Compiled by C.ARUNO AND ZAKIAH KOYA
RATHER than pursuing a glamorous career in the entertainment industry, one of the stars of the recent box office hit Dear You opted to return to her nine-to-five job at a toy factory, reported China Press.
Wang Xiaohui, who played the young devoted wife Ye Shurou, was praised for her natural performance in the film.
Offers from talent agencies began flooding in after the movie received raving reviews both in China and in South-East Asia.
Despite that, Wang turned all of them down, choosing instead to return to her previous job as a designer and illustrator at a toy factory in her hometown, Shantou.
Filmed primarily in Teochew, a dialect from the Chaoshan region of eastern Guangdong, the film uses “qiaopi” (remittance letters) as a narrative thread to tell the story of a young man who travels to Thailand to track down his long-lost grandfather.
Many of the cast members were ordinary people with no acting experience.
Wang herself was not an actress and only auditioned after being encouraged by a friend.
To her surprise, she was selected for the role of Ye Shurou.
In a recent interview, Wang revealed that she had never received any formal acting training.
Although audiences have praised her performance since the film’s release, Wang said she was able to portray Ye successfully thanks to the strong script, appeal of the character and that some of her own personality resembled that of the role.
She added that she does not believe other roles would suit her.
Wang explained that being an actress requires a strong mental fortitude to deal with both praise and criticism from the public.
It would also mean increased scrutiny of her private life, which is something she was not ready to handle.
As such, she made the decision to return to her old job.
While her decision surprised many, others praised her for knowing what she wanted and choosing to walk away from the spotlight on her own terms.
(The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.)
