'Being innocent is a lovely thing', says Richie Koh, whom Chen Hanwei calls a 'ti gong kia'

Do you believe in the proverb, fortune favours fools?

The "fool" here would refer to someone who has an innocent and pure personality.

In an interview with AsiaOne recently for the new drama Whatever Will Be, Will Be, local actor Richie Koh said that he believes in it.

"Being innocent is a lovely thing," said the 30-year-old.

In the dialect drama, Richie plays pure and innocent Liu Birang, who is the youngest son of Dafu (Zhu Houren). Dafu receives three lottery tickets one day and gives one to each of his three children, including Bishan (Chen Hanwei) and Bizhen (Yvonne Lim).

When one of them wins the lottery, Bishan and his wife Zheng Huiyao (Kym Ng) plot to usurp the jackpot for themselves. In the meantime, Birang meets kind-hearted social worker Zhang Meiqi (Seow Sin Nee) and they fall in love with each other. Ultimately, as Dafu's children fall out with one another over money, Birang reminds them of the importance of family and kinship.

The Chinese title of the drama refers to a Hokkien phrase which translates directly to heaven blesses the fools and has the same connotations as the proverb mentioned above.

We also asked local veteran actor Hanwei if he believes in the proverb in a separate interview.

The 53-year-old, who currently holds seven and the most wins for Star Awards Best Actor, said: "I agree very strongly with it as I have seen it happen to a few people before. Richie is one of them.

"He takes things easy and works very hard during filming. It is because he is that way, he is very likeable and obedient and people are willing to give him a lot of opportunities in his career. He also looks cute and has a good personality.

"He is not a 'fool', he is one of those that we know as 'ti gong kia' (heaven's blessed children)."

'It used to bother me a lot'

Whether Richie is heaven's blessed child or not, he is certainly a hard-working actor and taking his acting career one step at a time.

Richie, who won his first Best Actor at Star Awards earlier this year, shared with us that when he first joined the entertainment industry, he had thought about whether his boyish looks might limit the roles that he can play.

He shared: "Because of the looks that I have, I think that I have to work harder in different areas to show that I will not be determined based on my looks.

"But on the brighter side, it also means that I can play younger roles for more years. So maybe when I am in my fifties, I may still look younger and can take on parent roles. Then, my career longevity is longer.

"It doesn't bother me too much now, but it used to bother me a lot."

'Every day is a blessing'

To hone his acting skills, Richie said he draws from his interest in observing people, noticing their gaze, eye movements and their manner and tone when they speak.

He added: "When I watch a show, I will watch it twice or more, because I treat the viewing experience as a process of understanding humans and trying to put myself in the characters' shoes… I will think, 'What if I am like him? If I play this character, will I do it like him or differently?'"

Richie also found that obtaining a more relaxed stance allowed him to learn faster and better in his acting.

"Maybe I am in a stage now where I am more relaxed. Sometimes you are very pressured because you always have this feeling that something is pulling you down, but now I realised that actually when you are in a more relaxed position, or when you don't think so much and just do what you need to do now and today, you actually progress even faster and learn more.

"This is what I felt since last year. I don't think much about the future or past anymore. Every day is a blessing," said Richie.

Despite that, he continues to challenge himself and shares that he hopes to portray a blind person in the future.

Richie added: "I think it's quite an interesting role to explore. I hadn't really thought about it until I saw Al Pacino's Scent of a Woman recently. He acted really well and even won an Oscar for it. In the local entertainment industry, I don't really remember anyone playing a role [like this], so maybe?"

Whatever Will Be, Will Be premieres this Friday (July 21) at 11.30am on Channel 8. It will also be available on demand for free on meWATCH on the same day.

ALSO READ: 'They should spend all their money on themselves': Chen Hanwei doesn't want parents to leave inheritance to him

yeo.shuhui@asiaone.com

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