms with silent persistence. In 2009, he was one of the lead in the series which was the rating champion on TV and he was also one of the lead in the series that was in 3rd place (Burning Flames 3). Law Ba character in the 2011 series Ghetto Justice see him move from his usual role. This role which was not written for him which he played so well, surprised everybody even himself.
Scarlett Heart on the other hand opened doors for him in Mainland China. With his popularity on the rise in both Mainland and Hong Kong, he has his hands full with scripts, invitation to appear in various events, pushing his paycheck upwards.
Kevin insists with a smile that his paycheck is not as high as is being rumored. He said "I'm cheap and good." He continues to challenge himself in different roles and characters, in different era and settings. Ip Man which he is currently filming is the most challenging and "dangerous" role that he has ever accepted in his career so far. "It can go either way - I might hit it or I might lose the bet but I would still like to give it a try" Kevin says he is not afraid to take chances. "It is not easy for opportunities to come knocking in this industry. Everybody's timing is different. Take me as an example, for the past 19 years, I have only been doing one thing - wait - I have been waiting for today for the past 19 years. There are a lot of things that we actors cannot control, we can only wait - wait for the lighting to be set up, waiting for script to be written/completed, waiting for opportunity, etc. But you have to be ready to grab the opportunity the moment it turns up otherwise it will just slip away.
(Air brushed version)
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