Xiang Yun has "only happy memories" of Huang Wenyong
By Han Wei Chou
POSTED: 21 Apr 2013 7:12 PM
To actress Xiang Yun, veteran actor Huang Wenyong who died on Saturday surrounded by his family, is a man who was pillar of support throughout their 30-year friendship.
SINGAPORE: A food trolley trundled past us backstage area, adding to the cacophony as the production team prepared for the night's big show, “Star Awards Show 1”, which will feature a special segment to pay tribute to late veteran actor Huang Wenyong.
But it didn’t bother Xiang Yun at all.
She was too busy sharing tales of her friend for 30-years between moments of laughter and tears.
“I’ve thought of keeping silent about the matter when the media come to me for comment, but I’ve known Huang Wenyong for over 30 years. How can I have nothing to say about him?” said Xiang Yun of the teacher from Kuala Lumpur became one of Singapore’s most recognisable actors and her closest confidante.
“We’ve been working together in our youth, in our prime and in our golden years."
“We went through every stage of our lives together. We watched each other go through the ups and downs in our family lives and careers.”
She shared that Huang had been a pillar of support for her through the past three decades.
“I am really thankful. He has given me only happy memories.
“I remember when I first became a mother, and when I returned to the set after a long hiatus, there was a lot of pressure on me. But when I came back, he told a joke and made me laugh out loud."
“And then I realised it has been so long since I laughed,” said Xiang Yun, as she choked back her tears.
30-year friendship
Their friendship first blossomed when she worked with Huang in the iconic drama “The Awakening”, which traced the lives of early immigrants to Singapore.
“At first I was scared of him, because he was a teacher in Kuala Lumpur, before being hired as a voice actor in Singapore, and then becoming an actor.
“Later on, we got to know one another better but I still treated him with respect. Our relationship was really deep. We just got along really well,” said Xiang Yun.
“The director always has a headache when we appear on the same show, because we have endless things to talk about!”
“When we were shooting ‘Living the Golden Again’, the director shouted at us and said ‘Hey, are you all done talking!’ because we kept talking to one another,” said Xiang Yun with a laugh, even as tears welled up in her eyes once more.
“To me, he is always a friend and mentor. I’d still call him to ask about how to do certain shows when I run into problems later in our careers.”
A heavy blow
“I couldn’t sleep at all” was what Xiang Yun said of news of Huang's death.
Even when we spoke, she found it hard to accept that fact that Huang had died of cancer.
“When I got the call, I was trembling. I couldn’t sleep at all last night. I have so many feelings right now. I have so much that I wanted to say to him.
“I had wanted to go see him previously but he had refused to let me visit. Still, I understand him. He doesn’t want people to see him when he is ill,” she confided as her eyes turned red again.
“Although I’ve heard about his condition in recent months, I never expected him to leave so suddenly.”
“Now, there is just me and (Chen) Shucheng left from that era. Looking back at the 80s, there are only a few of us left still in the business who have gone through the age of black and white television,” said Xiang Yun thoughtfully.
She misses him dearly.
“Just now I was trying to call for Shucheng but I called out ‘Wenyong, Wenyong’ instead.”
“Everyone’s mood isn’t very good today" said Xiang Yun as the Channel 8 crew prepared for the Star Awards where Huang is up for a nomination.
"He has such a good rapport with everyone. He was always warm and cheerful," said Xiang Yun sombrely.
“I really don’t know if I can remain composed during the awards show tonight."
Somehow, it's unlikely that Xiang Yun will be the only one teary-eyed during the show.
- CNA/ha/sf
- wong chee tat :)
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