Roger Kwok Had To Leave HK To Find Work Overseas In The ’90s, Says Kent Cheng Gave Him The Chance To Make His Return

Roger Kwok, 57, is one of TVB's most popular stars but do you know his journey to becoming a household name was filled with many ups and downs?

He starred in his first drama, City Story, in 1986 when he was only 22. Two years later, he shot to stardom with a supporting role in the hugely successful The Final Verdict, which starred Adam Cheng and the late Kenneth Tsang.

Roger's newfound popularity led to him getting cast as the lead in a number of TVB dramas. At one point, he was even called “Leslie Cheung’s successor”, which is high praise for any actor. 

His acting skills were widely praised after he played the greedy and materialistic Poon Long-ching in 1994's Instinct, and he was labelled as one of the most versatile actors of his generation.

However, that same year, he also starred in The Intangible Truth, which was about wrongful arrests and law injustice in China. The heavy and super serious storyline was a huge turn-off for viewers and it became TVB’s lowest -rated prime time show of the year.

At the same time, Roger was also having contractual issues with his management company and he had no choice but to leave Hongkong for Taiwan, China, and Malaysia in search of better acting opportunities.

That was a really rough period for Roger but things picked up after he got a call from veteran actor Kent Cheng, now 71.

“He sought me out to act in the film Warrior Period 1 (1997), and it was really tough. I had not acted in such an exhausting role in a long time. Kent would instill in me positive thinking every single day and he taught me how to cope with being in showbiz. He told me to remember how I was like on my first day at work, and to hold on to that feeling. The curiosity and excitement that I had was what I needed to reignite my passion [for my job],” said Roger.

Roger officially made his return to TVB in 1998 and his popularity skyrocketed when he starred as the kind but naive Ma Chi-keung in the mega-hit At the Threshold of an Era (1999).

In 2002, he played one of TVB's most iconic characters ‘Ah Wang’ in 2002's record-breaking drama Square Pegs, alongside Jessica Hsuan.

The role, a grown man with the mental age of an eight-year-old, turned Roger into a household name across Asia and also and won him a slew of awards, including his first Best Actor at the TVB Anniversary Awards.

Roger is now starring in Communion, TVB's tribute to the 25th anniversary of the Hongkong handover. 

The show, which revolves around a restaurant business in China and Hongkong, has been praised by Hongkongers for its heartfelt and relatable narrative, with many viewers saying that they tear up while watching it.

Photos: Sinchew News/ Sohu

You can catch Roger in The Forgotten Day on meWATCH, or watch ep 1 below.