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Monday, September 01, 2003



Ah Wong into Nasty Nardo - Roger Kwok is Just as Good and his Confidence Shoots Through the Roof

[Ming Pao]

On the train, in the MTR carriage, "Go! Go! Go!" has become the latest catchphrase to be repeated by the kids and some couple it with the rather obnoxious, but comical hand gesture. This is Roger Kwok's second wave of 2003 that is causing his fame to rise once again. After Ah Wong, "Mei Lai Joi Mong" (Not Just A Pretty Face)'s Nardo is becoming the idol of the people.

"In the same year being able to have the roles of Ah Wong and Nardo, this is definitely a great reward for this year." Changing from the innocent Ah Wong to the rather nasty Leonardo, Roger will meet with lady viewers on the street who ask him: "Ah Wong, why have you turned so bad?" He maintains his nasty Nardo image and says: "Go! Go! Go! Go home and watch TV!" Pleased with this response, the ladies retire in giggles.

The Roger of today is so much more confident than before and has taken down all his protective armour, becoming more open. At the beginning of the year, Ah Wong broke through the barriers and he describes this as being like a wave rushing over him, with little mental preparation, the success of Ah Wong seemed like it was little to do with him. This time he has prepared himself as he rides the waves and welcomes the joy of his success. He says that Nardo is a success from a challenge he has set himself and compared to Ah Wong, he has placed twice as much time into researching this character. "When I got this script I was a little scared with a headache about how to create a love-hate relationship between this rather horrible character and the audience. I looked into Jim Carrey and Jack Nicholson's performances and created Nardo who is an amalgamation of them both. Now I am enjoying this success very much!"

Before the show was aired, Roger was sure that this show would be welcomed by the viewers and really wanted to reward himself with a BMW Jeep, so he took his girlfriend with him to look at cars, he saw his dream car, but because his girlfriend didn't like the colour, this put him off spending his money frivolously. He has decided to buy a new property next year so he is currently saving up for the deposit. He says that he will need at least 60 or 70 percent as a deposit so that the payments on the rest of it will be more comfortable.

Roger has been in the showbiz circles for over ten years, but admits that he has never had any savings until this year. "Before I liked to spend money wastefully and didn't save any money. The money that I worked so hard to earn was put into decorating my home and buying furniture." Ah Wong led Roger's income to rise sharply and under the instruction of his eighth sister, he has in the space of a few months nearly reached his goal of buying his own property. The amazing power of money that can give such a sense of security and can raise a person's confidence has broken down the barriers of the past that were erected due to this feeling of lack of security.

How will he create the third wave? Take his place as Number One at TVB? Duetting with Joey for the theme of "Pretty Face", will this provide him with the opportunity to break once again into the music industry? These questions are not part of Roger's worries at the moment. He sees himself as a useful and functional tool and believes that TVB will put him to good use and arrange the best path for him. To him, the present is to take each step happily, be happy with what he meets and not bring pressure onto himself.

"Pretty Face" has started with high ratings and as they open the champagne to celebrate, Roger displays his ability to spot the dangers from a safe place as he sees through and analyses the way of the ratings and the dangers they face. He laughs that Nardo will meet with fierce opposition in the form of Manchester United, Chelsea and even Real Madrid. This is because "Pretty Face" is being aired at the same time that Cable is broadcasting coverage of the English Premier League and when the popular teams are playing the audience will be snatched away. The first week of airing would have brought average ratings for "Pretty Face" of more than 30 points if it wasn't for Friday's premier league match that brought the ratings down for that particular day. Plus with the opening of the racing season, "Pretty Face" is certainly up against the odds.

Roger says that to let himself be drunk on stability will lead to laziness. He has a unique self motivation process for when he is 'too safe', he will remind himself of his idol Jack Nicholson's performances in "The Shining" twenty years ago and after scaring himself silly, this will create the sense of danger in him once again. It turns out that Roger was 'frightened' into growing up, so the storms he has met in the entertainment industry is nothing much to him.

http://hk.news.yahoo.com/030901/12/txzf.html


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