PUBLISHED ONNovember 11, 2024 10:40 AMByYeo Shu HuiThere's a Chinese saying that men blossom like flowers at age 40. For TVB actor Benjamin Yuen, hitting the milestone two years ago also came with a new term for people to call him.
Speaking to AsiaOne at Gain City Sungei Kadut last Saturday (Nov 9) after a meet-and-greet session with local fans, he shared: "After I turned 40, people have been calling me 'Uncle'."
While being called that may be concerning for some actors, Benjamin said that it could be an opportunity for him to try out other drama roles.
"I want to see if this 'uncle' can still play romantic roles, that's what I really want to know," the winner of Mr Hong Kong 2007 beauty pageant said.
For the past few years, Benjamin has appeared in policeman and antagonist roles, such as police inspector Tseng Ho Yin in Forensic Heroes VI: Redemption (2023 - 2024) and triad member Chan Cho Yiu in No Room For Crime (2024), and he told us he misses the "sweetness" in romance dramas.
When asked if there is a particular role he is looking for, Benjamin replied he is still waiting for suitable scripts, but an ideal role would be as "a father, but with hints of romance, such as single father characters".
Would his wife, TVB actress Bowie Cheung, have any concerns about him acting in a romance drama?
"No, she won't, because she knows I am very professional. She also knows I am very 'crazy' when it comes to work, to the extent that sometimes I end up injuring myself. But without this 'craziness', the audience wouldn't be able to see how I challenged myself [in the performance]," he explained to us.
Benjamin was in Singapore with TVB actors Owen Cheung and Hera Chan on Nov 8 for the TVBI Programme Parade 2025 where they shared about upcoming dramas on the platform.
The following day, they were warmly welcomed by local supporters at Gain City, the supporting partner for TVB Artistes Meet-and-Greet in Singapore, with Benjamin singing and interacting offstage with fans.
Benjamin and Bowie, 33, welcomed their son Yau Hei last year and would be celebrating his first birthday this Sunday.
Benjamin told us that Bowie has planned a party for the little one and they would celebrate together when he returns to Hong Kong this week.
He admitted that as a new father, he experienced a lot of changes in his life, thinking and career.
"I used to have this stubbornness and would stick to my own thinking without changing. But when I have a child now, my thought process has changed. I am happier now. I know there are certain things that are out of my control, so I just let it be and let it go," he said.
He has also grown to be more appreciative of his parents, especially his mother, who is 67. Benjamin's father died of cancer in 2018.
"I became more loving towards my mother. I saw how my wife contributed unconditionally to our son and came to realise how much my mum had sacrificed for me when I was young," he shared.
"I only realised how much my parents loved me after becoming a parent myself. I feel that I have become more filial."
Benjamin added he tries to contact his mum more often and bring her out to spend time with his wife and their son.
One thing that Benjamin can't bear to witness is his son crying, especially as he is at the stage where he needs to get his vaccinations.
"He would cry when he is hurt, looking at me and wanting me to carry him. During his vaccinations, my wife would be carrying him and I would feel heartache for him. I don't want this to happen anymore and told my wife, 'Let's not bring him here and make him cry'," he laughed.
He added: "I would hug and tell him that it's okay, and he would smile, it's that simple. Of course he would still feel hurt, but children are just that simple."
Yau Hei also has his own Instagram page, which Benjamin and Bowie created to document his growth, with 12,000 followers currently.
On their decision to share the childhood photos publicly, Benjamin said: "Actually, ever since Bowie and I started dating, we have been unable to keep our relationship private because the media would be interested to know about us. This seems to have created a pattern where we can't hide even if we wanted to.
"When we had our son, we wanted to create some memories of his growth, from his birth till about four to five years old, or even till the day he is capable of making his own decisions. We would then stop updating the page. But for now, we want to capture all his cute moments."
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