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Posted 28 April 2008 - 10:09 AM
Imo, Ah On is a tricky, as opposed to difficult, character to portray; reason being that Ah On is such a bland and mild character, and a goody-2 shoes at that, plus there’s not much gripping drama in his story to make him stand out. Ah On is just like a glass of milk, nutritious and satisfying but not intoxicating like wine. This kind of stock character is very easily overshadowed by the more colorful characters like Gaga or more quirky personalities like Fat Boss. The most attention grabbing characters, of course, are the villains like Susanna Kwan’s character in HOG who can arouse viewers’ intense emotions. (rhetoric rant on: How on earth did Susanna snag the most favorite female tv character award is still beyond me. A villainess - most favorite? Come on! rhetoric rant off. ) As such, Steven had his job cut out for him to not bore his audience with yet another portrayal of a good man genre. In addition, Steven also had the challenge on how to make a perfect character believable when in fact none can be found in real life. Like Fat Boss’ unreserved grading of Ah On on perfection: 100% as son, 100% as husband, & 100% as brother. It brings to mind the good son in The Prodigal Son parable in the bible whose goodness was so taken for granted that he was easily overlooked, if not slighted. Just like those copious remarks on Steven’s performance, “Steven? He’s good as usual." And left it at that. “Good as usual”, if a bit terse bordering on apathy, I guess is at least a kind of recognition, if not praise for his high acting standard. For me, Steven's performance never disappoints but in AJCL's last 2 episodes he was brilliant because finally he was given the chance to fully fledge out his acting talent.
Needless to say, I’ve enjoyed every moment of his screen time especially his heart wrenching scenes in the last few episodes. Thank goodness for a happy ending.
I mean yea he is good at being the determined hark worker who is kinda slow sometimes but i would like to see him have more energy. Usually when he is on scene it looked like he is sleepy cuz he is just so dull. is that how ie is supposed to be? If he is then that means that he did a good job convincing me so yay for stevenTamaya: Slow, dull, sleepy?? meaning an unassuming and layback personality with an even temperament, then yea, Ah On is that. Fat Boss even calls him a block of wood. His family & friends including himself never thought that a volatile, wild girl like Gaga would ever be interested in a 'dull' person like him. But if one gets to know him better, like Gaga did, one would find him to be a warm and spontaneous person, witty and quick with words; for instance, "You're so stupid!" lol! And his repartees with Fat Boss absolutely delighted me. Also, usually unassuming, Ah On can be very assertive, even aggressive to those who threatened his loved ones. I can go on and on about Ah On's virtues and strengths but I think you get my gist. But yea, overall, Ah On is indeed a bland character, kept back by the script and screen time. Which is why I'm so glad for the last 2 episodes where Steven could finally showcase his acting skill. Although Steven did well in his performance, as usual, and brilliantly so in the last 2 episodes, I feel that his acting talent was not fully expended in the series. What a waste of a fine talent!
Yunsias: The thing about Ah On is that he is not dull at all. I loved all his conversations with Fat Boss which shows his ability to use wit and he can be mischievous when he wants to, unlike the really dull "block of wood" Kaka's third brother played by Stephen Wong.
Tamaya: What impresses me most about Ah On is his non-judgmental attitude. Guess that's one reason why Gaga feels at ease with him to falling for him later because he accepts her just as she is; like he accepts his youngest sister's pregnancy and Vicky's immorality. (Although Vicky's abortion crosses his moral threshold) He doesn't condone their behaviors and mistakes, but he loves them no matter and will, within his efforts, help to solve their problems. A good man, all around.
Amazing Grace
Awww, I just loved Steven's character in this series -- a good man, yet not perfect. And to me, his character certainly wasn't "dull" -- I think I would use the word "boring" to describe him rather than "dull" (which is what I think Kent meant when he called On Boy "a block of wood")...I use the word "boring" not in a negative context, but rather simply to mean "not colorful" (i.e. in his free time, he likes to spend time with his family and friends or do 'less exciting' things compared with those who like to go out all the time and have fun) . But in a sense, I think that's what makes his character so endearing (to me at least) -- he is 'boring' yet has good confidence in himself as well as a positive outlook on life...
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