Many TVB stars rose to prominence through playing memorable villain roles – Deric Wan (溫兆倫) became the city’s most-hated during the broadcast of the highly successful Looking Back in Anger <義不容情> in 1989; Nick Cheung (張家輝) won his first acting achievement through 1998’s Secret of the Heart <天地豪情>; Tavia Yeung (楊怡) competed for the Best Actress award for the first time after her successful performance in 2009’s Beyond the Realm of Conscience <宮心計>; and more recently, Ben Wong (黃智賢) came back from the sidelines after winning Best Supporting Actor for his performance in 2011’s Lives of Omission <潛行狙擊>. The next successor in the villain line may be Friendly Fire’s <法網狙擊> Ronan Pak (白健恩), who joined TVB after competing in the 2010 Mr. Hong Kong contestant. Ronan was virtually unknown prior to his performance in Friendly Fire. It was not until his well-publicized rape scene with Samantha Ko (高海寧) when Ronan’s name was finally known. In an interview with Oriental Daily, Ronan admitted that his job offers increased after the broadcast of Friendly Fire. “I have a stable income now. I think I’ll be pretty busy in the coming months.” Musical Background Ronan is a graduate of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, where he majored in musical dance. After his graduation, Ronan went to New York to partake in a professional musical theater and vocal training program, where he won certificates for his vocal techniques and performances. Knowing that TVB would be a great stepping stone to jump start his musical performance career, he returned to Hong Kong in 2010 to compete in the Mr. Hong Kong contest. He subsequently signed a management contract with TVB. Friendly Fire’s “Oscar” was Ronan’s first major role since he joined TVB in 2010. His atrocious character in the drama has drawn strong reactions from the audience. Having to rape Samantha Ko in the drama, Ronan laughed that his next target should be Friendly Fire costar Tavia Yeung (楊怡). “She was so evil in Beyond the Realm of Conscience. I usually see her playing positive roles, so I was not expecting her to be able to be so evil! My recent villain role has also received praises, so I really want work with Tavia next!” Asked if Ronan would like to film another rape scene, Ronan shook his head. “Wouldn’t the audience get bored of that? I really don’t mind playing a villain again, but if it’s the same thing over again, it gets boring for a lot of people. I want to be able to play different roles so the audience can see the many different sides of me.” Ronan revealed that he has always been hoping to be able to perform in a television musical. “Truthfully, I’ve always wanted to be in a musical. Many Western films and television shows have these productions, but they’re rarely seen in Hong Kong. There’s nothing wrong with trying something new. I think this can work!” Creds: ihktv
