Joel Chan (left) and Elena Kong at the TVB Awards in Hong Kong, on Jan 8, 2023. Photos: Screengrab from TVB/YouTube
Two long-time actors in the Hong Kong entertainment industry have nabbed the top acting prizes for the first time at the TVB Awards Presentation ceremony on Sunday (Jan 8).
Actor Joel Chan, 46, won Best Actor for his multiple roles in the supernatural drama Barrack O’Karma 1968, beating the other frontrunner Ruco Chan of I’ve Got The Power.
Joel Chan was in tears as he went on stage to receive the award, thanking TVB executives such as Eric Tsang, Catherina Tsang and Virginia Lok for helping him at the lowest point of his life.
“The most difficult thing during the marathon of life is to stand up after a failure,” he said during his acceptance speech.
Chan, who has been in the industry for 30 years, won Best Supporting Actor – for The Unholy Alliance – for the first time in 2017.
He received his first Best Actor nomination in 2019 and was subsequently nominated for the award again in the next two editions.
Actress Elena Kong, 51, was a surprise winner after she beat hot favourites Alice Chan and Nina Paw to clinch the Best Actress award for her role in Get On A Flat.
The contemporary housing drama also won Best Drama Series and Best Supporting Actor for Eric Tang.
Kong, who joined the industry in 1992, was also emotional, saying she did not expect to win. Her last award, Best Supporting Actress for Triumph In The Skies II, was in 2013.
The Best Supporting Actress prize went to Angel Chiang of The Beauty Of War.
The awards ceremony was held at TVB City in Tseung Kwan O on Sunday.
According to Hong Kong’s Oriental Daily News, the total number of votes received for the awards exceeded 950,000, breaking past records. The winners are determined by a combination of results from a professional voting committee and the public.
Oriental Daily News said the competition was especially close for the Best Actor and Best Actress awards. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
