SINGAPORE: He might appear arrogant or even ‘bo chup’ (unbothered in Hokkein) but when you speak to actor Joshua Ang, you will discover a tender soul that’s hidden beneath that cool appearance.
The 20-year-old actor has this mysterious vibe about him. He speaks gently and softly, to a point where at times he is barely audible and you have to strain to hear his replies.
“I am a man of few words, more like an introvert,” replied Ang when I asked him to tell me more about himself.
But before you label him as aloof or arrogant, the former child actor claims that he is nothing like this in private.
“No, I’m not like this in real life. I can be really crazy with my close friends,” said Ang. His close circle of friends includes popular MediaCorp celebrities Dasmond Koh, who is also his god-brother, Quan Yi Feng, Joey Swee and Zhang Yao Dong.
The former child star caught everyone’s attention when he appeared as a young ‘ah beng’ in local director Jack Neo’s earlier movies, “I Not Stupid” and its sequel “I Not Stupid 2″ where his brooding looks and an air of coolness turned him into a teenage heart throb.
Looking back at his past, Ang has mixed feelings about the early stages of his career.
“‘I Not Stupid’ did create this stereotypical image of me and people always think that I can only play ah beng characters or even think that I’m like this in real life.
“When some of them see me on the street, they assume that I am supposed to be exactly like what they see on television,” said Ang who admitted that he sometimes wished that things could have started out differently.
But that doesn’t mean he is burning bridges with Neo.
“I do still keep in contact with him. He is my mentor. He is a very important person to me and he taught me a lot of things,” said the actor, and he doesn’t rule out working with the director again.
“Sure, why not,” he said when asked about the possibility of future collaborations.
Whether it is due to his introvert nature or the stereotyped image, it certainly doesn’t help that Ang hardly displays any emotions, which translates to a mixture of arrogance and confidence that one would associate with leading actors Li Nan Xing and Qi Yu Wu.
It is therefore not surprising that he has been touted as one of the faces to watch out for in the coming years.
“I am thankful for the opportunities,” he said modestly.
While he does not view the label as a form of pressure or motivation, the 20-year-old is determined to do his best in every role he plays.
In fact, he takes his trade so seriously that he could not snap out of his character as an angst-filled teen in upcoming Channel 8 drama, “New Beginnings”, and began trashing things in his home.
However, when I asked him about the matter, the actor played it down, saying it wasn’t as serious as it sounded on his blog.
“Well, my character delves in wushu, and I was a little tensed during that period so I guess the wushu part did play some part in it,” he smiled, reassuring me that all is fine now.
Fine he may be now, but it was no surprise to hear that 2009 has been a turbulent year for Ang.
Despite scoring his first lead role in Channel 8 drama “Table of Glory” this year, that career milestone was overshadowed by the passing of his loved ones.
He paused momentarily, taking deep breathes as he recalled the unhappy incidents.
“It’s definitely been a bad year. My auntie passed away early in the year and I felt very guilty. I regretted not spending enough time with her,” he finally opened up.
“Another unfortunate event took place later when my mum passed away. It really affected me. I was upset but this time round, I felt less guilty as I managed to spend enough time with her before she left,” he choked briefly.
It took a while for him to regain his composure and he smiled weakly but it barely masked the grief and sorrow he was holding inside.
While he agreed that the incidents made him stronger as a person, he could not wait for the year to end. And his Christmas wish spoke volumes about his inner thoughts.
“I do not have anything in mind,” said Ang as he broke into a forced smile yet again.
“I just want to be as busy as possible. I just want to keep working.” – CNA/fa
Channel News Asia