Audiences are Turning Their Heads for Matthew Ho in “A General, A Scholar, and A Eunuch”
Time-traveling dramas are nothing groundbreaking anymore, but people never seem to get bored of them. TVB’s latest comedy drama A General, A Scholar, and A Eunuch <超時空男臣> is a fish out of water story about three imperial men from Ming China who ends up in modern-day Hong Kong as they try to search for their lost princess. The plot itself isn’t the smartest thing to ever come out of TVB, but the light-hearted comedy is entertaining enough for viewers to call the drama enjoyable.
The drama, which stars Edwin Siu (蕭正楠), Raymond Cho (曹永廉), and Matthew Ho (何廣沛) as the three title characters, premiered on July 17. There has been criticism that the drama was plagiarizing the Korean drama Rooftop Prince, but this hasn’t stopped General from getting good viewership scores. The first week aired to a solid 24.5 rating points, pulling in a little less than 1.6 million average HK viewers.
Out of our three leads, the character that is getting the most attention is Matthew’s Lee Chun-chung, an imperial eunuch. The young 28-year-old actor has been rounding up applauses throughout the show’s broadcast, with viewers praising his portrayal.
“It’s actually a happy thing,” said Matthew, when interviewed about being positively-received for the role. “When I first got my part I had some worries, because the character is a eunuch, and I was afraid that there wouldn’t be much room for development. But this is a time-travel comedy, and a huge part of the story is about these characters trying to overcome cultural differences after coming to the modern day. That gave my character a lot of interesting things to work with. I’m very happy that this role has that.”
Matthew took a different approach to portraying a eunuch. He explained, “Traditionally, actors portrayed eunuchs with a very high voice. Playing a character who has heavy screen time like that for 30 episodes is tough to do. Not only for me, but also for the viewers. People could find it really irritable. That’s why I’ve decided to use my own normal voice, but speak more softly and gently.”
Since debut the actor has been scouted for playing quieter roles, but his role in TVB’s upcoming historical drama Succession War <天命> would add a spark to his resume. “It’s a pretty manly role. Although I play Heshen’s son, I hold a pretty high position in court and am very loyal to the emperor. It’s probably the manliest role since my debut. I’m really excited for people to compare my two roles when the drama comes out. I think by then people can get a good idea of my acting range.”
Matthew said he’s not surprised that the producer had cast him in the role of Lee Chun-chung, saying, “I have a gentle personality myself, and he could see that. I’m a quiet person, but I can be pretty flexible. As an actor you should be able to play a variety of different roles.”
A General, A Scholar, and A Eunuch will air its final episode on August 27, 2017.
Source: HK01
This article is written by Addy for JayneStars.com.
the drama’s pretty funny. i watched a few episodes and am enjoying it so far. not a novel plot but quite enjoyable.
Enjoying the series much more after the setting moved back to Hong Kong…the first coupe of eps were really rough since the production crew didn’t seem to be able to control the street crowds. Nothing more distracting than seeing people in the background STARING at the filming like they have no idea they’re on camera.
I’m glad Matthew Ho is getting more roles; he’s still not quite as polished as he could probably be but with those good looks, it’d be waste to just keep him as a third-stringer.
He reminds me of Sammul Chan
@jane626 I think he looks more like Stephen Wong if you don’t know who I’m talking about he’s in that drama called The Brink of Law? He’s one of Michelle Yim son I think he’s handicapped too in that drama can’t really remember.
@cutie777 Omg you are so right! He reminds me of Stephen Wong most when he talks, but is a younger and paler version.
@lyu310 I’m glad you know who I’m talking about. Lol. Tvb can put them as brothers.
@cutie777 sorry to interrupt, because i have no opinion on the stephen wong/matthew ho comparison, but i can’t believe someone still remembers “the brink of law”!!! bernice liu in a last minute turn as a canadian secret agent? think i threw my dinner at the tv…
@rucofan1100 Lol. You’re being funny what’s wrong with that drama? I kinda like it and about Bernice yes it is a little surprised.
@cutie777 lol i’m the opposite: it’s the show that always pops up in my head when someone mentions tvb sucks. idk, but that bernice plot twist was quite traumatic; like did anyone in the production really think that was gonna work? or even make sense? smh
@cutie777 Not sure why Stephen Wong isn’t more popular (or promoted). He is a handsome guy, and his acting isn’t too shabby either.
@vell I do agree about that the good actors don’t get much attention but the one can’t really act can even win most improved actors Tony Hung is one of them and can’t blame lots good actors leave tvb this day because they don’t make money either.
I like Matthew! He is good looking and acting is not bad.