Ben Wong Takes Relaxed Approach to Life
Ben Wong (黃智賢) may be serious and intense on screen, but in real life, the 46-year-old prefers to be mellow and relaxed. Reflecting on his 25 years in television, Ben has learned to pick the right battles and emphasizes the importance of remaining true to himself.
Born into a poor family, Ben often speaks about the harsh conditions he had to endure to help pay his father’s astonishing gambling debts. The fourth out of nine children, he and his siblings took turns to work at his parents’ roast meats shop, facing daily threats from loan sharks who had come to collect a $7 million HKD debt his father had accrued. Unable to enjoy a normal childhood, Ben developed a poor self-image and was crushed by self pity. Unfortunately, he had no one to help him work through his internal demons. “My siblings and I never talked about our feelings; we just faced our family’s situation together. I didn’t know how to talk about how I felt.”
Early Career
When Ben was fourteen, he finally found his escape. He was accepted into a youth cadet academy, and left home to begin his dormitory life. He worked as a police officer for three years after graduation. An application to TVB’s Youth Ambassador program later opened the doors to his acting career. Inexperienced, Ben describes his early years at TVB as a steep learning curve. “I was really naive back then. I wanted to do it so I applied, and thought I could just deal with any problem as it comes. I realized later that I had to learn everything on the spot and apply the new skills immediately.”
Gaining some recognition for his days on children’s program Flash Fax <閃電傳真機>, Ben was eventually given a role in long-running drama A Kindred Spirit <真情>. He achieved popularity as Ah Hoi, though thinking back, he feels that the success came at a cost. “I was like a cow. I studied my scripts non-stop, boot-camp style, to discover what I could add to my character. I became the character, so, was Ben Wong Ah Hoi? Or was Ah Hoi Ben Wong? I didn’t understand what it meant to be immersed into my character, or how to pull out of it. I didn’t know how to enjoy the moment.”
Finding True Priority in Life
Under the shadow of his poor childhood, Ben became anxious about money and was very uptight about his career progress. Despite his efforts in remaining optimistic, Ben often found himself stressed out with unrealistic worries. “I have optimistic ideals, but prepare for them in a pessimistic way. I realized that it is illogical. What is interesting about this industry is that there is no set formula. Is it more important to be a lead character or to be a happy person? If you can be happy in any situation, isn’t that more of a success than winning a lifetime of lead roles?”
This realization seems to have changed Ben’s perspective about his work and his life. Instead of intense, emotional melodramas, Ben now prefers filming something more easygoing. “Why should I give myself so much pressure? I should relax and enjoy the process. Being so uptight all the time is not necessarily a good thing. It’s like singing a song entirely in a high key; it doesn’t sound good. It will sound just right when there are both highs and lows.”
Unlike his days portraying and becoming Ah Hoi, Ben can now get in and out of character with ease. Enjoying bliss with his wife and their two dogs, he treasures every moment when he can live a normal life. Even though his job allows him to easily transform from poor to rich and from bad to good, Ben’s favorite role remains his true self. “After all is said and done, I just want to go home, pour myself a cup of tea, and be myself!”
Source: East Week
This article is written by Katrine for JayneStars.com.
He’s not married right? Is he with anyone?
I thought he’s married Funn.
“fter leaving TVB in 1999, Ben filmed numerous dramas on a per series contract. Since the series were all broadcast on ATV, this lead to the common misunderstanding that Ben had worked for ATV. At that time, Ben got married with his girlfriend, whom he had dated for over ten years.”
Took literally 5 seconds to google.
Sorry but googling is not always that efficient. There are usually pages and pages of stuff to go through before you get the info that you want in some cases.
Which is why I said not always efficient,especially if you look anything up with the wrong key words. I was not only referring to this case but was talking in general.
Ok, maybe she was lazy. Who is not lazy every now and then?it is human nature to be lazy.
Cmon guys be fair to Funn, she’s simply wanting people to know if Ben Wong is married or not. Its more interesting to get replies from other people and then starting discussions. Yes Google search and you can find it but if everyone does that there wouldn’t be any need to ask questions on forums anymore.
Anyway, Ben Wong does seem like his been through a lot, and his a great actor. Hope he gets nominated for Best Actor as recognition!
agree anthony,its just funn’s style to start with a chat,nothing wrong with that.there are just some ppl here that are too easily gets insulted and taking things personally, so they start a crazy attack on every comment that she post lately.
agree with ruth.
