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The gweilo living under a Cantonese guise

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The name Ho Kwok-wing would not appear out of place on the cast list of a TVB Jade drama. It has become a familiar one to many of the channel's drama fans, as has the sharp, angular face it belongs to.

A quick telephone call in Cantonese to set up an interview with Ho already offered a glimpse into what promised to be an interesting experience. When I arrived for the meeting, Ho was dashing out a note to someone in Chinese.

No surprise, one might say. This is Hong Kong after all.

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But when one tries to equate a sandy-haired Caucasian with the very Chinese-sounding name and the colloquial-laden Cantonese, it takes a while to get used to.

The actor - whose real name is Gregory Charles Rivers - introduced himself by his Chinese name, which is what he goes by these days, and is included on his ID card.

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Ho first appeared on the screen a decade ago and has starred in more than 100 of the station's dramas. Many know him as the foreigner in the nominal gweilo roles of the priest, the senior inspector or the tyrannical boss.

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