Lawrence Wong Is As Comfy On A Red Carpet As He is Queuing Up For Bak Chor Mee In Flip Flops

The photos you see in this story were shot almost four months ago. On January 20th 2019 to be exact. A lot has happened since but let’s rewind our clocks back to that day first.

We’re at a Vietnamese fusion restaurant called Phorage on Church Street where we’re waiting for Lawrence Wong to show up for his 8days.sg cover shoot. It’s a blistering hot day — the kind that makes you yearn for an icy-cold shower — and because it’s a Sunday and the restaurant is located right smack in the middle of the CBD, it kinda feels like we’re in a ghost town. The owner of Phorage happens to be a friend of this writer and when we told her about our plans to shoot the star at her establishment, she replied: “We’re not open on Sundays… but we’ll do so just for Lawrence Wong.”

Turns out, she’s a fan of Story of Yanxi Palace. Then again, who isn’t?
 

The World’s Most-Googled Show in 2018 has made major stars out of its cast, including Lawrence who has seen his popularity (and fortunes) rise astronomically in the past six months. The Lawrence now is not the same Lawrence from just six months ago. He may not think or feel so but there’s a certain confidence to him. A glow, if you must, that radiates from him now.

We feel it the second he arrives at the shoot with his manager. Dressed in an unassuming yellow tee and black jeans, he wanders in, looking like he had just stepped out of a nice long shower, greeting the crew warmly. Everyone begins fussing over him and the sleepy afternoon suddenly gets jolted awake with excitement. Many of the people at the shoot have known Lawrence before he skyrocketed to fame but things are different today — like seeing your friend Pikachu evolve into Raichu right in front of your eyes.

We would later ask Lawrence if he feels people are treating him differently now because of his newfound popularity. He takes in the question, ponders for a second, and then says: “I mean there are more people who know me now and who pay me more attention. I’ve even had people who say that they suddenly find me good-looking and that they’ve never noticed it before (laughs). But I’m the same person. I look the same! But I guess because of the show, people’s perception of me has changed... But I just take everything with a pinch of salt. That’s just the way things are. That’s how society is.”

“Reality is harsh,” he says, when we ask if all this has changed his view on friendship. “If you want to talk about people being superficial and all, it exists everywhere. Not just in showbiz. But I’ve always tried to lead my life in this way: That when things are good, don’t be too cocky. And when things are bad, don’t be too dejected either. The whole ride [thus far] has reinforced that in me.”
 

Lawrence’s, for the lack of a better term, rags-to-riches story is legend by now. He was an actor in these parts working towards his big break that never came before he decided to head north to try his luck in probably the most competitive market in the world: China. The rest is Palace history.

Now, he’s so in-demand he once flew to a different city for work every day for a month. “It was really red-eye flight, touch down and go to work, and then red-eye flight, touch down, and work again,” he says. “It was willpower and adrenaline that kept me going. You can be so tired and feel like shit ’cos you don’t have enough sleep but when you’re there, the adrenaline just takes over. I’ve seen videos my fans post of me at events and I don’t look tired but I really, really was. It’s quite fascinating, really.”

His days as a struggling actor have prepared him for the big time. He has the maturity and levelheadedness you don’t get from stars who explode into ubiquity right from the get-go. You can tell that from the thoughtful and rational way he answers his questions.

He’s also really good at taking photos — his manager tells us that he’s probably shot some 50 covers for publications around Asia since skyrocketing to fame. The shoot is a total breeze — dude knows his angles — and we quickly call it a day. We say goodbye to Lawrence, who happily tells us that he's headed to Plaza Singapura to meet some friends for dinner.

Like we mentioned at the start of this story, in the months after we shot Lawrence, a lot of things have happened. For starters, the restaurant Phorage is no more. In its place is French-Japanese restaurant Le Coq, which is also owned by this writer’s Yanxi Palace-loving friend.

Lawrence also became the first Singaporean to perform at CCTV’s prestigious New Year Gala in China. An honour he couldn’t comprehend until he was sitting right there at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, a government building that is off-limits to the public, along with China’s highest-ranking officials and its biggest stars like girl-of-the-moment Dilraba Dilmurat.

