'He's going to be a clown in the future': It took a Golden Horse win before Jaspers Lai's father acknowledged his showbiz career

There are parents with high expectations, and then there is Jaspers Lai's father.

In a recent episode of meWATCH talkshow Hear U Out, the 35-year-old local actor revealed that his father did not approve of his showbiz career at all.

Recalled Jaspers: "We had our reunion dinner before the Lunar New Year. He sat there and said [of me], 'He's going to be a clown in the future'."

After that comment, Jaspers refused to speak with his father for six years.

That said, he did agree with his father's negativity towards his career in the entertainment industry.

At 18, he joined a talent agency while he was still in National Service and trained with them for five years. However, it closed down some point before that fateful dinner, and Jaspers was left without much direction.

"When the agency [I had trained in for five years] closed down, I realised my dad was right — I was wasting my time," Jaspers told Yi Fong.

The disapproval he received from his father was something that he faced throughout his life, he shared.

In an anecdote, the Malaysia-born actor recalled an incident in primary school where he had to beg his father to let him go to an audition for a show.

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"My father would rather have died than let me go for the audition," Jaspers said. "But even at that age, I knew how to make a huge scene.

"I slammed the door, cried and threw things around. I said to myself out loud, 'Dad won't let me go! I'm so pitiful!'"

His father finally relented and reluctantly brought Jaspers to the audition. However, Jaspers didn't make it past the audition and returned home empty-handed.

And when he joined the talent agency, he also wasn't able to let his father know either.

Jaspers approached his mother for help instead, as entering the agency to train would require a fee of $500.

Upon hearing his plan to train as an artiste, Jaspers' mother handed him the money and said: "Don't tell your dad."

In that agency, Jaspers met would-be local celebrities Andie Chen and Romeo Tan and trained alongside them.

'He was so proud and kept filming'

Ultimately, it took a win at the Golden Horse awards for his 2020 film Number 1 before Jaspers could gain his father's acknowledgement.

He recounted: "Due to Covid-19, I had to undergo home quarantine for seven days after coming back from Taiwan. When I opened the door on the seventh day, I happened to see my dad recording videos of the Golden Horse Awards.

"He was so proud and kept filming… I've always longed for him to tell me, 'You can do it, go for it!'

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"He never said that to me, but his actions proved that he accepted my choice of profession."

A Golden Horse Award is one of the highest accolades attainable in Chinese showbiz and is usually considered the 'Chinese Oscars'.

Now, Jaspers said his father is trying to help him buy a home in hopes that a better environment will allow his career to flourish.

"Your dad is already giving you hints — he's not making it explicit, is he? He already accepts your job," Yi Fong observed.

Replied Jaspers: "But it took a Golden Horse Award to gain his acceptance. He has such high expectations, his standards are really high!"

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khooyihang@asiaone.com