Yes, he married somewhere around 1999-2004.
http://www.jaynestars.com/news/ben-wong-on-poverty-and-repaying-fathers-lifetime-gambling-debts/
=========================================
After leaving TVB in 1999, Ben filmed numerous dramas on a per series contract. Since the series were all broadcast on ATV, this lead to the common misunderstanding that Ben had worked for ATV. At that time, Ben got married with his girlfriend, whom he had dated for over ten years. Ben also became a Christian. However, returning to TVB in 2004, Ben felt another sense of failure.
=========================================
I thought he is single. Ok so he;s married but childless?
“Enjoying bliss with his wife and their two dogs, he treasures every moment when he can live a normal life.”
Sounds like he is happily married, no kids but has two dogs.
Maybe growing up with all those siblings and the burden of repaying the massive debts had some sort of influence (in wanting a peaceful/tranquil life)?
If you don’t intend to answer politely, pls don’t bother to answer at all.
Totally agree. I wish all the readers here will act as per your suggestion.
We don’t expect people here to give feedback on our comments. If they don’t agree or can’t even stand them, just SKIP and IGNORE.
I meant that I totally agree with Funn’s statement:
“If you don’t intend to answer politely, pls don’t bother to answer at all.”
Funn:
兩口子
劇力相對不算萬鈞的，就是他的愛情。和圈外人老婆結婚剛滿十年，連相識、拍拖，更共度了近廿四寒暑。
「啱啱入無綫，無綫比當差人工奀啲吖嘛，又想畀番咁多錢屋企，又想搬出嚟住。尋求理想啫，畀阿媽嗰份家用唔好變吖，我覺得要堅持呢樣嘢，覺得係責任，於是我去做兼職填補少咗嗰份，咁樣我識到我依家個太太。一齊做嘢，開始就有好感，就約去街。」
拍了十三年拖，兩人也有共識不生育，Ben就以為結婚不屬議程範圍。
相比峰迴路轉、蕩氣迴腸的愛情，黃智賢和老婆過着典型的小夫妻生活，也令人羨慕。
「男人同女人諗嘢唔同，我係冇所謂啦，又唔係要生仔，我認定你係我老婆喇，爭張紙啫！女人就係想做黃太，佢始終覺得咁樣先有安全感，簽一個名，有張婚書。你日日講我愛你，個口嗌晒老婆都好。後尾我真係知原來佢咁需要嘅時候，點解唔做埋呢樣嘢？我哋嗰時去新西蘭註冊，買咗對戒指、買紮花、着住牛仔褲就去註冊o架喇！算係低調結婚，但唔係收埋，有同傳媒講。結婚後佢開心啲，身為佢另一半，點解唔畀佢開心啲？日日對住o架嘛，佢唔開心你都唔開心！
—————————————————————–
The above is about Ben and his wife from the Chinese source.
Ben is married for 10 years, but he knew his wife for 24 years. They met at his side job. They lived together for 13 years before marriage. Ben never thought of marriage since both of them decided not to have any children. However, he found out that his wife would feel happier for being Mrs. Wong, so eventually he decided to marry her. They were registered in New Zealand in a simple ceremony …….. he brought along a wedding ring, a bouquet of flowers, and he was wearing jeans.
nice
Thanks for the Info and actual Chinese article. Ben and his wife sound so sweet. Who said you need to blow a big amount of money on a wedding in order to be happy? I have noticed in some cases that those who keep it simple seem to have a happy and lasting marriage while there are sone others who spend a lot of money on a wedding do not seem to last? Of course it varies but I have noticed that in some cases.
sandcherry, thanks for the info. Very sweet and so long together. But why New Zealand?
Yeah why did they marry in Indonesia?
I do not think that is a stupid question. I think it may be because it is peaceful there with no one to bother them,like the press for example. My aunt in law’s sister lives there and says it is really really boring that they often have to go to Australia in order to find something fun to entertain themselves with.
I think the scenery in New Zealand is beautiful. Lots of people go there for scenic tours from North America.
Wow! Such a longlasting relationship! I am glad they found each other and hope they will enjoy each other’s love and company for the rest of their lives@
Gosh some of you are so mean. I got picked on just by asking a simple question as well. This other poster called me names and all too. I wonder why some people have to be so mean for no good reason?