“Xu Kai (who played Fuheng in Yanxi) and Qin Lan (the Fucha Empress) were there too and Xu Kai was telling me that he was very nervous,” Lawrence tells us. “He knew the significance of the moment because he’s Chinese. And sitting next to me was this veteran artiste who said to me, “Oh, you’re the one from Singapore? You must be the only foreigner to perform at the New Year Gala.” I didn’t really believe her so I flipped through the event booklet and she was right. And at that moment it hit me. I’m the only Singaporean to have ever performed there. And the New Year Gala is a show that’s watched by Chinese people all around the world.”

Lawrence has become a much bigger star in the interim. We’ve attended a few events where Lawrence was the special guest and very seldom do you see a local star provoke so much screaming from fans. It happened at a Coach event at MBS where ecstatic fans rushed past the horde of photographers to snap his pics. And at a YSL beauty party at Cherry Discotheque where throngs of giddy fan girls tailgated him while he made his way round the event space. Then there was the Prada party at Paragon, where our writer noted that Lawrence received the loudest screams amongst all the local artistes that night.

It’s clear that while the hype for Yanxi Palace is long over, Lawrence’s fame isn’t a passing fad.

There’s also another reason we remember the date January 20th so distinctly. It was the day news first broke that Aloysius Pang had gotten seriously injured while on reservist training in New Zealand. At the shoot, the topic of what happened to Aloy came up a number of times. Everyone was filled with worry and was hoping for the best. But four days later, Aloysius passed away and a nation went into mourning.

About three weeks after the shoot, it was announced that Lawrence would replace Aloysius in the upcoming Ch 8 drama My One In A Million. We spoke to Lawrence then about taking on what would have been the late star’s first lead Ch 8 role. “What went through my mind was what could I bring to the role? Could I do it justice?” Lawrence told us. “Also somebody has to do the role. Somebody has to take on the role. And I believe Mediacorp must have been quite kancheong to ask me for help and I’m glad they asked me. And I will do my best to do justice to this role that was supposed to be his.”

Which brings us to today. We’re speaking to Lawrence again, close to four months since the last time we had an in-depth chat. The actor is now in the midst of filming My One In A Million, which he had to juggle with a movie project in China. Being busy and stretched thin is part and parcel of his life now but for an actor, who’s been through as much as Lawrence, it’s really the best feeling in the world.

8 DAYS: You have about a few more weeks left before filming for My One In A Million is done. How has it been?
LAWRENCE WONG: It’s been good. I just hope that when the show comes out, the response will be positive. People have been saying that ratings for local shows are dropping compared to years ago ’cos audiences now have more choices, like the Internet and stuff… so I hope people will watch [the drama]. Also it hasn’t been easy filming the show.
 

How so?
’Cos I had to juggle quite a bit of things, like having to fly here and there. And this show has a lot of action scenes too. There are also a lot of scenes where I have to be topless or semi-naked. It really isn’t the kind of simple, ‘only dialogue’ kind of show.
How are things on set now that you’ve returned to local TV a much bigger star?
(Ponders) It’s still same. I guess what’s different is that I have a lot more say and control on how I want my character to be as opposed to last time… In a way, people tend to perhaps accept my views on how I want to mold the character a bit easier than in the past. But apart from that, it’s more or less the same.
Do people show you more respect now?
I’ve never really cared about or noticed these things. I just come here and do my work. I mean if you are polite and respectful to people, people will also naturally be polite and respectful to you. That’s my motto. Even when I was in 118, I never really cared about these things. And 'cos I never really cared, it never occurred to me that people were disrespecting me or respecting me more now. I’m just here to do my job well and then on to the next project.
Have the crew said things like, “Wah, you popular liao!”
(Laughs) Yah lah, yah lah. Some of them came to congratulate me and say that I put Singapore back on the map, stuff like that. Which was something I never thought of. There are a lot of things I never thought of until people mention it. You don’t have time to think of stuff in that perspective until you hear it and you’re like, “Oh yah, maybe it’s true.”

