Wayne Lai, Ruco Chan, and Raymond Wong Play Eunuchs in New TVB Series
With Ricky Wong (王維基), Chairman of City Telecom, luring artists and staff away from TVB, executives Stephen Chan (陳志雲) and Mark Lee (李寶安) have been busily putting up a “resistance effort” through pacification by personally meeting with employees who considered leaving. TVB increased staff salaries in the range of 20% to 50% and was successful in persuading staff to remain at the company. In addition, TVB increased the production budget in heavyweight dramas to pacify anxiety among their employees. In addition, ratings guarantors, Wayne Lai (黎耀祥) and Maggie Cheung (張可頤), were recruited to star in 2012’s heavyweight drama, Big Eunuch <大太監>.
For employees who have already signed employment contract agreements with Ricky Wong, but were nevertheless considering remaining at TVB, Mr. Lee and Mr. Chan provided legal consultants to offer legal advice. Mr. Lee and Mr. Chan’s sincerity moved many employees who have worked at TVB for a lengthy number of years. Asked to comment upon TVB’s “pacification effort,” Ricky Wong refused to comment directly, only calmly replying, “Up until this point, I do not see much results.”
Big Eunuch
Earlier, Ricky Wong vowed to invest vast sums of money to attract talent and produce high quality series. Frequently accused of being unwilling to invest money in its productions, TVB could no longer cut corners now. Aside from War and Beauty 2 <金枝慾孽2> filming on location in Beijing, year-end heavyweight drama, Big Eunuch will film in Hengdian, China in February 2012. Compared to normal series, TVB will be investing an additional 40% in the production budget for these series.
The producer of Big Eunuch, Lo Wing Yin (羅永賢), revealed that Wayne Lai will be portraying an imperial eunuch, Maggie Cheung will portray Empress Dowager, and the currently promoted Ruco Chan (陳展鵬) and Raymond Wong (黃浩然) will play eunuchs with significant screen time.
Wayne praised Maggie in possessing the right aura to play Empress Dowager. “Maggie is very beautiful in ancient costumes, which are very suitable for her.” (Will you appear as onscreen couples more frequently to earn more money?) “Of course I want to do so! Let’s partner and charge together!”
With her TVB contract expiring at the year of this year, Maggie indicated that she will decide on the future once her manager completes the contract discussions. “It is a big challenge to portray Empress Dowager. I hope we can work together.”
In addition, Ruco Chan said he was happy in portraying an eunuch in the upcoming series, “This is a role that offers expressive opportunities. I was very happy working with Wayne and Maggie earlier.” In his first television series, Ruco indicated that he had already worked with Wayne, who offered him a lot of advice.
Excerpt from Orientaldaily
Jayne: Another Qing dynasty series centered around the imperial court! Will Wayne Lai wear old make-up for this series? I remember when the original sales presentation clip was filmed, Michelle Yim had portrayed Empress Dowager.
Isn’t it a waste to have Ruco Chan and Raymond Wong portray eunuchs? Wouldn’t this kill possible romantic arcs with the female cast?
Isn’t it a waste to have Ruco Chan and Raymond Wong portray eunuchs?
Not a waste at all. Well, I personally favor eunuch roles, so I’m happy to see eunuchs having prominent roles in dramas 😀
Wouldn’t this kill possible romantic arcs with the female cast?
That’s even better. They can be a gay couple. I will enjoy that very much.
They might be gay eunuchs
I’m just glad it’s not my ray playing the eunuch. But I do like ray Wong too. So pitiful for him.
Unless the romance story is btwn ray and Ruco. That would be bold!
🙁 I want :P.
So it’s Wayne and Maggie again?
Maybe they’ll focus on platonic love and love marked by self-restraint, given that the male leads are all eunuchs.
Hm… maybe Ruco and Ray are eunuchs but not really real eunuchs… if you know what I mean.
