Transition from 'idol' to veteran actor has been 'very hard': Chan Hanwei

SINGAPORE – Chen Hanwei’s latest drama, a heartland comedy, is titled Hero. Coincidentally, if you ask any young actor, they’ll tell you that Chen himself is a real hero in the industry.

How is such a hero born, and what factors shaped him? Just two years shy of celebrating his third decade in showbiz, Chen has seen it all, riding the crested wave of teen idol fame and overcoming his own ego.

A 28-year acting veteran, Chen has four Best Actor Star Awards under his belt and holds the title of local TV’s original modern-day idol (nobody wanted to go home when lusciously-coiffed Mr Fang rang the dismissal bell back in 1995’s Morning Express).

Now, at 47, he has a wealth of experience to draw on for his performances, as well as to share with anyone who is ready to learn.

Chen said he loves helping younger actors for the simple reason that “I’ve been through it all”. He remembers that in the days when he was just starting out, “I was bullied on set. I had a director beat me over the head with a script booklet for no reason. They scolded me; made me lie on the ground coated in honey so that ants would crawl all over me. Things like that weren’t in the script but they bullied me for their own amusement for many years.”

Now, he says, as long as he witnesses any disrespect, whether on set or in the streets, “I won’t hold my peace. For example, on set, if established actors aren’t very nice to personal assistants or propsmen, or if crew members raise their voices at newer actors, I’ll go over and say, ‘We should show everyone basic respect. Don’t scare them. Just explain it to them nicely.’”

He added: “In life, anyone can be a hero if they choose to help people or stand up for people.”

REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

It is quite evident that younger actors look up to Chen: His Hero co-stars speak of him with both reverence and affection.

“I feel that you have become a great actor — not a good actor, a great actor — when without you, they cannot make something,” said Andie Chen.

“He’s not a young, hot guy any more — you can’t argue that — but he keeps getting cast in big roles and big dramas. Why? Because he’s the only one who can pull it off.

“To me, he’s definitely a hero of the local TV industry, especially of late, because there are fewer and fewer character actors around, and the actors nowadays are pretty two-dimensional — they are good looking but they’re not as versatile as the actors we used to have, like Peter Yu,” he added.

Sheila Sim, who has worked closely with Chen over the last two years, especially in the drama 118, said: “He’s a hero because he’s very willing to share, and he has taught the younger generation of actors a lot. Every time a newbie or younger actor has a problem, whether it’s emotional or political stuff, they always go to him.”

She even seeks him out for relationship advice. And, “sometimes when I’m late on set, he’ll cover for me!”

Desmond Ng shared that Chen goes above and beyond the call of duty when it comes to helping new actors like himself. “He invited Charles Lee and I to his house, and gave us suggestions on how we could approach acting. In just one short talk, he helped me understand how, for example, one line of dialogue can be delivered in so many different ways,” he said. “After that, whenever he saw me, he’d ask after me and ask how I was taking to acting.”

WHEN IDOLS GROW UP

Growing up — and growing older — hasn’t been easy for Chen himself, especially the process of outgrowing the teen-idol image he shot to fame with in shows such as Morning Express and Cupid Love.

“Youngsters these days don’t engage in power struggles with the directors. In my twenties, when I thought I was very famous and popular, I would do that,” he mused. “Sometimes when the director made me repeat a take, I’d make a ‘tsk’ sound. Actually, tsk-ing is quite disgusting — like when you’re in an elevator and you try to move backwards so other people can enter but the person behind you clicks their tongue! When you grow up, you don’t do that 
any more.”

His was from the era when celebrities were really idols, he recalled. “You really felt like a star, and that sort of feeling is very powerful. You couldn’t draw too much attention to yourself because if one person noticed you, a crowd would form. It’s not like that any more. Even if you see Zoe Tay, you’ll just say hi to her. Idols now don’t enjoy the stardom that we did — your fan club might be back there shouting for you, but the rest of the audience doesn’t even want to look at you.”

He puts it down to how technology and promotional strategies have evolved.

“A lot of us post on social media: ‘Having dinner with Mum’; ‘Holding hands with my girlfriend’. It gets tiring,” he said. “On top of that, there are so many roadshows. I think the less the audience interacts personally with us, the stronger the mystery factor, and the more people will be intrigued by us. For example, when a Korean C-lister comes to Singapore, there’s still a crowd of screaming fans simply because their appearance is 
so rare.”

Fans, too, have evolved. Gone are the days when good looks were enough to propel one to stardom. These days, how well you sing or act does indeed carry more weight.

Chen said: “People have advanced and their expectations are higher — they were more bimbotic in the past! So, idols now can’t just depend on looks — their character and performance have to be strong enough, too.”

And, because looks — and popularity — are notoriously fleeting, not everyone has the mettle to come to terms with being an ageing idol. “The worst stage is the transition between idol and veteran. It’s very tough,” Chen shared. “Idolhood lasts two years at the most. No matter how good looking you might be, your endorsement deals will peter out after two years. Then it’s game over if you don’t know how to maintain your momentum. You go from doing lots of magazine cover shoots to fewer and fewer, and then none at all. At roadshows, your name goes from getting top billing to second or third, to last. The process is very hard to bear.”

Chen, however, “has transitioned well”, said Sim. What’s more, Andie said, “I think now that he’s not treated as the number-one leading man, he doesn’t have that baggage, so he’s getting roles like the one in The Journey: Tumultuous Times, where he was the baddie and lunatic — no one else could have pulled it off. And I think just for that, if we were to lose him, we would have lost so much.”

“I just have to keep improving,” Chen shrugged, stating emphatically that he would never retire. “The only thing that makes me happy, that makes me feel like I haven’t wasted my time in entertainment, is to pass on what I’ve learnt to those who really want to learn; who really want to act. If they don’t, then they can just do their own thing. If they do, I’ll sit down with them and share. It warms my heart when I see them grow and improve.” He added: “Everyone moves up from the lowest rung. We all have a lot to learn. Learning to live is not easy. I am always learning … You never graduate from that course.”

Catch Hero on weekdays at 9pm on Mediacorp TV Channel 8.