Wednesday, September 26, 2001

2001 Next Magazine: No Miracles Steven Ma


No Miracles - Steven Ma
Steven Ma portrays a stable boy in his new series, ‘On the Track or Off ‘ (勇往直前), so we came up with the idea of dressing up as a horse - the photographer assistant took the horse head, while I, the horse back. We all laughed and said we looked more like an ox instead. Steven said he thinks he is more of an ox. Is that not true? He has been in the industry for eight years, starting as clerk A (in the series), and only now did he finally take on the male lead. (tn:8 years (from 1993 - 2001),  but then it was not until 1997 that he formally joined TVB as a per series contract artist, so technically he became male lead after 4 years in tvb – pretty fast imo.) So, to be a lead horse on a fast track to fame is not for him – within a year he filmed 85 episodes, 2 movies and three commercials; truly hard-working like an ox. Other than the time when he first debut his music company dubbed him as the “2nd Lai Ming/dawn” (pun in Chinese= Leon Lai's name, which means dawn/daybreak) where he was sort of ‘blasted into the space’, he is like an ox with four hooves firmly-planted on the ground; in series--- portray a motivated protagonist, in government propaganda---advise viewers not to take drugs, even his tv commercial product endorsement is righteous too as 排毒美顏寶 (detoxify and beautify face product) youtube link.

When a group of fan girls all prefer to look at Edison Chen smiling his crooked smile, or Nicholas Tse strumming the guitar with his fingers, won’t he being cultured, honest, loyal, and upfront be too boring? Steven simply says: One can never be too polite.

Interviewer=I Steven=S

I: Becoming first male lead only after eight years of struggling; is that considered slower than other people?

S: If work at tv station then not considered too slow but as a singer, it is indeed very slow. Usually singer would debut as main lead. I’m different. My first series was 《 新 同 居 關 係 》as clerk A, the kind that only uttered a few lines in each episode. Perhaps about five years ago I advanced to the second line in Duke of Mt. Deer 《 鹿 鼎 記 》 as Hong Hei.; Healing Hands 1, and Return of the Cuckoo are of similar status.  This time around I’m the main lead. (OTTOO)

I: You believe in advancement by seniority?
S: I've always believed that. This is quite orderly. There’s foundation and there’s structure. My progression is very straightforward, no miracles there. Miracles never happened to me. The good point is that the viewers are given time to gradually accept you; the bad point is that you have to endure the seniority queuing advancement. If the whole process has 10 levels, most people may give up on level 5 or 6.

I’ve a younger sister who is very pretty. Someone suggested to her to enter the Miss Hong Kong Beauty Pageant. I forbade. In the future if I have children I would definitely forbid them to enter the entertainment circle. Because not everybody can withstand the pressure inside the circle. And now my younger sister is happily married

I: You too want to give up?
S: Yes. Maybe 5 years ago, that is three years after debuting. I felt that three years in the entertainment circle is an era, if after three years there is still not much result then I should fade out. That time, I had a contract with Warner Music, frankly speaking, they did not retain me. I heard lots of derison – but still, I shouldn't shift responsibility to others. Moreover, my mother’s unstable health also made me think of changing to a more stable job, so I 'd have more time to spend with her.

I: What made you stay?
S: I was formerly a sales executive in Tin’s Chemicals Ltd. Once inside the make-up room, a certain colleague not knowing I was there said loudly: “Tell Steven Ma to go back to sale屎 la!".  You understand? Sale-屎(shit) ya! Wei! I was indeed previously in sales, so what? This remark I remember to this day. I’ll always remember there are people looking down on me; that’s my motivation.

Prior as an artist my monthly salary was about HK$20,000; as a newbie artist, a show could get HK$3000, and in some month I could do 20+ shows. I may not be the most outstanding, but at least I didn’t waste my time. The earning is enough reason for me to stay.

I’m not the kind of person who’d just daydream. The owner of Tin’s Chemical told me that there will always be a position reserved for me; I like that kind of feeling. I don’t want to deadlock myself to one road only. I hope after I’m 40 years old I can retire from acting. Currently, I have stocks in my own music company, though only a small amount but still it is a business investment. I like to drink tea; this year I plan to open a tea shop; my older sister will run it. I’ve written a lot of essays waiting to be published into a book. I don’t have any super quality but I always know how to create opportunity for myself.

I: There’s a saying that TVB uses you because you can take hard work with no complaints, also compliant and obedient especially....

S: Especially recently when so many first line siu sangs have left the nest, that's why I got my turn? I know, everybody says I’m an ox. Indeed I’ve never complained. Wei, how many people would have like to be able to shoot 85 episodes within a year? If you say I’m hardworking, know that in this circle no one is indispensible. A person who is not hardworking should not even be given opportunity to start with.