Simple. Because of my name. And again the overused and tired word Bias when it does not even apply in this context.
Yes,the word bias is used out of context here.
@HTS
simple question- one that could be googled. not a shock that tis person does not initative to google, but be spoonfed with info
tells other ppl to volunteer for the search but tis person does not do anything while it happen to her country. wasting time on tis webbie rebutting the comments
agree.
i meant that i totally agree with YW’s statement:
“simple question- one that could be googled. not a shock that tis person does not initative to google, but be spoonfed with info”
hts- glance at her webbie and your understand why ppl say this person is lazy, bias.
Agree with YW.
He is married. Been married for a while.
YW,
Ok,so is this becoming a personal attack on Funn? It seems like many are displeased about the whole plane incident with Malaysia and all. I feel so sad about the whole issue and still do not get why is everyone blaming and hating on the Malaysians?
I have never been to Funn’s site or fully read her reviews because they are so long and detailed. I do not feel Funn is lazy because if date was,why would she put out so much time and effort to write all of those long and detailed reviews? I used to do long translations and can tell you that those take a lot of time and work.
@HeTieShou
I wonder why some people have to be so mean for no good reason?
————————————————————-
Agree with you. Some people on this website are really rude and mean. It is very unfortunate though. If you don’t like a person’s comment, just skip and ignore it. There is no need to be rude and mean.
episodic thoughts+reviews+whaever else she does= not accurate.
WHO IS THIS ONE PERSON?!
Sandcherry,
Well said!
Funn,
Is this all one person posting under different names? No wonder they sound so alike. You should not feel hurt or bothered as well. I hope they stop attacking you and turning this site into an unpleasant place to be. I wonder where Jayne is? I wish she would post a set of rules that we all must follow or rose get banned from this site. Maybe that can stop those posters that are causing trouble here.
“Is this all one person posting under different names?”
Your guess is as good as mine but you’re right of the tone and writing style. Sure Jayne can set the rules but difficult to maintain when can be broken easily. Can be banned but can keep coming back until the registration feature is implemented. Until then, I thank you for your support.
The way you write Funn, you are setting yourself up for more enemies than friends. Someone mentioned on this forum – and I agree – that you write in a condensing tone, like you know all and everyone else is stupid. This is especially so for the MH comments.
BUT if that is your style, then so be it. Of course, there will be critics but again if that is the way you choose to write, you’ll just have to accept some harsh replies as well. I personally feel that you can be a little less aggressive when putting your points across, especially when your points tend to be valid but the tone just makes others want to do a tit-for-tat. Afterall, like you mentioned, there should be some “community spirit” on this forum. So unless everyone can write politely can discussions be made rationally and in a civilized manner.
As for those who continue to attack Funn – really, it’s time to move on … … Let it go, let it go … ….
I think I read somewhere that he is married but he and his wife don’t have plan to have kids…
@funn,
You are welcome and for the time being,just try to ignore those comments. I know it is hard and I often get attacked as well but try to ignore them. I admit that I need to get my point out first and then they can say what they want and continue to talk to themselves.
@primrose,
Well each person has their own style of writing/talking and some may like it while others may not. Even in real life,you click well with some and not others. You cannot please everyone,but if you have to change your good traits or natural personality,then I do not think it is worth it if people do not like you for who you are. Who is without flaws in this world and can be liked by everyone?
@HTS. Honestly, I don’t find being condescending a “good trait”. “Personality” – maybe. In any case, I didn’t ask Funn to change her writing style.
Just re-read my comment and realized auto correct has changed the spelling of condescending to condensing. D-am-n auto correct.
@Primrose,
Well I did not mean to say that being condescending was a good trait. I was talking more in general about just people in general that should not have to change their traits/personality to please anyone. Like I have said, who is without flaws. However, IF you click well with anyone then you have to be ready to accept those flaws or else your friendship/relationship just cannot progress. I actually used to have a very close friend that has that trait and I had to put up with that and accept it if I wanted our friendship to continue. I did put up with it for 10+ years, but then it got to a point that I just could not accept it anymore so our friendship ended…
Oh ok. I thought we were talking about Funn 🙂
If you read my comments, I often go off on a tangent and speak in general a lot so sorry if I confused you.
