'Please edit it to make my nose sharper': Kenneth Ma sees photo of 16-year-old self during birthday party with fans

How did the dashing Kenneth Ma look like when he was a teenager?

Fans of Kenneth and Sharon Chan recently held a birthday celebration for the two veteran Hong Kong actors, and prepared a plethora of mouthwatering dishes and presents for the pair.

They also dug up old photos of them throughout their careers.

When looking at a customised postcard with a photo of Kenneth on one side and a photo of Sharon on the other, the pair of old friends jokingly praised each other for their good looks.

However, when Sharon, 44, held up a photo of a teenage Kenneth brought in by a fan, the 49-year old was left uttering "I'm scared" repeatedly at his younger self.

At first, he thought the photo was taken in 1998, but later corrected himself and said it was taken in 1990 instead, back when he was 16 and studying at Salesian English School in Chai Wan, Hong Kong.

Sharon commented that Kenneth looked "clean and natural" in the photo and asked whether fans edited the photo to make it look more aesthetically pleasing, to which the fan replied in the affirmative.

"Please edit it to make my nose sharper," Kenneth interjected immediately, to laughter from the crowd.

Sharon retorted: "It was a lot of effort on the fan's part!" and Kenneth echoed her sentiments.

She also expressed envy, hoping that her fans could find photos of her from her student days too, since they were full of sentimental value to her.

Though Sharon's fans didn't dig up any teenage photos of her, they did present one of her from her younger years in showbiz, with bold makeup and a quirky expression.

She exclaimed: "I think I was quite strange back then!"

She was also left particularly moved by how the fans found photos from various milestones in Kenneth's and her careers, and was especially touched to see photos of herself pregnant and subsequently cradling her baby.

Sharon got married in 2014 to her long-term boyfriend, businessman William Lui, in a Bali wedding. She gave birth to their son Eddie in 2016.

Sharon also took the time to tease Kenneth, asking him when he will be holding his wedding, though the latter did not give a clear response.

Kenneth is currently engaged to actress Roxanne Tong, 35, whom he worked with on the drama Forensic Heroes IV (2020). They announced their romance in June 2020 and their engagement on New Year's Day 2023.

Some fans also cheered for the couple to have a daughter to which Kenneth laughed.

Both Kenneth and Sharon had similar birthday wishes, which were for their fans to be healthy and for everybody's families to be complete.

They then clasped their hands and made their silent wishes with their customised cakes — an Aladdin cake for Sharon and a football one for Kenneth.

It wasn't a one-sided party though — both Kenneth and Sharon prepared items for a lucky draw for their fans, and many of the prizes up for grabs were merchandise from Sharon's fan club Sheric.

The fans present at the birthday celebration weren't only locals, but also flew in from mainland China and Singapore, which left Kenneth impressed.

"It must have been a hassle for you guys to travel all the way to Hong Kong," he said, adding that he was grateful.

ALSO READ: Hong Kong TVB stars Kenneth Ma and Roxanne Tong are engaged

jolynn.chia@asiaone.com

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