Ex-TVB Actor, Gregory Charles Rivers, Said Wife Was His Student

Although his cameo appearances in TVB dramas have been brief, Gregory Charles Rivers‘ (河國榮) fluent Cantonese has always left a deep impression among viewers. Since leaving TVB, Gregory has diversified his acting experiences in film and theater projects. Last year, he was diagnosed with skin cancer but fortunately the surgery was successful. In a recent interview, the 52-year-old speaks about his latest project and how he met and fell in love with his wife, jewelry designer Bonnie Cheung.

Journey into Hong Kong Entertainment

While attending medical school in Australia, Gregory met some students from Hong Kong and became fascinated by Cantopop music. Moving to Hong Kong after deciding to discontinue his medical degree, Gregory started acting in TVB dramas and adopted the name of Ho Kwok Wing as a tribute to his favorite singer Leslie Cheung (張國榮). For the next twenty years, Gregory played the stereotypical Caucasian role in TVB dramas.

While Gregory’s last TVB drama was 2008’s Forensic Heroes 2 <法證先鋒II>, the current re-broadcast of 1990 classic Blood of Good and Evil <我本善良> in Hong Kong once again put Gregory under everyone’s radar.

Gregory decided to leave TVB after Chow Yun Fat (周潤發) encouraged him to branch into the Hong Kong film industry. Due to limited roles, Gregory has gone back to filming television programs in recent years, collaborating with ViuTV and Fantastic TV.

Wife Was His English Student

Since his acting gigs did not pay very well at the start of his career, Gregory had to supplement his income by teaching English. Revealing that his wife Bonnie was one of his students, Gregory laughed and said he was quite introverted in dating. “I will not make the first move, as I’m afraid of rejection and my friends laughing at me.”

When the couple met, Gregory was only 22 years old and a struggling actor. “I lived in a suite and didn’t even have a stove or refrigerator. My income was unstable and I faced many struggles.” Gregory thinks he knows why Bonnie was attracted to him, “Maybe she wanted to learn English for free. But she miscalculated, since she didn’t learn a single English word from me. I’ve only spoken Cantonese [with her] all these years!”

Bonnie supported Gregory in his acting dreams and the couple got married in 1988, after one year of dating. Gregory does not think too deeply about the reasons why he and Bonnie love each other. He believes it is dangerous to over-analyze, “Does that mean I won’t love her if she changes? I’ll rather not know why, because I love her completely as a person.”

While the couple remains childless due to Bonnie’s heart condition earlier, they have adopted 12 dogs and treat them as their children. Last year, Gregory was diagnosed with skin cancer, which he faced with little anxiety. There was a swelling on the right side of his ear which required surgery to remove. “My doctor said it was the result of overexposure to the sun. Being anxious while ill doesn’t help. I’ll rather accept it and resolve it quickly.” Gregory recovered from skin cancer and shared his experience on social media.

Living in Hong Kong for 30 years, the local culture has become a deep part of Gregory’s life. “I left behind everything [in Australia] when I came to Hong Kong 30 years ago. But my father is already 75 years old and his health is not good. During the Lunar New Year holiday, I’ll go back to celebrate his birthday.”

Latest Project

In his latest project, Gregory will be starring opposite actress Perry Chiu (焦媛) in theater play, I Love Bill <我愛比爾>. The story takes place in 1980s Shanghai, when Perry’s character falls in love with an American diplomat, portrayed by Gregory. Despite losing her virginity to him, the couple’s relationship ends in heartbreak. Perry’s character later adopts a promiscuous lifestyle with other foreigners. Due to the script, there will be passionate scenes involved in the play.

Perry knew instinctively that Gregory was the best fit for the role. “I’ve seen him in past theater shows. This time, we need a white actor who can speak fluent Cantonese, so the role can only be played by Gregory. Next time, I want to do a musical with him.”

In I Love Bill, Gregory takes on the challenge of portraying four different characters. “Perry’s character becomes involved with four different foreigners in the play. I will be portraying all four characters, so I have to make sure my mannerisms and how I speak will have noticeable differences.” Gregory has been dieting so that he can be in best form when the play opens.

Sources: On.cc, twgreatdaily.com

This article is written by Jayne for JayneStars.com.