PUBLISHED ONNovember 14, 2024 5:09 AMByYeo Shu HuiWhen former TV actor Zhang Shuifa appeared in a sales livestream with some local celebs in July, it sparked nostalgia among netizens who hadn't seen him on screens for years.
The 57-year-old's appearance then led to his gradual return to showbiz. Besides turning up in the occasional sales livestreams, the Malaysian is also currently filming local director Jack Neo's upcoming movie I Want To Be Boss, which is expected to be released during Chinese New Year next year.
In an Instagram Reel today (Nov 14), Shuifa, who debuted in 1988 with Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (now Mediacorp), reminisced about the time he filmed a drama with local actor Collin Chee.
"I remembered it was over 30 years ago, though I can't remember the name of the drama now," he said.
Collin, 57, shared that it was his first drama in 1993.
"It was the series That Moment In Time, with Eugena Lee, Ivy Lee and Lina Ng," he said, with Shuifa adding that former actor Sean Say was also in it.
The drama centres on a dancer (played by Ivy) who falls for a terminally ill doctor (Sean) and it included some of the Star Search 1993 contestants.
Collin also asked Shuifa how he felt about returning to the entertainment industry.
"It was very stressful, but at the same time, I am also very thankful, especially to Terence Cao. If he didn't offer me accommodation and transport between Johor Bahru and Singapore, I wouldn't have accepted this project," he shared.
Shuifa added that he had already known Terence before the recent livestream and is in fact very close with him.
"Previously, he and Sean would frequently buy supper for my mother. They cared for her," he said.
In the July livestream, he told netizens that he was with SBC for eight years before returning to Malaysia for two years and venturing to China for six years. As his mother was seriously ill then, he retired from showbiz and only made his return when she died.
The last drama that Shuifa appeared in was reportedly Malaysian series My Sensei Nyonya (2018), where he plays head of the Yao household Yao Sihai.
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