 HKCinemagic: There have been a few other westerners involved in the industry around the same time as you. People like Mark Houghton, Bey Logan, Bruce Fontaine, John Wakefield… Did you know them and get along with them well? Was there solidarity between you or, on the contrary, a competition to get the few parts available? |
| Gregory Rivers: I ran into them from time to time, usually at movie castings. Most of the time though, we had our own niches. I never learnt martial arts and left those characters to the pros like Mark and Bruce. They were really good at that! John did quite well in the early days, he speaks excellent Cantonese and Mandarin, but also found it difficult to advance beyond a point in his career and eventually pulled out. We were all friendly but I wouldn’t say there was solidarity between us. There was a mutual respect though that exists even today. John and me have been good friends for quite a few years now. I still can’t remember how we met. |
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| HKCinemagic: Do you think some of them were not respectful of the local ways? |
| Gregory Rivers: Every one I’ve met who wanted to work here in Hong Kong’s entertainment industry has been respectful of the local ways. None of us became rich, except maybe Michael Wong, so if we were here, it was because of our interest in the culture and the people. |
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| HKCinemagic: What do you think of the use of the term ‘gweilo’ for westerners (both in real life and movies). Do you take it as insulting or just a normal nickname? |
| Gregory Rivers: I have no problem with the term. To me, it means white ghost rather than red devil. For most people here in Hong Kong, the term is not derogatory. It’s just a term they use for Caucasians. If I get offended, it’s only when the word is accompanied by a derogatory tone in the speaker’s voice. |
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| HKCinemagic: Did you face any kind of discrimination because of your origin? |
| Gregory Rivers:
Not that I can remember. |
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| HKCinemagic: Did you feel any change in your work opportunities after the handover? |
| Gregory Rivers: I rarely went looking for work outside of TVB so I don’t know if opportunities changed outside of TVB. I do know however that the number of police roles in TVB series dropped significantly after the handover, possibly because for Caucasians to remain in the police force after 1997 they were required to demonstrate Cantonese speaking, reading and writing abilities. While almost all of the Caucasian police could speak Cantonese, probably better than I, few of them could read and write. I still see Caucasian policemen on the streets here in Hong Kong, but not often. |
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| HKCinemagic: Did you get more satisfaction acting in TV series or movies? |
| Gregory Rivers: I think I get more satisfaction working at TV than when working for Hong Kong movies. Both give us the scripts one or two days before shooting but with TV, you get one or two months of shooting to develop the character as you work. Most movies that I’ve worked on only employ me for one or two days and there’s very little that you can do to develop the character in that time. |
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| HKCinemagic: You are very interested in Canto pop and a talented singer as well. Did you try to make a career of it? |
| Gregory Rivers: Many years ago, I entered the TVB singing contest and made it all the way to the semi finals. The semi finals would be broadcast on TV and I was required to sign a contract before I could continue with the contest. The contract stated that even if I didn’t win, I would not be able to sign with any other record company for at least one year. I thought that was unfairly limiting and declined to continue with the competition. Many years later, I realised that one year of my life at the time was not very much. It is possible that I should have signed the contract and continued with the contest.
I also had an opportunity with a Hong Kong company who wanted me to be the Hong Kong version of someone overseas but I didn’t want to do that.
For a couple of years, I signed with a manager and we tried to get singing work in China. It was very difficult and after just a few shows, my manager finally gave up trying. At the time, China was simply not interested in hiring a Caucasian performer. I think attitudes have changed significantly now. More and more Caucasians are now getting performing opportunities in China and some of them are doing well.
I am currently contemplating producing my own record in Mandarin and Cantonese. Wish me luck!
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| HKCinemagic: Do you think the HK audience is ready to see Westerners in such very local forms of entertainment? |
| Gregory Rivers: That’s difficult to say. One or two Caucasians have tried to enter the canto pop market here with varying results. The closest to success would probably be the duo group Solar. Everyone else who has tried has disappeared.
I think that if you’re completely new to the Hong Kong audience, you’ll have a difficult tile succeeding as a canto pop singer. You might do OK for one or two years but once the gimmick wears off, so will your career. And I don’t like gimmicks myself.
I’ve already become parts of the society here. It took 20 years but it has happened. The only question now is one of age. I’m no longer as young as I used to be, and definitely older than the average pop star. If I choose to pursue a singing career, my goal would not be to become a pop star but rather a respected performer.
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| HKCinemagic: What would you say to Westerners who would like to try their luck in HK now? How do you think the involvement of Westerners in the industry will evolve in the future? |
| Gregory Rivers: Anyone who wants to try should go for it. As You Tube has shown, you never know what the audience will like. Your chances of success are remote but you can’t succeed if you don’t try.
Caucasians can only become a more important part of the industry here if the industry itself grows. In my opinion, the Hong Kong movie industry is practically non existent, producing only movies starring canto pop stars for teenage viewers or movies revolving around Hong Kong’s triad culture. There’s very little else happening here and there’s no room for Caucasian actors. The Hong Kong movie industry’s only hope of recovery is China, and only time will tell how that works out. |
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