 

Do your co-stars ask you for advice on how to break into the Chinese market?
There are people who ask me how things are like in China, how I managed to blend in, or how I managed to memorise the lines ’cos it’s so different from here. But no one has asked me how to break into the market there. Maybe ’cos [we’re] not close, I guess (laughs).
Surely there are people who are curious about venturing there too seeing how well you’re doing.
There are people who ask me about the market there and if it’s easy [to break into it]? And I would be very frank and tell them that it is not easy. In fact, it is freaking difficult. It’s very difficult ’cos there’s so much competition and the actors there are all of a certain caliber… But if it’s something you really want to try, hey, live with no regrets right? But do it knowing that it’s not going to be easy.
Your fans go crazy for you when they see you at events. Was this what you dreamed of when you were starting out in showbiz?
No lah ’cos when I first started, all I wanted was to have good roles instead of just calefare roles. What I wanted was really simple. I didn’t think as far as having screaming fans lah.
Surely people dream of being adored by fans when they first enter showbiz.
I think when I started out, I was more, I guess, innocent? My intentions were simpler. I just wanted good work and the possibility of having bigger roles in the future.
But it must feel good to have people screaming for you.
Definitely. Especially if like what you said, that I was the one who received the loudest screams at the event. It feels like an achievement lah.
When was the first time you felt like a superstar?
In China last year ’cos the events there are of a bigger scale and there are a lot more people who attend them. I remember this particular one I did for [bubble tea shop] The Alley in China. I was shocked that so many people came to see me! Along the way from the van to the atrium, there were people screaming for me, pushing me and pulling my shirt… I was quite shocked ’cos I never experienced that before.
What’s the craziest thing a fan has done for you recently?
Get the same tattoo as me? I have a tattoo on my wrist… and a fan got the same one.
What does your tattoo represent?
It doesn’t mean anything. It’s just a star. It was one of those things you do when you’re younger. I was walking past a tattoo shop with a friend and I just went in and got it done.
Isn’t it a bit freaky knowing that someone out there has the same tattoo?
No… I felt a bit guilty actually. In China, you can have one event in a certain city and fans from other cities will fly over just to see you. When I know things like that I always feel guilty and paiseh lah. That people put in so much effort just to see you. That’s why I always try to take as many photos with people when there’s an opportunity.

 

Last year, you had given a speech about not being able to pay your rent when you were first starting out.
Yeah, but that was a long time ago. I had just graduated and I didn’t know what to do. I tried modeling, I tried acting and had odd roles in dramas that still run on Ch 8 till this day (laughs). I’ll get DMs from fans at two, three in the morning and they’ll say, “Oh, I just saw you on TV!” I’ve played like a bellboy and a waiter in shows like Portrait of Home and Living with Lydia and they’re still haunting me! (Laughs). Back in those days, I remember I was renting a room in a small HDB flat in Chinatown. Rent was like $400? But it was still a struggle ’cos my income was so low and so unstable. Back then I would earn like $60 a day acting in Mediacorp shows. Those were the days lah.
Do you look back on those times and think about how far you’ve come?
I actually don’t think those times were that bad. I wasn’t uncomfortable. I wasn’t suffering. So it has never crossed my mind.
You fly around a lot and we guess you spend a lot of time in hotels too. Do you ever feel lonely?
I wouldn’t say lonely. But sometimes there is a kind of 'discrepancy' in my emotions. I was just describing to my friend about how I was in Beijing walking the red carpet for an event with Shu Qi and the weather was very cold. And after the event, I took a red-eye flight back to Singapore and I got home about 8am. Then I changed and went downstairs in my singlet, shorts and flip flops and I was queuing for bak chor mee. So I told my friend that there was such a stark difference. Like literally a few hours ago I was in Beijing in a tux and walking the red carpet and now I am in singlet queuing for bak chor mee. And no one was even looking at me (laughs).
So it’s like reality check.
Yeah. And there have been a lot of such incidents. Like I would touch down in Singapore and shortly after, my sister and I would get on those rental bikes and we would cycle to like Jurong Point. (Laughs)

You’ve been cruising around town in a Mercedes recently. Did you ever think you would be driving a Merc?
Yeah! Actually my dad has been driving one for as long as I can remember (laughs). I actually have a lot of memories with the brand ’cos back in Johor Bahru [Ed: Lawrence is originally from Malaysia] when my family was robbed and our Mercedes was broken into (laughs).
What happened?
One time when I was young, I fell sick and my dad was going to take me to the doctor. I was in the car with him and my nanny while my mum was locking the gate. Suddenly, four men holding parangs squeezed into our car and forced us to drive to some ulu place. They then kicked us out of the car and drove off!
That’s really scary!
Nah… What was scary was the time four men came into our house in Malaysia carrying guns and they forced us all to go into one room and made us face the wall. One man pointed his gun at us while the rest ransacked our house. They took everything, including my laptop and the key to our car, which they drove off in. I remember them telling my father that they didn’t want to mess up our house so it would be better if we would just tell them where our valuables were (laughs). JB was really dangerous in the past but now it’s okay lah.

