'Be careful of your family's safety': Taiwanese actor Chen Ting gets death threat over TV role

TAIPEI - Chen Ting has received a death threat to his two children - all because of his role as a villain in a television serial which chronicles the family war surrounding a pair of separated Siamese twins.

The Taiwanese actor, who plays Liang Chin-chuan in the long-running drama serial Proud Of You (2020 to present), said on social media he received a message on Instagram from a user named Chen Mei-hui on Friday night (Jan 7).

On Saturday, Chen, 55, posted a screenshot of the message which read: "Beware of your children becoming the next Pai Hsiao-yen. You had better be careful of your family's safety, shameless person."

Pai, the daughter of Taiwanese television celebrity Pai Ping-ping, was killed at age 17 in a 1997 kidnap-murder case which shocked Taiwan and beyond.

Chen, whose other acting credits include The Golden Ferris Wheel (2005 to 2006) and 100% Wife (2018), has been married to actress Chen Yi-yun since 2007. The couple have a son and a daughter.

After receiving the threat, Chen Ting wrote in Chinese on social media: "Please relax if you hate Liang Chin-chuan from Proud Of You to the core.

"All the roles featured in shows are to entertain the viewers. Please move with me when the show begins at 8pm daily and leave with me when the show ends at 10.30pm. Don't mistake the plot for real life and make irrational remarks or actions, especially threatening others, as this is a crime."

"Maybe you have lost your mind for a short while, or maybe you just wanted to vent your feelings, but in order to protect my family, I will go to the police station to report the case and uncover the devil hiding behind the keyboard."

Chen's move was supported by netizens and his co-stars such as actresses Carolyn Chen, Linda Lin and Chien Pei-en, who said such threats cannot be tolerated.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.