In town recently for the premiere of his film, the much-anticipated courtroom drama The Sparring Partner, Mak Pui Tung may have become a viral internet meme in Hong Kong, and scored a number of awards for his roles on film and onstage, but as he sits in front of us, the 33-year old actor looks remarkably humble and stoic.

“Initially, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do in life. But when I was in City University’s Drama Club, it made me realise that acting was what made me happy, which is why I ended up trying for Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts,” says Mak. “It’s the one school in Hong Kong considered the place to go to if you want to learn how to act, but has a really low acceptance rate, and I ended up trying three times to get in. But I’m glad I did – Cantonese remains my language of choice, and I did want to stay local for my studies.”

After graduating, Mak joined the Chung Ying Theatre Company and performed in a number of notable stage plays, even earning two nominations for Best Supporting Actor (Comedy/ Farce) at the 25th and 30th Hong Kong Drama Awards with his performance at The Big Big Day (Re-run) and SHHHH…….. (presented by The Only Stage). But in 2019, Mak decided to leave the theatre industry for a while, to pursue a different scene – film acting.

“Starting in theatre gave me a good foundation in acting, because it encourages you to analyse characters a bit more closely and how to really engage and communicate with your audience,” says Mak. “But at that time, I’d already been doing theatre for five years, and realised I was starting to settle into a comfort zone. If I didn’t leave, I’d never really expand my potential, so I felt a need to try something new and venture out to find new opportunities to grow as an actor.”

That was not an easy decision for Mak to make, and he even found himself without a stable income for several months, ending up doing odd jobs here and there and gig work, from Halloween-themed acting jobs to a few bit roles in short films. “The theatre scene is hard. I tried to start my own company once but it was so difficult with so little support, especially with newcomers still trying to gain star power to convince donors and organisations,” says Mak. “I haven’t fully left, and I’ll still be returning to perform in plays from time to time. But you really need a lot of perseverance and determination if you want to survive there, especially considering how its more niche, with much smaller audience numbers.”

But Mak finally got his breakthrough when he was cast in Chi-Man Wan’s Zero to Hero (2021), which led him to even greater projects from there on. “Part of my goal for joining the film industry is for my work to heighten my profile, where it would help other projects I embark on, whether in film or stage. The hard truth is that it opens you up to more opportunities, like advertisements and commercial work,” says Mak. “It’s tough getting in, but my advice for any young person getting their start is to take any chance you can get, whether a ‘small’ or ‘big’ job. You have to keep sending in applications and audition, and really pushing yourself in the hopes of furthering your career each time, and of course, doing self-reflection to ensure you keep improving with each experience.”

Mak’s biggest achievement to date has been his role of a mentally disabled murder accomplice in Ho Cheuk-tin’s courtroom drama The Sparring Partner (2022), based on the gruesome real-life murder of Glory Chau and Moon Siu. That role won him critical acclaim, scoring him “Best Newcomer” at the 16th Asian Film Awards and “Best Actor (Young Cinema Competition – Chinese Language)” at the 46th Hong Kong International Film Festival.

“I do feel very lucky that in the few years since I left Chung Ying, I managed to find my way into the industry and have been blessed with good scripts and directors and projects. I know not many people are able to do that, and I really am very grateful to have these opportunities,” says Mak. “We still work hard, and there are times director Ho still goes to the cinema for up to five screenings a day just to facilitate and be present during Q&A sessions, and really communicate with the audience to help them better understand the film.”

With all the new fame on his hands, Mak is still cognizant of the need to stay in the spotlight, and to work hard anyway, juggling multiple upcoming projects when he returns to Hong Kong, and still pushing for greater recognition. “My focus right now is to keep gaining exposure and ensure I don’t suddenly disappear from the public eye,” says Mak.

“I do think that the Hong Kong film industry remains quite strong, with some of the best films produced in recent years, and all that works to raise the profile of the industry as a whole,” he adds. “We’ve been doing road shows, like the Hong Kong Film Gala Presentation here in Singapore, and how we’ll be heading to Thailand, Indonesia and even up to Japan for the Tokyo Film Festival. Even though streaming has become more common, I believe that audiences still come to the cinema to watch something together, to be in that same space and enjoy a communal experience.”

“I’m hoping one day I do get to work with a director like Johnnie To, but before that happens, I think I would still need to prepare a lot more, with both my working knowledge and experience, because I’ve heard he has extremely high standards,” concludes Mak. “No matter what, I’ll always want to pursue a higher standard, which is something I still hold with me from theatre. Especially being so new to the industry, there is a still a long journey ahead in self-improvement. Hopefully, I’ll get to attend more festivals and meet even more people, whether it’s directors and actors from Asia or even beyond that, all in a bid to make myself a better person than before.”

Mak Pui Tung and Ho Cheuk-tin were recently in Singapore for the Hong Kong Film Gala Presentation, a programme promoting Hong Kong films presented by the Asian Film Awards Academy, with the financial support of Create Hong Kong and Film Development Fund. More information available here