The actor, who left acting in 2005 due to burnout, moved back to Singapore from Malaysia just before the pandemic, and has just signed with Mediacorp’s management arm The Celebrity Agency in readiness to take on acting projects.
“It’s been a long while since the local entertainment scene has had news this big. The peerless, the legendary, the venerated Xie Shaoguang has come out of seclusion. He’s ready to pick up where he left off,” said Shaoguang.
“It’s well known that in 2005, the 62-year-old Shaoguang, winner of five Best Actor and two Best Supporting Actor Star Awards, famously left it all behind at the peak of his career to take up Buddhist monkhood, run an animal sanctuary and cook at a vegetarian restaurant in Malaysia. In that time, he’s steered clear of social media, rejected all pleas to appear in the public eye and cultivated a profile lower than a dachshund’s belly.”
“My ex-manager, who currently heads up Mediacorp’s The Celebrity Agency, pointed out that since he’d been turning down offers for such a long time, it would be useful to let people know that he’s now open to taking on acting roles,” said Shaoguang.
Shaoguang mentioned, “When I meet fans and supporters, they always say, ‘Why don’t you act? When will you act again?’ I say, ‘If there’s an opportunity, I will’,” Shaoguang told CNA Lifestyle. “Now, I want to say to them, ‘I wasn’t lying’.”
“I hope my timing is right. When I left all those years ago, I was on a quest of spiritual rediscovery. I was burnt out,” said Shaoguang. “The intense work schedule, the demanding action scenes, were starting to take a toll on my health.”
During his time away from the limelight, he set up an animal shelter for dogs, cats, retired racehorses and even the occasional cow, pig or deer. “When you take care of stray dogs, you look like a wanderer yourself,” he laughed.
“If I earn another role, it all depends on luck and timing I guess,” mentioned Shaoguang. “When he reads the right script, he’ll know it’s the one. If it “explores human nature and human psychology, I think that’s a plus.”
“If he receives a warm welcome back, “I’m very grateful because what makes an actor recognized is always the audience. Without the audience, you are nobody,” said Shaoguang. “So, I’m always thankful and grateful for my viewers. They’re very supportive, very respectful, and they always give me my freedom, in a way. They always give me a quiet nudge (when) they say, ‘We like watching your shows, when are you coming back?’”
“I hear them.”
