In this year’s TVB Anniversary Awards, Kevin Cheng (鄭嘉穎) beat Michael Tse (謝天華) in winning the Best Actor Award. Although the battle in Hong Kong had concluded, Kevin and Michael will relocate their battleground to mainland China.In new mainland series, Hero "英雄", the pair will be arch rivals and hold a battle of wits, with Kevin portraying Emperor Fuchai of Wu and Michael as Emperor Guojian of Yue during the Spring and Autumn Period (春秋时代)!It turned out that the two good looking men, Kevin and Michael, never collaborated together at TVB. Hero will be the first time that the pair will be partnering together. At yesterday’s press conference for Hero, both Kevin and Michael wore a scarf over a light jacket. The pair often chatted with each other, appearing friendly together.
Michael Tse Unwilling to Fall Behind Kevin ChengIn mainland, Kevin and Michael were often labeled as competitors. Although Kevin successfully won the TVB Best Actor Award, Michael boasted, “I did not lose in acting, but lost only in popularity.” With Kevin’s popularity rapidly rising in mainland China, Michael was unwilling to fall behind, “I hope that more people will get to know me after Hero. I am not worried about our acting being compared; I am only concerned that the performance will not be good.” It was understood that Michael Tse’s filming fee in Hero will be $150,000 Yuan per episode.
Kevin Cheng’s filming fees allegedly soared to $250,000 Yuan per episode in mainland China. Taking into account Kevin’s income from filming Ghetto Justice 2 "怒火街頭II", Hero, and the modern version of Bu Bu Jing Xin "步步驚心", Kevin was slated to earn $30 million HKD. Regarding his current filming fees, Kevin stated, “I am very satisfied, but the amount is not as exaggerated as the reports claim.”
Kevin Cheng’s Pure Friendship with Charmaine Sheh
The focus of the media yesterday was on Kevin and Charmaine Sheh’s (佘詩曼) recent reconciliation rumors. Both Kevin and Charmaine were currently filming in filming in Hengdian, China. Asked by reporters about the reconciliation rumors, Kevin said they were not true. “We have always been good friends and our relationship is not as described by the media. If the opportunity arises, we will have dinner together in Hengdian. We have a pure friendship and do not have anything that cannot see the light. It is fine even if we were to be photographed by the media!”
Other cast members of Hero include Ken Chu (朱孝天) as Fan Li, an advisor to the State of Yue. Newcomer, Li Sining (李斯宁) will portray Lady Ji Jiang, whose performance will be highly anticipated. Ying Er (颖儿) will portray the great ancient beauty, Xi Shi. Hero will be broadcast on Hunan TV station in China.
Translated by: Jayne @ JayneStars