If it’s has been the same and only person typing malicious about Funn under multiple identities, I’m quite confused why the person is not ip banned, which can be easily done iin cpanel (I believe this is what cloudflare uses) without an overhaul of the system, especially since Jayne managed to match her/his ip to that of vivien from years ago,
@Nicole @HeTieShou
“Vivien” has been targeting Funn under multiple aliases. She has dynamic ip. Her game is to “crowd-bully” Funn while pretending that there are many people in agreement with herself. It’s becoming utterly senseless as anything Funn says will trigger her mass replies. You can spot her since she’s not very creative in language, often repeating herself with the same remarks. She’s the Bosco hater that haunts our site btw.
All offensive remarks will be deleted for the time being until user registration. I will not reply to “Vivien” anymore as her thoughts are truly not worth anyone’s time.
Jayne,
Thanks and I had a feeling they were the same person. You change your username but the style and tone of your writing cannot be changed. No wonder that poster sounded familiar…
HeTieShou,
If you spot someone who sounds like her, just ignore her. I’ll delete the comments and they will cease to exist and waste space and everyone’s time.
<3
I’m still a fan of his acting since the Kindred Spirit days. Still good looking imo after all these years <3
yup
Ben Wong is awesome he is one of tvb best actor like Wayne and Roger not saying his better than Wayne but he can be made tv king if tvb wants him to be tv king he can act bad and good and funny
He can win it once
no wei
Go Ben!
Ben is tall and very good looking, plus he can act …… both good and villainous roles. If TVB promotes him, he can win TV King award sooner or later. He is mature but not old, and he is very handsome and charming.
Ben is a very talented and charming actor. I enjoy all of his performances. He acts in a lot China productions and does well in them all. I wish TVB would notice his talents and promotes him more.
ben acts in china productions thats awesome go ben
Yes,Ben does and has been acting in China productions for a long time. I suggest you see them if you have not yet.
hts
her reviews is her thoughts on a series. not all accurate.
It is quite okay. Everyone should have his/her own thoughts and points of view on any drama series. It is impossible to expect the same from everyone. If you don’t agree, just write your own comments. There is no need to be rude and mean, or shout at each other.
Exactly, a review is just a person’s opinion not a fact that has to be accurate. I often read reviews but admit that I do not always agree,but that does not mean I need to attack and get mad at the person. Afterall,it is only an opinion not a fact. We all have different taste and opinions so I feel we should all respect that.
agree with sandra. a review should accurate for plot details despite its opinion on plot details.
Yup. a reviewer can have opinion but accuracy of the plot need to be precise.
ben’s acting is good especially as a villain but he is also convincing as a good guy now.i think he will have a chance to become co-lead because tvb is short of siu san.
He’s 46, too old to be siu sang.
Wayne Lai is 49 and he is a top siu sang or a 3-time TV King in TVB. Moreover, Wayne is not even good looking vs. Ben Wong. Why can’t Ben do a siu sang’s role?
46years old isnt easy but not impossible,if he can get a taylormade role like tsai gou or laughing,then i think he can,and as what sandcherry said there are some tvb siu san in tvb already in his 40,so its possible.
Was expecting howls of protests and Wayne Lai getting dragged in as an example. How many Wayne Lai’s are there? To quote Wayne as an example doesnt quite cut it cos Ben’s acting is no where near Wayne’s level. Besides not everyone is as lucky to get tailor made roles and such. That’s the reality in tvb but go ahead i’m not saying you can’t dream. Ben is not that handsome btw.There’re lots better looking guys and younger too.
Perhaps not siu sang cos that term is for younger men. Maybe a “lou sang” if there’s such a term (or i just coined it lol).What i mean is an older actor in starring role. That may be possible one day but certainly can’t call someone his age “siu sang”.
siu sang is just an other name if you are leading,its not that big deal to me.beside wayne there are more leading actors in tvb that already past 40 years and still leads.not only in tvb but also the movie industry. mostly all the top actors who dominates for decades are alredy in their 40,some even past 50 years and still reign.i had hoped for more young talented actors,like in korea,but there are not always a andy lau or tony leung on the corner of the street.
kolo, if you can read Chinese, this is what “siu sang” 小生 means:
“小生一般是戏剧里年轻男性的称呼”, the key word is “young” “年轻“。Wayne and Michael Miu are examples of those still leading dramas at their ripe old age but they’re not referred to as “siu sang” 小生，they themselves would probably cringe if that term was used on them.
