I have complained before that some actresses have not get enough chance and recognition because of the roles given to her. But someone said to me that if the actress' acting skill is really great, she can make her role become interesting. I have disagreed because I think although an actress can make a role more interesting, if the role is badly-written to be boring, she can never make that role become interesting enough.

No offense to the actors/actresses fans that I will mention later but:

For example, Bernice has been very popular especially lately, people praise that she has a very catchy acting and charm. I don't mean that she doesn't have charm, but I think why people become her fans is more because of the roles given to her. It is her character in VOH and Love Bond that have charm. Even anyone who takes those roles are bound to shine. Take her character in SL for example, who noticed her that much? And it is not even a badly written role.

I will compare with Tavia who is said to be lack of acting charm, but so far as I see, she has been given crappy role which is badly written, and imagine other actresses in her role, I think most of them will do even worse. What is so good about a clumsy introverted sister who always needs help from her sister in YY? And what is so good about an ordinary girl who we hardly even see in TA? What's so good about a girl who hardly talks or hardly make any difference in TPS?

Seriously, I think TPS is very badly written, even an experienced acknowledged actress cannnot help that much. Sheren has been very talented and has great acting skill all the while, but who recognise her or say "Sheren is a great actress" before WAB?

I still remember Michelle Ye's first role in Street Fighters. Her acting was horrible, but because her character is such a lovable person, I actually like her in that series.

Myolie is another one. She did great in GF, then she gets the recognition. But think, if she is after GF given roles like those in Gateau's Affairs always, will she shot popular like now? She has to thank to her role in WOIL.

Ron is more popular than Raymond. Who can say Ron has better acting skill than Raymond? I will bet none. But why is Ron more popular? Recall all the big productions with Ron having a very big important role? TITS, TA, RODV, etc.

I'm sorry for giving such a long speech and I will probably bore you now. Anyway, what do you think is more important? Role or acting skill? Which one will determine an actor/actress success? And why do you think so?

you got a good point there. I totally agree with you. however i still don't like Michelle ye. I think she's fake. well whatever i like tavia even though she doesn't always get the main lead. besides for guys how would the company make sure they're famous and why should they promote them so much . like for an example. Ron. why would they promote Ron in the first place when he wasn't too famous yet.

i think acting determines popularity. If your acting is good, TVB will give you a chance to shine. So I think acting good will later on bring you the roles you want and then the populartiy.

Now that you point that out, role does kinda play a role in popularity. I wonder if Louis Koo didnt get all the lead role that he did, would he be so popular... actualy I think he would I think the role one gets depends somewhat on skills. They dont just give ke le fe acting quality a lead role. Btw, Ray>Ron, Annie Man, Tavia rulz!

I think looks determine popularity more than role or acting. I would say most of the new actors and actresses got promoted because they look good. That once they get promoted, they will get the good character role.

No doubt. I think its all in the looks. Acting would have a few thigns to do with, but I would say physical traits do it all.

right now, it seems like looks determines everything... it doesnt matter how good your acting is... (HK) ppl dont care... they only wants to see "good looking" ppl on screen...

back to your question...
what determines populareity more... role or acting? i'd say the role...
if you get offered a good role, your popularity automatically gets boosted...

Looks > Role > Acting.

acting is pretty much useless these days

i think dat an actor who can act is very important but in other way even though u can act if tho role u play is 2 bad u will not be famous!! so both are complementary!! u can't succeed if one of them is bad!

The role is defenitely important,,
if you always get the same kind of role in each series,
ppl would end up disliking you

i couldnt agree wit yu more im not sayin i don't like ron which i do but then like HK ppl want to like see good lookin ppl while other ppl (other countries) like ppl that has good looks and talent! <---meanin ray lam who has talents and looks great!

I think both are important but definitely think the role determines popularity more. If you have a small role, nobody'll i'll probably recognized that you have good acting. Alot of times people just like to watch the main characters, who doesn't necessary have good acting skills.

I think popularity has to do with a person's acting skills and how they act in their role. Good roles are made my actors not the other way around.

i dont completely agree with you... there are a lot of bad actors/actresses who are popular and but suck at acting...

ron ng is a good example...

Of course is acting. U cannot make it 2 da top jus wit looks, dis is not singing. Witout acting skills ppl don't even wan watch da movie.