What’s the meaning of ‘compliant and obedient’? Do they even know that last year TVB doubled my paycheck? It’s not like TVB did not pay me for my work, so what’s wrong with being compliant and obedient? I can only say it’s a sour grapes attitude. Other people are also just as compliant and obedient but still did not get work to do. Regardless, I believe I’ve the ability.

I: If talking about the fickleness of human nature, do you suddenly feel people showing more warmth?
S: The sudden kind of warmth I can differentiate. Those who truly care about me won’t only now start showing their concern for me. Besides, it’s not all that warm anyway. When I saw formerly familiar artist friends and I greeted them warmly, they only said a simple “hi’ and left. I thought to myself didn’t we use to play together? Is it because then I wasn’t threatening that you were my friend? Is it because now I give you pressure? If that is the case then sorry everybody hopes for a good result for themselves.

I: Don’t have many friends in the circle?
S: True. When I first joined the industry my family of 7 lived in a 300 square feet public housing in Bak Tin. Once, there was this fellow artist whose sister lived in Kowloon Tong, and that night she gave me a ride on her way home. She continuously asked me the directions. I knew she just wanted to hint that she seldom came to this district. When we got to my place, she said: “You live here?” From then onwards I knew to keep my distance.

I: Would your grassroot family background affect your confidence?
S: In this field, it's best if you're from an affluent background and also have a suitable qualification, that way it's easier to exude a star quality.  As for myself, my mom still cut my hair until I turned 18 years old.  (tn: 2013 interview Steven said it was until he was 20 years old that he had his first haircut in a salon.)  In my early years, many people asked me what overseas school/uni I graduated from. I said I studied in HK. And then they would ask which university? (in HK) I said I graduated high school only. It may be because people saw I was refined. (si-si man-man) Actually whether a person is decorous or well-bred or not is not necessarily correlated to education or family background.  The music company said to me that since people perceived you as such, why don't you just don't mention you only graduated high school. Well, I studied in C.M.A.Prevocational Schoo (中華廠商聯會職業先修中學) band 5, so what? I studied  metallurgical, capentry, water and electricity; so what? I feel that my parents brought me up well, at least I know to speak the truth.

My father has had been the only breadwinner in my family, drawing a monthly salary of about HK7000. My mother was a chronic patient. I started working in Form 3 selling ice cream. Every twice a week I pushed a 6-feet high ice cream cart from Haip Hong Road (海防道) all the way to Star House (星光行) .  During Form 5 I decided to find a job to help out my family.

I: Your image being too righteous, won't that have an opposite effect?
S: People have told me that. But truly I'm not the kind that love constant entertainment. (娛樂無窮) Eric Tsang's Super Trio game show invited me as guest but I didn't dare to accept because I knew I would only spoil the atmosphere. The kind reporters may describe me as low-key; one can even say outright say I'm boring. I'll answer all questions thrown at me, with no exaggeration at that, unless being asked my bank account which I'm sure no one will answer.  I did not intentionally pretend to be righteous. I continue to drink and smoke.  At 16 I got into sales, at 18 I represented my company (Tin's Chemical) to do business in mainland. What drink haven't I drunk?  Same with smoking; necessary in social entertaining. Later, smoke even more when filming intensified.

I: As to your respective romantic rumors with Ada Choi, and Astrid Chan, can it be considered as you trying hard to embellish your own blandness? (tn: 點綴 -use something merely for show)

S: The main thing is because I had looked them up to be in my mvs. Also, I truly appreciate them, other than that, there's nothing going on.  But the press kept at it, incessantly.  Company said it's a good thing, at first I thought fine, have some news as publicity but then later I found problems with that, especially since Ada is in a steady relationship with Nicky Wu. We treat and read the news as entertainment but the news may affect them, right? As artists, we already forgo too many things, I don't want to also lose my own true self, too.

Mother (Steven's) battle cancer for many years (tn: 22 years) .  Two years ago, she finally passed away. He could not shed tears during the funeral service or in the wake. The night after, he suddenly felt like drinking, so isolating himself inside the house, he drank bottle after bottle of beer until he became totally drunk, only then could he let his tears out. And he was that way two or three times per week for two months consecutively - like a treatment process. Finally he got past the mourning period for his mother's death. For this 30-year-old man, probably never again would a person or a situation make him be this super drunk or to cry that inconsolably.

Written by: 余家強

I've come across this reporter's news articles on Steven four times, (2001, 2002, 2006 , 2011). Except for this one (2001) article, the later articles were all written in a negative tone, taking jabs at Steven, and also peppered with snide remarks and outright hypebole. Don't know why Steven still let him interview him. 

--- Chinese---