Ah come on, Michael Miu is like 50 or something and he still acts rings around Wayne and Moses and all those other “siu sangs”. Besides Ben doesnt really strike me as an “old guy” he could probably take on 30 something roles for a good while before he will be forced to take on 40 something roles, He looks quite good for his age,- Just like Michael.
agree
Ben’s not such a good actor like some of you have made him out to be. I watched A Great way to care and what stood out was his very over-the-top acting as the police head or something, he was always shouting at someone or other. Facial expressions also very exaggerated. He’s only memorable in Kindred Spirit and that’s becos the drama is so long running the character just gets drummed into your head. He’s not the worst actor but he’s far from a good one too.
In fact, Ben Wong did not act well in “Kindred Spirit” because he was too green at that time. I think it was his first acting role. He looked super handsome though in that sitcom. I think his acting is a lot more solid now. He has improved so much compared to his role “Ah Hoi”.
He has his bad days and he has his good days as with all actors. He is not a great actor but by no means a bad or a poor one. Do watch Safe Guards. I do think that is his best performance todate and a direct contrast with the Mr Nice Guy from Kindred Spirit as opposed to Mr Evil in Safe Guards.
Meeeeh, no interest but thanks for your feedback. Don’t think it’s worth my time just to catch his best role whatever that may be. Sandcherry, Kindred Spirit isn’t sitcom btw. And to call him super handsome is errrrrrrr errrrr quite a stretch for me, he’s only ok looking but whatever floats your boat cos he sure doesn’t float mine.
omg
It is quite all right if you don’t like Ben Wong. I cannot expect everyone to like him. For example, some people say Wayne Lai is good looking and I don’t agree.
However, if you don’t think Ben Wong was handsome in “Kindred Spirit” when he was young, whom do you think is good looking among the current TVB siu sangs. ……….
“Siu Sang” is generally a term for 戏剧里年轻男性的称呼 …… that I agree. Usually it applies to male actors in their 20s. However, how many TVB actors are in their 20s nowadays? From the list stated below, Him Law and Matthew Ko are the only TVB actors qualified for siu sangs.
As per Wikipedia, here are the ages of the current TVB actors in 1st or heavy supporting roles:
Him Law – 29
Matthew Ko – 29
Vincent Wong – 30
Benjamin Yuen – 32
Lai Lok Yi – 33
Bosco Wong – 33
Raymond Lam – 34
Ron Ng – 34
Wong Cho Lam – 34
Ruco Chan – 37
Edwin Siu – 37
Raymond Wong – 38
Kenneth Ma – 40
Moses Chan – 42
Kevin Cheng – 44
Michael Tse – 46
Ben Wong – 46
Roger Kwok – 49
Wayne Lai – 49
Michael Mui – 55
As kolo said, majority of the top siu sangs (or 1st lead actors) in movie industries are over 40 and many of them are in the 50s. In other words, a 1st lead actor is generally named as “siu sang” or “chung sang” or “lo sang” depending on the age of the 1st lead male character.
We don’t want to call Ben Wong as siu sang, we just hope he will be promoted to take 1st lead role as a 1st lead actor.
@omg
As per Wikipedia:
“A Kindred Spirit (Chinese: 真情) was a television drama series that was broadcast on TVB Jade in Hong Kong from 15 May 1995 to 13 November 1999. It is one of the longest running drama shows in Hong Kong television history (the longest being the sitcom Hong Kong 81 series). Its exceptional longevity still amazes people in a city where scripted TV drama programs typically only last around 20 episodes. The total number of episodes is 1,128. Each episode airs a few days in each week.”
There are 1128 episodes in “A Kindred Spirit”, and you said that it was NOT a sitcom. I don’t recall watching any TVB drama series with over 200 episodes.
A sitcom is short for Situation Comedy. Was Kindred Spirits considered a Comedy?
Kindred Spirit should be known as a soap opera. Sitcom will be more for shows like War of Genders. There should be elements of comedy and humorous dialogues in a sitcom.