Both comes into play.

Without the acting skills, you just can't get anywhere (well, i dunno if it applies to HK ppl since looks is everything now), but to me they gotta know how to act. Otherwise I just tend to hate the character even though his/her role is supposed to be likeable.

The role is also important, but not as important. I think it doesn't really depend on the TYPE of role, but HOW WELL the role is written. If it's a cruddy role that's hardly developed in the series, well, that's just bad luck. That IS the role's fault. But if it's a role which is well developed, no matter how bad that type of role may be e.g. an evil villain, an ordinary girl (as you have used as an example for Tavia in TA) - you can still shine no matter what.

(Well, the only problem with Tav in TA was probs her crying skills, which gah, I just hated totally. Not to say that she isn't a great actress. She can certainly act better than a whole lot of other ppl)

i disagree both .. i think luck and chances are the most important thing

in order to have a good role, u must have good acting skills first,right?

i think acting plays a bigger role than role...because if you have the skills then you can make your character good even tho if the role isn't good.......and the othe way around...even if you have a good role...but then you dodnt have the skill.s..that actor will ruin thewhole movei becasue he or she cannot act out what the role suppose to be....it is like...what is thepoint..to make the movie good or make the actor more popular?

i beleive that roles are more important when determining popularity by far!...
this is because..crappy actors/actresses can become a really lovable main character while someone who is better at acting is given a really crappy role and look crap..hmmm...guess whos gonna be more popular...
its pretty obvious people usually go for the people with better roles even though they may not neccessarily be better actors..
but i'm not saying that the role determines everything..because if some really really really crappy person (like me ) had a really good role..it would still turn out crap ^^...
so while i am saying that the role determines popularity more i'm actually not sure by how much...=]p
'

I believe that roles definitely give people more opportunies to be more popularity but acting skill is also very important. If someone is given a star role but is really bad at acting - then they probably won't be very popular (unless they're really good looking - because no offense HK is mainly about looks). If someone is a good actor but given small roles - people will think they are a good actor/actress but thinking nothing of it (a person like this is I don't know his name (since he's not popular) but he plays the guy who starts liking Myolie in Golden Faith? He's currently Bernice Liu's co-worker in the new TVB Into Thin Air?) I think he's an amazing actor, very versatile - he's not popular, yet a lot of people will acknowledge his acting skills. But he won't be popular until he's given more prime roles.

I think a good role can really boost a actors or actress' popularity. Alot of actors have very good acting skills, but without a good role they can't show their best. The more we see of a certain actor the more we remenber them even if their acting is really fake.

These days,,, forget it, it's all about looks!
If you don't have a great physique, you don't get the chance to
perform!

it's definitely role, for example: linda chung. she can't act, yet the characters that she plays are always one of the leading roles. that's how she gets famous.

I must agree TVB choose people with good looks for their roles and not their acting skills like Bernice Liu, Linda Chung and Ron Ng but I do love Ron's look as well.

I think that popularity comes from lots of factors. Like looks, personality, etc.
But I do think that the role would gain someone more popularity than acting. But then again wouldn't you need at least some decent acting skills to carry out the role so people will like it.

lol I never knew that Ron was more popular than Ray. o.O??

i think popularity comes from roles.
most of the people i know judge actresses/actors from their looks, which are related to their roles because they're both visual.
sorry if i offended anyone! ^^'

I think popularity depend on the looks of the actors and actresses. If you look good on screen, you would be given good roles. Some people do get good roles as they look good on screen, but their acting skills are not good.

I agree...role definitely determines popularity. No matter how good your acting skills are, a bad role will always make you not stand out as much. I've found out that the hardest roles to act is actually acting as a normal person, so people who stand out while acting as a average person has proven that they are great actors...i think Tavia can be an example here. TVB never gives her interesting roles but she still manages to stand out and catch people's attention (well most people).

Good topic, Akazukin....I think roles attract more attention and popularity, but the acting makes the role, so I would think a decent performance would be a balance between the two.....an interesting role, average to good acting would be swell.

I believe popularity success depends a lot on the role and the series itself. Take Linda Chung from HOG, her acting skills I would daresay guess isn't the best in there, but yet she has gained tremendous popularity from that role (with maybe a bunch of help from Raymond Lam's character/acting, I would guess also). Do people praise or talk about how great Linda Chung' acting is or do they talk about "Seung Joi Sum" from Heart of Greed? And certainly, if Heart of Greed was like Split Second, then surely, she wouldn't gain any popularity. Another example may be the manipulative and innocent looking Yuk Ying played by Gigi Lai from War of Beauty.

