There were rumors that Steven Ma (馬浚偉) did not get along with TVB management and requested to terminate his contract early. Yesterday morning, Steven arrived at TVB City to discuss his resignation. Steven indicated that he was at TVB yesterday, while TVB executive manager, Virginia Lok (樂易玲) confirmed that Steven will official end his contract in March 2012.
Initially working in the industry as a singer, Steven Ma joined TVB in 1994 under Catherine Tsang’s (曾勵珍) encouragement, working for 18 years with the company. Unfortunately, Steven’s series were often broadcast in weak viewership time slots. While he was nominated for the TVB Best Actor in the past, he never won the award. Earlier, TVB attempted to prevent him from filming mainland series, Legend of Yuan Empire Founder <建元风云>, which made Steven feel frustrated, prompting him to seek early termination of his contract. It was rumored that TVB Deputy Chairman, Mona Fong (方逸华) wished to retain Steven, but he refused to give in. Allegedly, Steven also refused to take a joint photo with rumored nemesis, Virginia Lok at large-scale promotional events.
Steven acknowledged that he was at TVB City yesterday. Asked whether he had returned to TVB to discuss his early contract termination, Steven replied, “Let’s talk about these matters later. I can only say that TVB and I are currently discussing this issue in a pleasant manner.”
Virginia Lok Confirmed Steven Ma’s Departure
In a telephone interview, Virginia Lok noted, “Steven Ma returned yesterday morning to TVB City to discuss his contract termination. His contract expiration date was originally May 2012, but he requested to end the contract early in March instead. TVB has accepted his resignation. Earlier, TVB accept a work assignment for him, which he pledged to fulfill. Our legal department will follow up on the details of the matter.”
Excerpt from Oriental Daily
Jayne: I wish Steven Ma the best and that he continues to reach greater heights in his career. Fortunately, no dramatic departure similar to Wong Hei when he left TVB.
Tags: Steven Ma, Virginia Lok
Another great actor which I will probably never see in a TVB production again, unless Virginia Lok leaves.
He will be missed.
Pandamao,
Everyone must move on. 18 years has already been a long time already.
No need to miss if we can still watch his new mainland series…he’s not retiring from acting lah.
You can always see him in mainland series and other companies productions and not only limit yourself to TVB series. Who knows, I bet one day he will come back to TVB since many many artists that have left in the past have always came back.
I think it is also good for him to leave since he can expand his horizons in mainland and other companies. I will miss seeing him in TVB series as well but look forward to seeing him China productions and other companies. Best of luck to Steven!!
He can still appear those RTHK mini-series on TVB Jade channels… whoopie!
i believe that he is the greatest actor i’ve known. i do not want him to leave and i do want to see more of his shows. i would beg him to come back but i’m not in hong kong at the moment. I have been his fans for a long time and i watched almost evey one of his movies. i’m secertly inspired by him and his movies. please come back or if you have a better future. please still inrole in movies even if you are not working for tvb, please?:(
i love him so much!! he is a great actor..but no 1 appreciate..so sad..
saaaaame! i thought he was a great actor, loved him in the life and times of a sentinel especially!
Steven is a great actor, love his series and hope he will have a better future.
All the best to him!
I wish he could move to mainland or other new tv section in HK or move to movie ,is also a good singer ,he will be missed by TVB.
The best of everything to Steven!
I wonder does he need to pay early termination fee for his contract?
I want to meet him in person and listen to his songs but his concert ticket sold out fast.
I wonder the same thing and think that he does. Usually when you want to terminate your contract with any company early, you have to face some kind of penalty one way or another…
Lucia: Steven’s SF concert is sold out but there are still tickets available in his Pechanga concert near LA. http://www.jadeentertain.com/blog/
Funny isn’t it? Steven did not clearly say he is leaving but 620 jumped the gun and said he is leaving. I guess someone really wants him to leave then. Steven, go to China! I will watch your dubbed series!!!
Funn,
I guess Steven was trying to be civil and announce his resignation closer to March. Perhaps Virginia is tired of the negotiations and the press hounding her about the matter, thus spoke so bluntly about the impending departure.
She has always been blunt when it comes to Steven. Maybe they’re still under negotiations? After all Steven has spent a lot of years at TVB. It is as if 620 was just too happy to announce first before anyone else.
