Matthew Ho wins praises for his portrayal of an imperial eunuch in series
HONG KONG: Matthew Ho has been receiving praises for his portrayal of Lee Chun-chung, an imperial eunuch in TVB’s latest comedy drama ‘A General, A Scholar, and A Eunuch’.
“It’s actually a happy thing,” said Matthew, when interviewed about being positively-received for the role. “When I first got my part I had some worries, because the character is a eunuch, and I was afraid that there wouldn’t be much room for development. But this is a time-travel comedy, and a huge part of the story is about these characters trying to overcome cultural differences after coming to the modern day. That gave my character a lot of interesting things to work with. I’m very happy that this role has that.”
Matthew, 28, took a different approach to portraying a eunuch. He explained, “Traditionally, actors portrayed eunuchs with a very high voice. Playing a character who has heavy screen time like that for 30 episodes is tough to do. Not only for me, but also for the viewers. People could find it really irritable. That’s why I’ve decided to use my own normal voice, but speak more softly and gently.”
Since debut the actor has been scouted for playing quieter roles, but his role in TVB’s upcoming historical drama ‘Succession War’ would add a spark to his resume. “It’s a pretty manly role. Although I play Heshen’s son, I hold a pretty high position in court and am very loyal to the emperor. It’s probably the manliest role since my debut. I’m really excited for people to compare my two roles when the drama comes out. I think by then people can get a good idea of my acting range.”
Matthew said he’s not surprised that the producer had cast him in the role of Lee Chunchung, saying, “I have a gentle personality myself, and he could see that. I’m a quiet person, but I can be pretty flexible. As an actor you should be able to play a variety of different roles.”
Besides Matthew, Edwin Siu and Raymond Cho are the other two lead stars.
‘A General, A Scholar, and A Eunuch’ is to air its final episode on Aug 27.