True success for any actor or actress, in my opinion, is when their acting brings out the character so well...so brilliant that you think that character exists in reality...or simply put, it's not just simply acting anymore...they're not so and so, they are that character. This is what I perceived when I read an article praising Tavia's acting for her role in HOG. People questioned whether Tavia really smokes and drinks in reality! Many talented supporting actors like Wayne Lai, Power Chan, Florence Kwok, Benz Hui, Derek Kwok also have the ability to make the characters come to life.

In the end, only a handful gains the ultimate success (popularity along with great acting skills in that portrayal). Popularity success is probably always going to gain more attention and fans in the short-run, but true success garners much more reverence and value in the long run.

I think it's definately acting that determines your popularity. If someone gets a big role and can't act they still wouldn't have popularity because the people are not blind. If he/she doesn't have talent the people will know and the artiste will not be popular with the people.

I think both role n acting is impt.No matter what kind all role u have been given,u can make it look better by acting well.But some actors r always given e same role n because of that,they dun get all famous.

I think both is very importen I mean if u get a great role but your acting skills are bad then no one will like that charcter either .

both are important
but i feel that the role that the actress or the actor is playing definitely plays a little part in raising your popularity
no hard feelings but thats my opinion

4 me, both role and acting r important..

I think a lot of times you have to look at the artistes and the situation. For example, Charmaine Sheh has always have the same kind of roles for the past three years. Her roles are actually very pleasant and are first female lead but she don't have enough acting ability to really pull off the roles well. That's why you don't see people talking about her roles in a favourable light. At least not in the same way as how people will talk about Linda's role in HOG.

Sometimes an artiste's acting ability makes a lot of difference. Just take a look at Angela Tong. Yes, her role in LMS made her very popular but do you think she was able to wow people if she didn't have the acting ability to be able to pull off the character brilliantly?

For me, most importantly is the acting. You can't say this role is more better than another because they are all different. Even if someone gets a "bad role", if she/he have the acting ability, he/she can become very famous (or infamous) through the role. Likewise, even if someone has a "good role" and does a very bad job of it, people may like it but it won't be a breakthrough role.

Roles are more important to get fame nowaday, that's a fact that I hate. I don't get why ppl like roles than artists' performing. I myself only like artists for their talents and impression on me. However, I hate the fact that TVB love to give their artists same roles series after series. They want safe, don't want breakthroughs. Isn't it good? My answer is : no.

Acting is more important but now..if you get a good role, your acting how bad also will be good.
If you get a good role, all the people will say you are good in acting although you acting is bad.

Yea i agree that sometimes its to do with the role that they are given and if they are annoying in a series then it cnt be guaranteed that if another person had the same role they wud not have had the same effect. however I herd that some actors cn change the way they want to express something and add a few of their own things and not follow the script exactly. obviously everyone acts in their own way and sometimes it mite b down to acting rather than the role.

Based on what i have observed it seems that the role that is given to you will lead you to popularity. If the role you played as an actress gave a remark or left a significance to the viewers surely you will be recognized. Being good at acting doesn't assure you the fame and popularity you wish for it's the opportuniy that was given to you. No matter how good you are in acting if there's no good role given to you, you wouldn't be recognized. Try to observe and you will agree with me.

I think that at first we refer the role better than acting , but later on if we continues to watch the actors/actresses who lack of acting skill we will get bored . Like in my case, i usually love the actor/actress that play the lovable or righteous role in a series, but so on after watch their other series, i start to get bored and tired with them. It's true that, people love the role better than acting but , believe me those who get famous because of that won't get the fame forever.

I think it comes from both. I mean if your acting is good and your role portrays out well, you will definitely get popularity.

hmmm...good question

I would daresay, that the roles shapes viewer's impression on the actor. Take for example Elaine in RDOV where she got her first role which happens to be an evil role. For me, I'm not saying she did a spectacular job but as a first role, I thought she did her part. However, cos her role wasn't lovable the audience just don't like her. I've read very rude comments about her and I doubt it's purely based on her acting. Come on, the girl wasn't as bad as other Miss HK started out and it is her first role.

