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American actor Ben Foster on the joys of fatherhood and the scars left by some of his more traumatic roles

The award-winning star of the 2016 film Hell or High Water was in Hong Kong recently to attend The Hub’s charity gala

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Foster with his fiancée, Laura Prepon. Picture: Alamy

Ben Foster is worried he’s underdressed.

“No one told me to bring black tie!” he grumbles, only half joking, while posing between life-size horse statues ahead of Ready to Race; The Hub Charity Gala Ball, at the Grand Hyatt, in Wan Chai. Wearing a charcoal suit and unbuttoned shirt, he looks more suited to the Cannes red carpet than a charity ball in Hong Kong, but he is far from scruffy.

It is late October and the American actor is in town to lend his celebrity to The Hub, a charity that supports the city’s disadvantaged children and runs a centre in Sham Shui Po at which young people can play, eat, exercise and get help with homework.

Foster, at The Hub Charity Gala Ball, in Wan Chai. Picture: Xiaomei Chen
Foster, at The Hub Charity Gala Ball, in Wan Chai. Picture: Xiaomei Chen
Every year since 2012, the foundation has thrown a grand fundraiser with a guest of honour. Previous balls have seen Carrie Fisher, Claudia Kim and Heather Graham appear; this year, organisers wanted a male star, and new father Foster was keen to be involved.
Before I arrive to meet Foster at the Grand Hyatt, the charity’s communications director messages to say, “Best not to ask regarding Harvey Weinstein, hope that’s OK.”

The communications manager and I meet in the hotel lobby and he repeats the message, whispering, “His manage­ment has decided that Ben won’t be answering questions about Weinstein.”

Lauren James joined SCMP as part of the Young Post team in 2015, before moving to the Culture desk in 2017. Originally from the UK, she enjoys writing about arts and entertainment, environmental issues, health and fitness, technology and food. She is an avid gig-goer and passionate about Hong Kong's music scene.
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