At the peak of his career in Mediacorp, Tay Ping Hui came to question his passion for acting.
“Acting is something that you need to have passion for. It’s not a pragmatic job, it’s not something that you do because it’s good, you have to do it because you enjoy it,” the 54-year-old actor told actor-host Allan Wu in the latter’s YouTube talk show Call Us Daddy, released on March 13.
Ping Hui shared that at the time, he was filming four to five dramas a year for the local broadcasting station. He also had other commitments such as charity shows and events to fulfil, which made him feel that all his roles had merged into one.
“I think I survived on four hours of sleep every day for more than 10 years, including weekends,” he added.
With a desire to challenge himself further, Ping Hui decided to leave Mediacorp in 2018 after 19 years and expand his career to China. He joined China-based entertainment company GHY Culture & Media, and later left in 2024.
“I know that I can be the top dog in this pond, I can be very comfortable, but I don’t want to be, I want to go out to the ocean and if I get eaten by sharks, so be it. No regrets, because it was a super humbling experience and made me realise how so many people work so differently in so many places,” he said.
From his experience working overseas, the local actor learnt that the scale of production and the mentality that the people have are so much bigger.
“I’d recommend every young artiste, if you think you are at the top of the game, you should check out what other people are doing. I think you would realise that however good you think you are, you are not. However great you think you are, you are nothing,” Ping Hui added.
Despite being told in Singapore that his looks weren’t suitable for period dramas, he said they were all that he had filmed while he was in China.
Ping Hui acted in Chinese dramas including Handsome Siblings (2020), Heroes (2020), Brave Heart 2 (2021) and Sisterhood (2023).
When asked if he had any regrets in his performances, he recounted a scene in a drama where he felt he had underperformed despite being an experienced actor.
It was a scene of his character looking through photos taken with his best friend after the latter died. Ping Hui was supposed to have a tear rolling down his cheek in a close-up shot.
“I became too conscious of the camera and the lights that I forgot about the performance,” he said.
“I became arrogant and cocky subconsciously… for that scene, I lost concentration and didn’t focus on the performance and I couldn’t do it. In my mind, I failed in that scene.”
That performance still “haunts” him till now.
“I would always bring it up to remind myself, ‘Don’t be an arrogant prick’,” Ping Hui said.
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