PUBLISHED ONJanuary 17, 2023 10:15 AMByKhoo Yi-HangSometimes a hard reality check is what you need to really get the ball rolling.
Local actor Charlie Goh shared an anecdote on his Instagram Story on Monday (Jan 16) that had him thinking deeply about his acting career thus far.
"Today felt really strange," Charlie, 34, wrote. "I wouldn't say I felt terrible, but I felt like somebody spoke right through my soul."
Detailing the incident, he said: "I went for a meeting as the EP (executive producer) wanted to meet me in person. We had a chat and he asked me to do an audition and so I did. After another round of talking, I did the audition again and we sat down and talked.
"He told me that if I said I was only acting for about a year-plus, I would have been an actor with so much potential. But for someone who has been in the line for 10 years, I am just like any actor that you can find on the market, and I would have failed the first audition right away."
Charlie rose to fame after his performances in Jack Neo's Ah Boys To Men movie series and he has had roles in local dramas such as Tanglin, Kin, The Fifth Floor and 128 Circle.
The EP also laid down the hard facts for him. Charlie continued: "He said, 'You have already done this for 10 years, how many more '10 years' do you have? And if you want to continue doing this, do something that can differentiate you from others.'"
Charlie viewed it as constructive advice for his career. While he knows he's not supposed to "settle for an OK performance" and should instead "go for great", he has doubts about his own abilities.
He wrote: "I know exactly what he (the EP) is talking about because I have thought about this for a long time, it's just that nobody has ever said it to me and been so spot-on before.
"Fact of the matter is, I don't know, I really don't. I don't know if I have what it takes to be a great actor, or if I only have what it takes to get the job done."
And although he might come off as sounding a bit defeated, he later shared another Instagram Story post to clear the air, likely after receiving concerned messages from fans.
Said Charlie: "I think I might have worded the last Story wrongly. A lot of you have reached out to encourage me and I'm super thankful for that.
"The truth is, I am ok, very ok. In fact, thinking back, I very much agree with what the EP said. Somewhere along the way, I started accepting being ok. And is that really ok? Have you really tried your best or did you only try?"
He also recently experienced failure in the form of a real estate exam, where he didn't make the passing score for one of the two papers.
He shared this on Instagram at the end of 2022, stating: "Truth be told I was quite disappointed (not that I didn't expect it), but there are so many ways of looking at it.
"While I was lamenting and complaining about how difficult the end of the year is for me, I didn't realise I was so focused on all the things that didn't happen for me instead of the things that happened.
"And looking back, I did have quite an amazing year. I travelled, I did a couple of shows that I am quite proud of, and most importantly health-wise I am generally ok. And I am very grateful for that."
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