Though I think the role is important, I think it is the acting which will shape out how long you'll survive in the show biz game. Those who purely rely on roles given to them...one day Ms Lok and Stephen decides not to promote them and start giving them crappy roles...can they handle it? They don't have talent or skills as their foundation to their career. They relied too much on 'luck' and given opportunities. While those who have talent, will be able to handle any roles given to them and in due time they will shine.

I think acting skill determines popularity more, because well.....even if you're in a leading role, and your acting is crap, you could get overshadowed by other, better actors and viewers will end up liking them more.

I feel that Role plays more...If you compare two roles, both acted out by very good actors and one is a goodie while the other a villian with no reason for sympathy, most would prefer the good one more. Because it is hard to separate the actor from the role sometimes, I would usually have a favourable view towards the one acting as the good guy.

Like, I was watching Dicey Business...and that show took off points from Michael Miu....because he was acting as the villian. But of course I didn't hate him because he had previously won me over with his other roles already.

Still, if you know nothing of the actors prior to watching the show, chances are that you would not like the bad guy so much, even if he can act very well, and so had acted out the villian character really well. But maybe if you already like the character somehow, you would just brush off the evil role.

Of course, I am not saying that acting doesn't count. Say for example if you have two roles, both equally good and one is acted by someone with superb acting while the other by someone who is an amateur, of course the one with more mature acting can bring out the character better and make it more believable for us viewers. In doing so, I'm sure he can win more fans.

But one thing, looks do count. And sometimes, we're blinded by love XDDDD and looks or chemistry can makeup for not-so-good acting.

As for a good actor in the role of a villian Vs a poor actor in the role of a good guy...we'll have to see then...XP Most probably the poor actor cannot bring out the role well and cannot make full use of the role to market himself as likeable. As for the villian,....I don't know. XP It depends I guess, on the individual.

hmm, a hard question.

i think both complement each other. if you get a good role, but you dont have the skills to act it out, then obviously you will not succeed in getting any audience appeal. but if you have the skills but not a good role, then it is hard to be in the limelight.

i would say acting skills because no matter it is a bad role, good role or a stereotyped role, if the acting is solid, one is able to bring out the requirement of the role and impress the audience. Tavia got a role in TBBOL which nobody wil prob like because she is a third party and many praised her for it. leila got praised for a common role in WAD.

on the other hand, if you get a good role, of course ppl will remember that role forever if it is a memorable. but if the acting is not adequate enough to handle other roles handed to the artist later, it is hard for the artist to maintain her/his popularity. sometimes when i watch a show, i always shake my head and pity the role when the role enough is such a breakthru and the artist is not doing well enough. okay, if i have to give one example, it will be kate tsui in the price of greed. that role was nothing spectacular but it was a good one. it actually has a lot of development for the character but i failed to see it from her.

U are comparing it wrongly dude, if u put so-so actor/actress into a a movie and give them a good role, they will shine not becoz they make the role shine its becoz there is no way they can they can mess up the character (unless they are really F****ed up). If u give a mediocre role to a so-so actor, they would not get noticed too often. An example of the so-so actor with good role is moses chan in heart of greed. He won best actor recently....who would bet he would have gotten it 2 or 3 years ago when he was still playing second fiddle to other more favourable TVB actor. Again, for an example of a soso actress with a weak role is tavia in heart of greed. Totally forgettable role.

However, if you were to put a good actor into a weak role, there is a good chance that he will own the role and make it his own. Look at andy lau in the 1980s TVB series "Luk Ding Gei" where he play the supporting role as the emperor as second fiddle to tony leung.

So, the fact is, TVB nowadays too many average actor, too few good roles to satisfy them. Thats why we get a feeling that some of them are great in some series but poor in some.
=p you agree??

Oh interesting.
I think role, because if you get a small role no-one will really notice you.

I think your role and connection is more important. You can always improve your acting skills along the way, but if they dont give you good roles people watching you wont like your character and that can sometimes reflect you.

I agreed on the most part, however, like in GF, I believe myolie did an excellent job in her role and I believe michelle and tavia can not act like her. So I do think she does deserve her recognition. Tavia is a solid actress and your right, she does deserve more leading roles, which she has, like in the recent one building blocks, and father and sons, and face to fate.