Sandcherry, maybe i’m sensitive but i think you’re beginning to sound very agressive. Just becos i said i don’t find Ben handsome, KS isn’t sitcom or he’s too old to be called siu sang one day? FYI the source you quoted doesn’t say that KS is sitcom. Wildberries is right- sitcom is short for situation comedy, it has nothing to do with the number of episodes which you so diligently pointed out KS has more than 1000 episodes (i know that too). It is drama, not sitcom, nothing funny about KS story arcs although it has some lighthearted moments but it certainly isn’t comedy. No i don’t find Ben handsome, sorry if it bothers you. He floats your boat but not mine, let’s leave it as that. I can tell you who i think is handsome among the tvb actors now but that doesn’t change the fact that i don’t find Ben handsome, now or in the past. Yes you’re right, lead actors ar called siu sang, chung sang or lo sang depending on their age. I’m not sure what age is the cut off to be termed siu sang but that term is for young or younger actors. I wld reckon anyone above 45 would feel embarrassed to be described as siu sang. I don’t think even Wayne is called a tvb siu sang (i stand corrected but i don’t remember him being called such). People like Michael Miu, Bobby Au yeong, Damien Lau just to name some older leading actors would probably cringe to be described as such. I was only trying to point out that Ben’s too old to make it to siu sang in tvb’s ranks becos of his age and this is a fact. Anyway it’s just a term, no need to get worked up over it.
@OMG
Thank you for explaining what is a sitcom. I should have checked the meaning of “sitcom” in the dictionary first before I quoted it from Wikipedia.
You are right ……. A sitcom is a “situation comedy”. It’s used to describe a TV or radio show with a set cast of characters that find themselves in humorous or unusual situations.
In fact, I don’t care if people find Ben Wong handsome or not. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder anyway. Personally I find him handsome, and he looks good for a 46-year old actor.
I have to agree with @omg. Ben’s acting is no where near Wayne’s acting at the moment. It is also annoying in Gilded Chopsticks when the camera focuses on another actor but viewers can still see him at the far side looking a little blank. I understand he’s not a veteran actor, but good actors still act when the camera isn’t focused on them.
I hope he changes this habit and I will find watching his dramas more enjoyable.
wayne in some roles > ben but they lucked out.
ben wong is indeed rare for he has the talent, nice fit body, manly mature and very handsome and charming smirk smile whenever he smiles which can be both good and villain roles.. i really hope he can achieve 1st lead success like ruco chan did in short span time..ben wong has won TVB award and its all his hard work and really happy as he is loyal and still together with his wife after decades…although not rich but as long as together happy is already satisfying..
First of all I’d like to give my support to Funn and I enjoy reading her comments. Sometimes I may not quite agree with what she says, but no matter. On the other hand, I really dislike rude comments that hurt others and in this case, Funn. I would just ask you to ignore such unloving people.
As for Ben, I’ve always liked him as he seems to be such a nice person from all accounts of him. Plus, he is handsome and can also act. My very best and sincere wishes to Ben.
Thank you very much.
some of the questions she poses are easily answerable with two clicks. she tells other ppl to volunteer yet when these other ppl tell her to volunteer, she retailes by “why should i”.
precisely.
Ben Wong (黃智賢)is one actor that is not given enough publicity and fame. He is an under promoted veteran actor. Hope it is time for TVB to recognize his good acting.
Made the mistake of reading through all the comments – some of them are so rude.
On the why was Ben married in NZ – of course that is a valid question.
I meant I totally agree wth Teresa’s statement about who this one person can be.
Despite some negative reviews/opinions above I still think he did great in Gilded Chopsticks:) He has screen presence compared to most of the actors in the series, especially the confrontation scene with his bros episode.
Who is this guy???
Everyone:
This column is devoted to Ben Wong and his exploits…let’s be civil and not get carried away with blogger bashing and disenfranchise other bloggers.
LOL his series “A Great Way to Care 2” is showing here and just yesterday, my sister and I were talking about how he was such versatile actor (he can play both good and bad characters) and how he has been around for so long !
Anyways, I always liked his acting, I think the drama that really showcased his acting or really stood out for me was Lives of Omission and then Glided Chopsticks also was a great representative work for Ben 🙂
I hope that TVB will treasure him and give him a BA in the future 😀
IMO, his acting was better in AGWTC2 but awfully OTT in the first part, a lot of unnecessary shouting.
To me, Ben has the same status as Evergreen Mak (and maybe Pierre Ngo). Their names are recognizable that they are cast as supporting actors to beef up a grand production, but they also play 2nd Lead in a lot of series as well. Even if they don’t become the first lead of a series, they still have a pretty successful career which is a lot better than what other people have. 🙂
agree with AC.