 

So how much has your bank account grown since last year?
(Laughs) Hmm… money is never enough. No lah… I guess I’m doing a lot better than before. I’m comfortable. That’s what I would say.
What was the first thing you splurged on after you got your first big paycheck?
Nothing leh ’cos I’m saving up to buy a bigger place here so my dad can come over and stay.
Are you allowed to buy a house in China?
Can but property is very expensive there. Just like in Singapore. I have a unit here but I want to get a bigger place for my family.
Do you think going to China was the best career decision you’ve ever made?
I guess I’m always a risk taker and I’ve never gone the normal route. How shall I put this... I don’t think it’s just the decision to go to China. I’m proud of my whole journey as an actor. To put it bluntly, I started off at the lowest level. I had no backing from a rich company. The TV station didn’t want to sign me. I didn’t come from a competition and was immediately given substantial roles. I really started from the lowest point. Back then I could barely survive and I had to do hosting gigs which I’m not good at. I hated hosting but I had to do it to survive. I stumbled here and there and I honed my craft slowly bit by bit. I made a lot of sacrifices. I ate a lot of shit to slowly become who I am today. So I don’t think it’s just about going to China. I think my whole process, if I dare say, is a good lesson for everyone. No one wanted me. I was really at the bottom.

 

Did your family support your decision to be an actor?
Nope. They discouraged me from doing this. But I had a few friends who always had nice things to say to me but that’s what friends are for right?
Your family didn’t like you being an actor?
Yeah and I don’t blame them for that. I wasn’t earning good money and I wasn’t doing substantial stuff when I first started. It was only after a while when things got better and better and they started seeing some possibility [of me doing well]. If not I don’t blame them. All parents don’t want their kids to starve.
What did they want you to do?
Be a professional. Do something normal that’s more stable and secure.
What do they say now?
Nothing (laughs). My dad is happy lah. My mum, sadly, couldn’t see all this ’cos she passed away in 2016 just before I moved to China. But yeah, my dad is happy, I guess? I think he has to make a few adjustments [to his life] as well. ’Cos now, everywhere I go with him, there are people who want to take photos with me. Like my grandma just passed away and at her funeral, there were people who wanted photos. People from the next funeral parlour and the funeral parlour beside it too (laughs). Stuff like that. So it’s something my dad has to get used to.
So your dad is the typical Asian parent who, though proud of his kid’s achievements, will never be vocal about it?
Yeah (laughs).
Has he ever said, “Good job!” to you?
No, not really. He only told me to save money (laughs). He said, “You better save money ’cos you don’t know when all these things will end (laughs).” Which is true!
And very practical. Did he enjoy Yanxi Palace?
I don’t know leh. He watched it but he didn’t say anything about it. I think he mentioned that the show was very long ’cos there were many episodes. (Laughs)
What do you think your mum would say about you now?
I think she would be more vocal. I think she would say she’s proud of me.
It’s a pity she wasn’t able to see you achieve success.
I guess. It would have been very good if she could see my achievements. Of course I don’t think I have achieved a lot but it would be nice if she could see that at least I’m not struggling anymore.

PHOTOS: AIK CHEN
STYLING: LIRONG
STYLING ASSISTANT: SIFRA VANIA
HAIR: GARY LOW/ PASSION HAIR SALON
MAKE-UP: RICK YANG using Guerlain

Special thanks to Eelin Goh and Le Coq for their kind assistance.

Outfits:

In opening pic: Knitted tank, cotton chinos overalls, patterned fabric suede sneakers all from Salvatore Ferragamo.

In pic 2/11: Stretch cotton jersey roll neck, logo detailed virgin wool-blend jacquard polo tee, wool blend trousers, Milano 70 Nylon and suede sneakers all from Prada.

In pic 6/11: Melange knitted sweater, wool blend trousers both from Prada.

In pic: 7/11: Logo printed cotton shirt from Fendi.

In pic 10/11: Netted t-shirt, cotton shirt and chino trousers all from Salvatore Ferragamo.