Obviously like Ms. Lok said, the details of the matter are followed up by the legal department, technically the termination contract is not finalized, hence Steven’s reservation in publicly announcing it to the media or on his weibo.
Either Steven was just being polite or they were still negotiating from the way he phrased things. However, Miss Lok OTOH didn’t want anyone to think there was a possibility for him to stay. Interesting…
I never understood her dislike frankly. According to rumours, she LOVES artistes who are obedient and doesn’t cause problems. And as far as I can recall, Steven is pretty clean and he’s been very loyal to TVB. So what’s her problem? She doesn’t find him as good-looking as Kevin or something…? Or did he just not kiss her ass enough?
I wish Steven luck (and predicts he could be the next person to sign with CT).
Ms. Lok probably doesn’t like Steven that much b/c he’s close to the other Stephen.
But Steven shouldn’t feel bad about losing to Kevin in terms of looks b/c many of the tvb actresses aren’t even as pretty as KC.
Steven was never in Stephen party, the reporters put him there. Before 2009 he used to be reported in Catherine Tsang party. It is during his 2009 contract renewal that Steven was formally introduced to SC and talked face to face for the first time despite all those years of being colleagues in the same company. And 5 months into Steven’s renewed contract before they had had a chance to really work closely together, Stephen was charged with corruption. So at the time of SC’s corruption case, Steven really did not know SC personally all that well.
Because of Steven’s contract dispute with Lok, Catherine brought SC into the negotiation to talk to Steven. And because of Stephen’s promises,Steven signed the contract. And we all know what happened 5 months into his contract, so I believe some of the contractual terms have not been fulfilled therefore the contract is breached. Else why is Steven so determined to end the contract on his terms. And after all these hoopla only 2 months in advance of actual.
Personally, I’ve always preferred Steven’s looks over Kevin. Steven’s ancient drama makeover is to me simply stunning.
advo:she LOVES artistes who are obedient and doesn’t cause problems.
Yes, Steven is pretty obedient as far as work goes and doesn’t cause unnecessary problems to the company but outside work is another matter.
Like he refuses to play tvb off screen rumored couple promo game for publicity. In this 2008 AJCL Eileen Cha interview (incidentally Steven also hinted that he’s in a serious relationship, which might be the main reason for his refusal.)
C: So for this series, did you get a rumored girlfriend?
S: Don’t think so
C: If really need to.. for promotional reason?
S: Don’t involve me
C: Just to get some rumors going.
S: I don’t want it. I’ll not co-operate. They all know it..especially my manager..
C: Did you tell them that?
S: I told them, don’t involve me. For promotions, I’ll do interviews and dialogues. Anything that is outside work – if it’s real then it’s real; if not then it’s not. I don’t like to see too much of myself in the tabloids. I know it can be quite boring to just talk about work. But I’m totally against tabloid romance 绯闻. ‘against’- meaning I find it very bothersome Some things are not true; everybody knows it, so why pretend for 2 months?
C: Not just for 2 months; it’s every now and then. Whenever it’s promotional time, the box will pop out.
S: That’s truly so fake. Some that are genuine I will believe it to be true. Because of work, you are paired with who and who, and this and that. There’s no meaning to talk about something that’s made-up.
If between Kevin and Steven, I think Kevin does have the better looks and charisma. There’s something about Steven that’s a bit boring onscreen.
@Funn: BTS video of Legend of Yuan Empire. weibo netizen praise Steven’s Mandarin in the scene. But most likely his voiced will be dubbed. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qa3xnb8vqQo
Let me be clear; he voice WILL BE dubbed. For consistency and with a more deeper manlier unnatural voice. But who cares! I just want Steven to be great so that he can one up that 620. Why is he bald? Hmmmm… am excited about this series until something says to me I shouldn’t be.
Just watched it. Mandarin is good but unfortunately HK accent. China production loves the neutral non accent. I only hope the dubbing won’t be too loud. That is Hu Jun? He will probably dub his own voice.
Funn: I’d rather Steven’s voice be dubbed, anyway. Steven’s Mandarin is really too Hong Kong accented no matter how fluently he speaks it.
Steven’s Liu Bingzhong is to Kublai Khan what Zhuge Liang is to Liu Bei. He was the architect of newly founded Yuan Empire.
