Kenneth Ma Changes for Wife Roxanne Tong

(Above) Roxanne does not particularly mind his intimate scenes, because she is an actress herself and understands that it is part of the job, says Kenneth.

Kenneth Ma (馬國明) has opened up about the compromises and small lifestyle changes he has made since marrying Roxanne Tong (湯洛雯), while joking that the near-perfect husband he plays in his latest drama is probably a little too good to exist in real life.

TVB drama Mrs Revenge <夫妻的博弈> is currently airing and has received considerable praise. Kenneth Ma, who plays Yip Ka-him, has been complimented for portraying a “good man” both on and off screen.

Kenneth laughed that perhaps his co-star Samantha Ko’s (高海寧) character suffers so much in the drama that the scriptwriters could not bear to make things any worse for her, and therefore gave her an exceptionally warm and considerate man as her partner.

“That kind of good man probably only exists in a fairy-tale world,” he stressed, modestly adding that he himself does not possess all of those qualities in real life.

Marriage has taught him that compromise must go both ways

Asked whether becoming a married man had changed the way he approached romantic scenes or roles as a husband, Kenneth said that professionally, he still simply follows the script.

If a drama requires intimate scenes, however, he will give his wife a heads-up beforehand. “Filming a drama is about particular scenes and situations,” he said. “But in real life, when two people live together, you really are facing each other 24 hours a day!”

For Kenneth, a real marriage therefore depends heavily on mutual understanding and mutual accommodation.“If it is always only one person accommodating the other, that marriage definitely won’t last,”

“People may think I’m always the one accommodating my wife, but actually there are also times when she accommodates me.” He admitted, bringing up household administration and paying the bills as one of the things Roxanne helps with.

“I’m really bad with online stuff. For example, paying the electricity bill or gas bill online — I just find it troublesome and can’t be bothered dealing (with it)…it feels like it would be very easy for someone to transfer all the money out of your account!”

The one person allowed to eat in his beloved car

Asked what he himself has had to change for her, Kenneth immediately brought up his cars. A self-confessed car lover, he is particularly particular about keeping the interior of his car clean.

Unfortunately for him, his wife happens to love eating and drinking inside the car. “At first, I really minded,” he admitted. But marriage has gradually changed his attitude. When the interviewer jokingly asked whether that was simply because she was now his wife, Ma laughed, adding, “She’s the only person who is allowed to do that,”

However, Kenneth readily admitted that he usually ends up being the one who backs down, when husband and wife enter the sort of “game” or tug-of-war referenced in the drama’s title.

Teased by Roxanne for Passable Singing

While acting remains Kenneth’s first love, his recent concerts in mainland China with close friends Edwin Siu (蕭正楠) and Raymond Cho (曹永廉) have been pretty well received.

“There were songs I had heard before but had never actually sung,” he said. “Then the two of them dragged me off to practise. After Edwin heard me sing for the first time, he basically said, ‘We’re in trouble!’”

Thanking his buddies for not giving up on him and for effectively becoming his singing coaches, Kenneth feels that his singing has improved “after considerable practice”.

With the support of sponsors, the trio subsequently expanded their performances beyond Asia and even staged shows in the United States. Brushing off suggestions that the three might eventually form a permanent boy band, Kenneth added, “There’s no need. We can just continue holding concerts as the three of us. There aren’t that many dramas being made at the moment anyway, so these are also opportunities to earn money.”

Thankful that audiences in mainland China have been rather forgiving about his singing ability since they have been watching his dramas all along, Kenneth is now considering finding a vocal coach and learning to sing properly!

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