Maybe mid-way, we can discover that during the youth’s castration process, the executor felt pity for them and let them off or by some political machinations, they are only fake eunuchs…
This way, they can still develop love relationships with female leads.
Kekeke… yah, my imagination!
Infernal eunuch affairs!
Ray is an undercover eunuch planted to get near Li Lin ying in order to plot to kill the empress.
Ruco is a real eunuch trained since he was young by LLY and has assimilated into the rebel society so that he can be informant to block all their plans.
And somewhere in a flashback, Edison makes a cameo appearance.
@Canto – No. And if the storyline does go that way, I will cut someone. Besides, I think eunuchs can have romantic feelings for girls. A part of your romantic feelings for someone do come from the brain – and I doubt they get that castrated.
@josie – Excellent.
That would be impossible. THey will all have to be real eunuchs.
I hope it focuses on the politics and maybe some love as in unrequited but anything beyond that, I will think this series will then become borderline stupid.
I might not be watching this, but a little bit of bro-mance wouldn’t hurt for TVB :). It will give a new dimension rather than over-used TVB pairing lines.
Wayne Lai as Lei Lin Ying issit?
“Isn’t it a waste to have Ruco Chan and Raymond Wong portray eunuchs? Wouldn’t this kill possible romantic arcs with the female cast?”
I don’t think it’s a waste. I think it’s good. It force the TVB writers to write something new and not use the usual formulaic romance.
I was actually looking forward to Michelle Yim and Wayne Lai partnering up, but Maggie is a pretty good actress so it’s not too bad.
I don’t think Ruco and Ray playing eunuchs will ruin any of the love relationships. Just because a man is an eunuch it doesn’t mean they can’t love or care for the opposite sex. It’s actually a more challenging role to play in and it will probably show off their acting skills.
I don’t know about others, but I’m kind of sick of how TVB’s love stories are ALWAYS so predictable and boring.
Eunuchs can still have emotions :). But plz don’t make all of them fall in love with the concubines.
wait eunuchs may have their penis chopped off, but they still have sexual emotions right? let me guess, its a b*tchy series where one of the eunuchs falls in love with the princesses. snooze.
Wasn’t this drama supposed to be out this year?? I think Michelle Yim has a better look as the Empress (she can look mean/evil – what happened to the original castings?) but Maggie is a good substitute. Anyway, this is one drama I’m looking forward to!! Please don’t disappoint us!
Wayne Lai to play an eunuch, ok.
viewers would enjoy seeking the other actors also become a bunch of big bo’pui-ess eunuchos flourishing in their dynastic east court, lol
Eunuchs flourishing while clawing each other to gain favour from the empress!
“Isn’t it a waste to have Ruco Chan and Raymond Wong portray eunuchs? Wouldn’t this kill possible romantic arcs with the female cast?”
Even eunuchs were young and handsome once. Zheng He was a eunuch. They can still have romantic arc as eunuchs do get married and adopt children.
Come to think of it, how did those olden times China think of all these “torturous” lifestyle, e.g. eunuchs, female foot binding, hundreds or thousands of concubines…
All seem very cruel… Luckily we are not living in those times.
Simple.
“eunuchs”
They serve the women, so the top man has to be sure these eunuchs are not equipped to serve their other needs and to ensure the offspring is his. Not only China has eunuchs back in those days. It is in every imperial court except maybe the western?
“female foot binding”
for those swaying of hips feminine walk. Legend has it one I believe woman of I can’t remember when ordered every foot to be bound because she herself is a vixen/fox spirit disguised as a woman and she can’t disguised her small feet.
“hundreds or thousands of concubines”
Procreation to ensure continued line of succession. Polygamy still exist.
Eunuchs were very popular in Persia, Greece, and Middle Age Europe as well.
I think Tang Dynasty China was probably the best time to live in. It was a very liberal society (as in, women also had a lot of power).
Maybe.