In 1233, Liu entered the Jin’s bureaucracy. He still was an officer after the Mongol-Yuan Dynasty replaced the Jin, but later he became a monk. However his teacher thought that his talent should not be buried, so he recommended Liu Bingzhong to Kublai Khan, to become his adviser.
Sounds very interesting!!!
didn’t steven also leave tvb for a while after ‘where the legend begins’? i remember not seeing him for a few yrs in tvb series.. or was it then that 620 came into power and started to neglect these good artists?
i really hope steven stays with tvb! love him and he is such a good actor!
oh well i guess i will just watch his mainland dramas then!
TVB should’ve let Steven off the hook already anyway March is not that far away and I wish Steven all the best.
Good luck to Steven. Is he signing to Ricky Wong’s City Telecom or mainland company after this?
Terrible news… another actor I really enjoy gone… how is TVB going to fill all these voids! Their current actor corps is going to be sorely overworked….
i lov him. all the best to him..
I am waiting for Kevin Cheng, Bosco Wong, and Michael Tse’s departure…lol. I would like to see if TVB could survive.
Good luck, Steven….until your final TVB series to be air this year…or next year if they want to stretch it further…
This is one of the better news as I think Steven’s talents can be better appreciated else where and I am sure his acting skills , already great in my opinion , will soar to greater heights !
Best of wishes to Steven and Happy New Year too, although Steven will be working.
Btw, I much much prefer Steven’s looks to anybody else’s and hurray there is no need for me to catch up on TVB dramas anymore:)
darrenll: Hear!Hear! To everything you said.
Spoken like a true SM supporter.
Hi Claimine, glad you noticed that I am a true SM supporter.
He really is the only HK actor worthy of my support and I think I am not exaggerating when I say my support of him will last for a long long time.
Wondering when he will come to Singapore, though !
Poor Leung Choi Yuen is already bemoaning who will he talk and laugh with once Steven’s gone. 材叔： @馬浚偉 為什麼一時間有那麼多人要離去？2011究竟是什麼年？舉目言笑 誰與為歡？
Good luck to you Steven! You are a great actor , you will do well!
DARN, i’ve always like watching Steven in most tvb series but he’s leaving now..and I hardly or interested in any mainland series…
Guess I can only remember in my heart since I’m not a fan of any mainland series…so chances of seeing Steven in “series” again is 0%
Well not necessarily…cuz as some1 pointed out earlier, Steven might decide to come back to film 1 or 2 series for tvb in the future
to be honest i do not care for him, whether he stays or not. i don’t like him as an actor. he is boring and i don’t buy it whether he is trying to be a slick con man in that hotel drama, or the really annoying and useless fisherman in that horoscope drama.
http://www.onthezee.blogspot.com
Excuse me, we, Steven Ma fans, do not care whether you care for him or not
You do not have to pronounce loud and clear your dislike of Steven.
It’s ok, Darrenll. Opinions are just that, opinions.
Recall Steven’s 2011 Feb 17 weibo post.
2/17/2011 23:58 Yik Jo On? Some scolded, but at the same time, many encouraged. Actually, I do not choose to portray only the righteous protagonists, sometimes, tired of it too! More specifically, the righteous protagonists are actually more difficult to portray! After all these years, I’m still not tired? Fibbing you la! But anyway, I’m willing to experiment. You all like? Then I’m willing! Thank you, Uncle Choi, thank you those who believe in me! I don’t have gold heaps and jade stacks! (gold/jade awards(?)我沒有金堆玉砌) Perhaps ordinary, but in my ordinariness you get to see how I act, how I portray my character, how I perform in a series, what else would I ask for?
…也許平凡，但平凡至你們會看我怎樣演，演一個角色，演一部戲，還求什麼？
Steven Ma is one of the best actors in TVB. It will never be the same even if he acts in the dramas of Mainland China because mainland likes to dub the original voice. And furthermore, he would not be speaking in canto anymore.
No matter how good he is in mainland series, his style in TVB will be lost.
My most fav actor is Steven Ma, great acting skills and talent in singing. He’s the only artiste whom I’ve seen so much improvement in all areas. A pity that he’s leaving TVB, meaning I can’t watch him in those dramas again. But I wish him all the best to advance in his career and probably I will watch mainland dramas just for him!