Roger Kwok Credits Kent Cheng for Motivating Him

The face of countless television classics, three-time TV King Roger Kwok (郭晉安) shares the trials and tribulations on his journey to fame, and credits veteran actor Kent Cheng (鄭則仕) for motivating him when he was at his lowest point!

Career Hit a Standstill Despite Promising Start

Finding fame with The Final Verdict <誓不低頭>, Roger was given male lead roles in many dramas, and was even labeled the next Leslie Cheung (張國榮). However, his career stagnated years later and he was even forced to leave TVB and headed to Taiwan and China to film.

In 1994, Roger’s role as the sanctimonious Poon Loon Ching in Instinct <笑看風雲> won him the label of “thousand-faced siu sang”, but his other drama that same year, The Intangible Truth <生死訟> became the lowest-rated primetime drama due to its overly pessimistic plot and its depiction of injustice and unfairness of the Chinese judicial system. At the same time, he encountered contractual issues with his management company, and was forced to leave Hong Kong to seek opportunities elsewhere.

Taught Him to Find the Passion in Acting

Facing difficulties in his career, Roger shared how he was lucky to meet “Fei Mao” Kent Cheung at that point. “He approached me to act in drama Warrior Period <冤孫子兵法>, it was really tough and I’ve never taken on such a difficult role before. Every day, (Kent) would inculcate a lot of positive thinking in me, teaching me how to deal with the entertainment industry. He said, ‘You have to recall what it was like at your very first day at work, how your mentality was like then, curious and excited about everything, (to re-ignite) that fire in your heart,” Roger added that Kent’s advice was to benefit him for life.

It was in only 1998 that he returned to TVB and got his big break in the classic drama At the Threshold of an Era <創世紀>, where his portrayal of the honest Ma Chi Keung struck a chord with viewers. In 2022, he made a career-making role as the fool Ah Wong in Square Pegs <戇夫成龍>, which became a top-rated hit, and gave the actor his first-ever TV King award.

Savvy at Property Investment

With his newfound interest in property investment in recent years, Roger was revealed to have let go of a Gemstone Tower unit for 19 million, earning 13 million after owning the unit for nearly 15 years. Said to own as many as five properties, he is rumored to hold many commercial units beside the Marina Cove unit in Sai Kung, which he currently resides.

Source: HK01