Raymond Wong (黃浩然) has come a long way since his debut days when director Johnnie To (杜琪峯) brought him into the entertainment circle. Raymond’s popularity has been on the rise lately, and he is currently one of the main leads in TVB series, Slow Boat Home <情越海岸線>. However, he has faced many challenges in the past, including having no jobs for a whole year. Raymond was the guest on Leila Chow’s (周美鳳) entertainment talk show recently where he revealed his past hardships and his current life as a father and actor. When asked if there have been major changes after getting married, Raymond admitted, “I guess the biggest change would be that there’s less communication because we’re both so busy between having to take care of the kids and work.” Dark Days Before Entering TVB Six years ago, Raymond had no filming offers for nine months as opportunities in the Hong Kong film industry dwindled. Before joining TVB, he picked up odd jobs to survive. Raymond said, “I had help from my family and some savings left, but it was difficult. That year, when I had to pick up random construction jobs, I would avoid having lunch with coworkers because I was scared of footing the bill! I couldn’t see down the long road ahead of me and it was disheartening.” Joining TVB turned out to be a career milestone for Raymond. Starring in Sweetness in the Salt <碧血鹽梟> allowed Raymond’s recognition level to soar as millions of viewers watched his performance on TV. The road to becoming a successful actor is long, but Raymond never gave up. He disclosed that even when the clouds were dark, he would try his best to get everything under control. In the initial years of his career, Raymond only had four hours of daily sleep and had to juggle between filming and maintaining his relationship with his family. Juggling Between Work and Family Raymond and his wife, Ka Ka, have been together for eleven years, and married for seven years. They met on the filming set of one of his past movies, in which she was part of the production crew. The couple have two sons, 2-year-old Kayden and one-month-old Ransley. Raymond does not plan to have more children. “I think we have enough already! Money aside, the kids might get jealous of each other over attention! But honestly speaking, I’m happy that my kids get along well. They might act like they’re fighting all the time, but my oldest son’s always joking with his little brother. After Ransley was born, Raymond took off time from work to help take care of their new baby. Raymond spoke about balancing family life with work, “[My wife] would be disappointed at times, but she understands that there’s a trade-off between spending extra time with the kids and earning money.” On Infidelity Asked if his wife worried about infidelity, Raymond said, “A lot of people warned me already! Kevin Cheng (鄭嘉穎) told me to be careful when working in mainland. It’s hard maintaining a marriage, and I do hope that it’ll last forever, but I can’t guarantee that I won’t be seen walking down the street with another girl in the future! However, I’m more self-conscious about this in Hong Kong, I know what the limit is and where the line stops.” A Look into the Future Despite having to work frequently, Raymond’s marriage remains exciting and loving. Now that Raymond’s career is more stabilized, it is natural to look into the future. Raymond says his dream is to open an art gallery and take painting classes at the Emily Carr Institute in Canada, as well as have a breakthrough moment in his career. “I still have my family to take care of, so I have to allocate my time properly.” As a resident of Hong Kong, where the cost of property is through the roof, it is a dream for everyone to eventually buy a house. It is no different for Raymond, who is currently saving up to buy his own house. Raymond concluded, “As an actor, you have to achieve to get breakthrough roles and get the audience’s approval. At the same time, you always have to put in your best effort in everything you do!” Creds: Oriental Sunday