I am a man who has had his testicles removed (after an accident) and am technically a eunuch. However, even though I don’t have balls, I do feel desire and can get and maintain erections because I take extra testosterone.
However, I don’t think these characters have testosterone available to them. Also, I think that in those times eunuchs also had their penises cut off.
I feel sorry them – being ball-less is bad enough, but to have no penis as well!
Who will play the emperor and concubines? Maybe the romance will lie there. I don’t mind Raymond and Ruco playing eunuchs because it means TVB isn’t giving in to using their handsomeness as a plot line, rather, utilizing their strong acting ability to portray complex characters. Eunuchs in general are difficult to portray because they obviously develop psychological issues being eunuchs.
I hope the writers will focus on the politics while still make it compelling to follow. They already have a strong cast. And I’m sure the complicated platonic love between Cixi and Li lianyiang will be very interesting. This is a man who spends the most time with her.
Yes I applaud TVB for including Ruco and Raymond Wong in a grand production and using them not for their looks this time but more for their acting skills. They will be challenged by the eunuch character which is highly psychological and show their acting chops to the deepest.
The script had better be good. I was looking forward to Michelle Yim pairing up with Wayne Lai though. I hope Raymond Wong plays the villian.
This should be interesting as I am a new fan of Ruco’s and really like Wayne a lot. Not really mad on ancient dramas but will give it a go anyhow because of the stars.
@ Funn and Addy
Yes but the man who first thought of this idea is very twisted.
If he was afraid of his many wives sleeping around, he shouldn’t have so many wives. In that way he don’t need to maim eunuchs.
If he only liked women to walk slowly and take little steps then just make it a culture trend, that women take little steps to look attractive, no need to
dislocate women’s feet.
I mean if the gender roles are reversed, u r a woman, would u accept seven or eight husbands or thousands of husbands?
It’s a twisted twisted way of thinking…
“If he only liked women to walk slowly and take little steps then just make it a culture trend, that women take little steps to look attractive, no need to
dislocate women’s feet.
Are you sure it’s the men who started this trend?
“I mean if the gender roles are reversed, u r a woman, would u accept seven or eight husbands or thousands of husbands?”
Men and women are different biologically.
Canto, when did the poor ones have human rights back in those days?
“I mean if the gender roles are reversed, u r a woman, would u accept seven or eight husbands or thousands of husbands?”
If I am a woman, yes I do though a bit tiring. But if I am a man, of course not. But in some culture, even till today, some women do have polygamous relationship, as in 1 wife, many many husbands. A necessity if the village lacks women. The problem is the probability of incestous relationships which I must say Chinese are good at avoiding.
As for bound feet, my feeling is only a woman can think of such devious thing and only men can encourage it to continue.
I never said you were wrong, lol. Stuff like this happens when the society you’re living in is patriarchal. It’s part of life, and people socialize into them.
In a purely biological explanation, women can’t really afford to have thousands of husbands. Men can, simply because they don’t give birth. And they can still produce fertile sperm at old ages.
As much as I like Maggie, I was hoping to see Michelle Yim in this coveted role of the Empress Dowager.
Eunuchs are castrated imperial servants for the reason so they can’t reproduce and start families. Once a eunuch always a eunuch. Doesn’t mean they have anything chopped off… They do not grow a vagina. It’s a vasectomy. They don’t automatically become gays and can still be attracted to women and fall in love. It would be very interesting to see Wayne Ruco and Raymond these masculine actors portray a stereotypical feminine eunuch.
They did have the reproductive organ chopped off. It’s not vasectomy where you only tie the tubes inside. They chopped off the whole thing during Qing Dynasty. I’ve seen a picture of a young Qing Dynasty eunuch with his pants down. You can find it somewhere in the net.
@Kidd,
Do you mean they had their testicles chopped off? didnt that will bleed to death? I thought they just remove the ball inside their testicles.
I think they have medicine to stop the bleeding. But, I read that not all survived the castration process.