Pan Lingling’s Sons Wanted To Be Actors But They Now Plan To Be Pilots

These days, it kinda seems like every local star's kid is following in their parents’ footsteps and venturing into showbiz. Take Chantalle Ng, for example. Lin Meijiao’s only daughter has become a star in her own right and is now playing the lead in dramas despite having just graduated from university. Meanwhile, Eleanor Lee, aka Quan Yifeng’s pride and joy, has made a splash in China and is a triple threat who can act, sing and model.

Which is why 8days.sg is curious to know why Pan Lingling, who stars in new Mediacorp drama Happy Prince, has kept her sons Beckham (right in main pic), 21, and Kynaston, 18, away from the limelight. So much so that we wouldn’t have known what they look like if not for their own social media.

“Aiyah, why are you so interested in them? Ask about me instead!” the 49-year-old laughed when we brought up the topic of her kids at Happy Prince's press conference last week. She hesitated at first to reveal more about her sons before finally explaining: “I wanted them to study first. I remember the EP wanting them to be part of [2014 drama] World At Your Feet, but I said no without asking my sons. I wanted them to study first.

Beckham and Kynaston only found out that they came thisclose to starring in a drama after another actor’s kid (Lingling declined to reveal who) asked why they weren’t in the show.

“I told them that it wasn’t because they weren’t asked to be in it but that I had rejected the offer, she said. Kynaston took it as it is, but Beckham was more curious to know why I did that because he wanted to be part of it. So I sat him down and explained to him my reason.

Lingling, who is married to former Ch 8 actor Huang Shinan, added that her sons had become interested in showbiz after seeing the friends they grew up with become actors one by one . But she put her foot down when it came to them juggling both work and school.

The actress chuckled: “It’s hard enough doing one, much less both! I take my hat off to those who managed to do it. But for my boys, I told them that they need to finish university first before I’ll let them join showbiz.”

“Even if they're a little older than everyone else, I don’t think it’s an issue. When they’re older, they will also have more life experience to draw from as an actor. It doesn’t necessarily mean that they’ll be at a disadvantage compared to others who might have had more years in the industry.”

Another thing that Lingling is adamant about is not giving her boys any help if they do eventually join showbiz. She wouldn’t want them to mention who their parents are because they have to make it on their own.

But it seems Lingling doesn’t have to worry about that anymore as Beckham and Kynaston have both found new dreams: They now want to be pilots.

Beckham, who is currently an officer cadet in the RSAF (Republic of Singapore Air Force), was picked as a pilot trainee, but unfortunately was unable to pass all the tests.

“After going up into the skies, he told me that he loves the feeling of flying. Now, he wants to fly,” she grinned. In fact, Beckham loves it so much he’s considering signing on. And Lingling is all for it.

She mused that having her boys serve the nation is something she would be immensely proud of. The boys wouldn't be the first regulars in the family. Fun fact: Lingling tells us that Shinan was a regular in the army before he joined showbiz.

Lingling also tells us that seeing his older brother thrive in the air force has inspired Kynaston to want to be a pilot too. But there's a catch. There's a height limit for pilots — you can't be taller than 1.9m — and Kynaston is now 1.9m tall. So according to Lingling, he’s been hitting the gym and lifting weights in hope that it would stop him from growing any taller. [Ed: Some people believe that lifting weights will stunt your growth.]

“At the end of the day, I’ll always be supportive of what they want to do, smiled Lingling. Be it an actor or a pilot, my job as their mother is to always be there to cheer them on and support them.”

Photos: Pan Ling Ling/Instagram, Beckham Wee/Instagram

Happy Prince is now available on demand for free on Toggle, which will be renamed as meWATCH from Jan 30. The drama premieres Jan 15, 9pm on Ch 8.