Steven Ma reveals his hidden superpower

When most people think of superpowers, they think of super strength, flying, teleportation and the likes. Little did we know that we’d discover the existence of a new kind of superpower when we met up with Hong Kong actor Steven Ma, who was in town to promote his upcoming musical, Xu Zhi Mo, last week.

In case you’re wondering, no, Steven wasn’t bitten by a spider when he was young; neither did he fall into a pool of radioactive waste. This superpower – or talent, if you like – was discovered by Steven himself when he was young: his ability to focus on multiple things at once.

He chuckled in an interview with Toggle that his keen sense of hearing is well-known at his work studio, adding that his staff are “sometimes really afraid of me because I can hear them as long as they’re close enough”. Pointing out groups of people scattered throughout the China Cultural Centre’s lobby, he grinned that he could hear exactly what they were saying even while the interview was going on.

“I can listen to multiple sources of sound at the same time. My eyes are the same; as we’re chatting here, I can also see who just walked past behind you, and I’ll remember who that person is. I’ve been like this since young and I don’t think it’s a superpower – I’m just hyper-sensitive to my surroundings!” he mused.

Lest you suspect that he has an inability to focus, the 46-year-old clarified that he can focus on just one thing if he wants to, such as when he’s having a serious conversation with someone or immersed in writing his scripts.

Fun fact: Steven is so into coffee that he's currently pursuing a SCA Coffee Skills Diploma

Steven said, “I like writing my scripts in coffee joints. Usually, people won’t come up to talk to me when they notice that I’m focused on my work, but if someone tries to secretly take photos of me, I’ll notice it and tell them, ‘Don’t do that, let’s take a selfie instead!’.”

He also draws his inspiration from the people around him, as he let on that he sometimes observes how people speak and act in order to help shape the characters in his scripts.

His script for Xu Zhi Mo, along with his second, yet-to-be-revealed play were completed in this way, and that each story has a special message to convey to the audience. For Xu Zhi Mo, Steven hopes that society today can appreciate some of the choices given to us that are often taken for granted.

(Continued on next page: Steven Ma clarifies the misconception that his departure from TVB was because he was never awarded Best Actor)

“Back then, parts of your life like who you’d be married to would be decided by your elders, and not yourself. The peace that we take for granted right now also wasn’t something that people in the past had, and I hope the audience can also see this,” he mused.

His second play will delve into depression, family ties and death, and Steven hopes to convey to his audience that it’s not about how long you live; rather, it’s what you leave behind after death that is important. Slated to take the stage in early 2019, the play will also be adapted into a movie.

“I really hope that I’ll get a nomination for the Best New Director award,” he smiled. “Just a nomination will do and honestly, I’m not quite fixated on whether I win the prize. If I do win it, I’ll definitely be very happy, but if I don’t, I won’t be disappointed in the least. Being nominated in categories to do with theatre or film definitely makes me very excited. I’m someone who’s not afraid of losing, but I very much want to win. It’s fine if I don’t win, because it will give me the motivation to keep going and becoming better.”

Speaking of winning, there was talk about Steven leaving TVB in 2012 to open his own work studio because he was never awarded Best Actor despite his many outstanding projects.

Steven on set of Deep in the Realm of Conscience

He chuckled, “You’re definitely overthinking things if you think this way! It definitely wasn’t a problem with TVB. The station focuses mainly on shooting dramas, but at this point of time, I can’t shoot two or three dramas a year, because that will mean that I won’t have time for anything else. I’m not 18 anymore, and I need time to pursue things that I want to do, and my path might continue changing in the future.”

He emphasised that he still maintains a good relationship with his former agency, adding that the fact that TVB is his alma mater and first home will never change.

This doesn’t mean that Steven doesn’t have grievances at all – the actor admitted that whenever he feels strongly about a certain subject, he’ll immediately unlock his phone and start scribbling his thoughts in his notes.

“I can’t share a lot of them though,” he shared. “As a public figure, I think I have the responsibility to ensure that there isn’t unnecessary talk. Neither do I think I should cause trouble with what I have to say. A lot of the things that I have written down will spark an intense discussion, so I think the only time I can reveal it is after I leave this earth.”

When we asked how we’d be able to read his secret musings if he’s no longer here to tell us the password to his phone, Steven had just the answer for that. “I’ll tell you my password just before I die, or if there’s no time for that, just use my thumb and unlock my phone – that will definitely work.”

Xu Zhi Mo will run from 20-21 July at the Kallang Theatre. Tickets are priced at S$148, S$128, S$108, S$88, S$68, S$58 (excluding booking fees) and are now available on SISTIC.