[2025.02.01] SAMANTHA KO WOULD NOT WASTE TIME WITH FAKE PEACH BLOSSOMS

Kenneth Ma jokes that he would like "Queen" Samantha Ko to help him break into the mainland market

Kenneth Ma and Samantha Ko break into the film industry together and star in the Lunar New Year film QUEEN OF MAHJONG

Kenneth Ma hopes to quickly buy a home to give a nest to his wife Roxanne Tong
courtesy of mingpao.com

Television Best Actor Kenneth Ma Kwok Ming teamed up with Samantha Ko Hoi Ning (Go Ling) broke into the film industry, starring in the Lunar New Year film QUEEN OF MAHJONG (MA JEUK NUI WONG JUI NAM JAI). Film industry rookie Ma Kwok Ming joked that he had "zero box office", so he had no pressure at the box office. After Go Ling won the Best Supporting Actress at the TVB Awards 2023 last year with THE QUEEN OF NEWS, her popularity has soared and work has been nonstop. She admitted that it has been very fulfilling, and she hoped that her career luck would continue in the Year of the Snake. She enjoyed her work very much. She would not force marriage and would avoid wasting time with fake peach blossoms. Ma Kwok Ming joked that from a metaphysical point of view, stepping into Ninth Luck would be very beneficial to women. He was convinced that if he stuck to "Queen" Go Ling he would be lucky. He hoped to earn even more money this year and buy a home for his wife Roxanne Tong Lok Man to be a comfortable nest.

Ma Kwok Ming and Go Ling entered the film industry as TV personalities, playing the male and female leads of the Lunar New Year film QUEEN OF MAHJONG (MA JEUK NUI WONG JUI NAM JAI). The latter said that the box office and TV ratings could not be controlled, and they could only do their duties as actors. They will not put pressure on themselves. Making his first Lunar New Year film, Ma Kwok Ming had no baggage. "At the risk of sounding bad I have zero box office, so how could I have any stress? Film is very different from TV, but they are both acting. We adapt quickly, with the directors' guidance. This time I played a lighter role again, which feels very fresh because the characters in recent dramas are so righteous and serious." The two were looking forward to more attempts in film and television.

Playing a couple in the film, Ma Kwok Ming and Go Ling expressed their relationships with their families through playing mahjong. In reality they did not like to gamble, but they would also play mahjong in their spare time to connect with their families. Have Ma Kwok Ming and his wife "Pretty Soup" Roxanne Tong Lok Man used the mother-in-law policy and forfeit in the square city to make the elders happy? He said, "I never played with my mother-in-law, my wife and I have played with my mother. There is no need to forfeit, Mama is very skilled so she often wins money. I lose more than I win. The family keeps the game small, several hundred up and down. My family likes to play mahjong for the liveliness during the Lunar New Year, and I would end up playing. On other days I rarely would, as I have no gambling bug or luck."

Go Ling said that she tried not to gamble. Making money has been very hard that losing 20 dollar would be painful, but it was acceptable for the family to get together to have fun during the Lunar New Year and to give out some New Year's fortune. Did she ever forfeit a hand when she played mahjong with her boyfriend's mother before? Go Ling said that she took nearly two years to learn how to play mahjong. "Grandma doesn't like people to play mahjong, so since childhood no one played at home. In recent years, only when friends are short a player would I play. Slowly I learned to win, I have won with 'thirteen orphans', all by self pick. Friends say I have a good touch. I have no skills, all rely on luck."

Ma Kwok Ming and Go Ling agreed with the saying "good mahjong manners, good character". The former revealed that he has seen someone smacked the table and yelled when he lost money, and some who were still laughing when he lost. When asked if Go Ling would test the character of someone she was interested in on the mahjong table? She said no, but would introduce him to Ma Kwok Ming and Pretty Soup. "Birds of a feather flocks together. If they can talk, that proves that they are the same kind of people. Sometimes boys look at boys more accurately, I don't want to waste time on fake peach blossoms.

Single for many years, Go Ling did not force marriage. She felt that her career luck has been very good now, and she must seize the opportunity. "I have been in the circle for many years. Finally I get the fulfilling work itinerary I have longed for. I basically haven't rested in 2024. I rarely saw my parents. I enjoyed the work process very much, and wouldn't deliberately want to date. If I run into it in the future, of course I wouldn't resist. I believe in fate more and more. I used to work very hard in dramas; but when I reached the role of THE QUEEN OF NEWS' role of Hui Sze Ching, everyone finally saw everything I have done. Since everything is out of my control, I cherish what I have in front of me." Did Ma Kwok Ming have a "hot property" to introduce to Go Ling? Go Ling smiled and said that she has asked him, but Ma Kwok Ming said no because his friends were already husbands. "I am not anxious about her getting married. Go Ling is a good catch, she is the one who chooses people."

The two looked back on 2024 and were both satisfied with the results. Go Ling described it as a very prosperous year and smiled with satisfaction. "I am happy, Ma Kwok Ming is happy too! He often says that I am lucky, and I said, 'I face you all the year round, I am lucky means you are lucky too.'" Ma Kwok Ming felt that Go Ling was really lucky, and denied that he was just making "casual remarks". He revealed that when they worked on the new TVB drama together, the light radiating from her could be seen from the playback. "It's strange, it wasn't there before. She's getting more and more beautiful." Go Ling joked, "The light crew did a beautiful job!" She felt that Ma Kwok Ming was also lucky. He was full of energy after marriage, and he was very happy every time she saw him. The word "wife" was always on his lips; Ma Kwok Ming denied that he was a "wife slave", but admitted that his married life was very happy.

Ma Kwok Ming was happy that he had many opportunities to make real money last year, shooting commercials and appearing on stage. In addition to buying things to reward himself, he also bought gifts for his wife. Would he like to buy a home the most? Ma Kwok Ming admitted that he wanted to have a comfortable nest. Constantly moving in recent years have been very difficult and he wanted to settle down. As for the Year of the Snake, Ma Kwok Ming believed that as an actor, he wanted to run into a good role the most. With the opportunity to perform, he would go with the flow on having a Snake baby. He would not forced anything and not in a hurry. Go Ling hoped to earn double as much this year as she did last year and wanted to own a home that she would be able to live in for decades. Speaking of Go Ling's popularity in the mainland, Ma Kwok Ming smiled and said that he wanted Go Ling to give him a hand. "In the past two years I have been following the 'Queen', because the Ninth Luck would be beneficial to girl".