Huang Wenyong: The Man behind the Star

Huang Wenyong: The Man behind the Star

    By Han Wei Chou
    POSTED: 21 Apr 2013 2:48 PM
 
"Big Brother" is what many have used to describe late veteran actor Huang Wenyong, but he proved to be a mentor not just to actors, but also others who had the privilege to know him

I remember.

The first time I met late veteran actor Huang Wenyong was at a hotel ballroom in 2010, for a media event weeks before the Star Awards.

It was one of my first assignments as a writer for channelnewsasia.com’s entertainment section, and my task for the day was to find out what celebrities had to say of their chances at an award, along with any interesting news or gossip that might turn up.

The sight of so many celebrities in one place was overwhelming, and it must have shown on my face.

“I haven’t seen you around before. Are you new?” Huang said to me, after making his way across the room.

I nodded and told him I’ve just started writing for the website.

“A writer... So why aren’t you out talking to people?” he asked, gesturing to the sea of celebrities in the ballroom.

“I… er … They all look very busy,” I managed.

While many of them were busy answering questions from reporters and getting their photos taken, some were not.

Huang looked back at me again.

“Don’t be shy! Who do you want to talk to?” he said. “Let me introduce them to you.”

He then brought me around the room, introducing me to Michelle Chia, a then-frizzy-haired Qi Yuwu, Jessica Liu as well as a few of the other stars in attendance, guiding me along like an affable uncle.

Mentor

He also told me that he had a knack for picking winning lottery numbers, which on hindsight could have made me a wealthy men.

But that was not what burnt that encounter into my memory.

The encounter was so memorable because because he taught me the most important lesson an entertainment writer could learn - “Don’t be shy!”

Since then, I have always treated him as a bit of a mentor, who never failed to give me new insights into the local television industry.

Thus when I heard that he passed away on Saturday evening after battling cancer, I felt a wave of sadness wash over me.

I however took comfort in the tributes made by his fellow television stars like Tay Ping Hui and Eelyn Kok, who like me, were fortunate enough to have known him.

Many said that he was always ready to guide newbies, though I wonder if they knew he had a big influence on people outside the acting fraternity too.

Friend

Apart from being a mentor, Huang was a friend as well.

We would talk about a variety of topics when we had the chance to meet, be it on location during shoots or at media conferences.

He would listen to me lament about the stressful nature of a writing job, and would in turn share stories about how somebody had once impersonated him online, as well as how he would shoot for days on end when he started acting during Singapore television’s formative years.

But what stood out was his thoughts on what it meant to be popular.

“Don’t interview me lah! Interview the younger ones,” Huang would often tell me.

He said that he was comfortable with the fact that he has been superseded by younger stars.

“I don’t expect to win. I’ve been nominated every year since the awards’ inception but have never won,” said Huang with a warm smile, when we spoke in the weeks leading up to the 2011 Star Awards.

Then, something unexpected happened that year.

Actor

Huang won a “Top 10 Most Popular Male Artiste Award” for the first time in 2011, after over a decade of constant nominations.

Television cameras showed an exuberant Huang with his trophy.

What they didn’t show was the way he walked with a spring in his step at the after party, virtually running from group to group, being congratulated by friends.

He was all smiles that night, and full of vigour.

He was a far cry from the Huang that appeared at the "30th Drama Anniversary Show" in November last year.

Huang was skinny and appeared a little frail during the three-hour television special to commemorate 30 years of local Mandarin dramas.

He also left quickly after the show, citing medical reasons, and never appeared at any official function after that.

Right up to the end, he never let the media in on his battle with lymphoma.

He even posted an audio clip to reassure his fans he was fine last month.

“I am well … Please do not worry,” said Huang in his audio message, though his voice betrayed signs of fatigue.

What could have made him keep his pain from the public?

Perhaps he wanted people to remember him as the resilient Ah Shui in the iconic television drama “The Awakening”, as the hilarious Ong Kim Lai in the sitcom “Don’t Worry Be Happy”, and as a consummate actor to the end.

I will remember him as a man who was so much more, as someone who always had a kind word and a warm smile, as a mentor, and as a friend.

He will be missed.

- CNA/ha

- wong chee tat :)