Looking good and honing your craft is not enough, says local erhu player-turned-actor Ayden Ng

Acting wasn’t on the cards for Ayden Sng until two years ago when he was cast in the local feature film, The Playbook, directed by hosting maestro Bryan Wong.

“It (acting) turned out to be very fulfilling,” he says. “It’s not so much of me wanting to be an actor, but more about not having any regrets. No way was I going to regret skipping out.”

The artiste is currently filming a new drama, Recipe of Life. This time, he’s also producing a music single that will be featured as one of the soundtracks for the show.

Ayden was an erhu player with the Singapore National Youth Chinese Orchestra. He also plays the violin and piano. And he’s is prepping for an erhu instrumental album to be released at the end of the year.

In Recipe of Life, Ayden stars alongside veteran actress Chen Liping, who is his onscreen mum. This year, Ayden took on the male lead in Loving You, a Chinese-language drama produced by Mediacorp.

“There was a lot of pressure to do well. It was my debut lead role, and I knew my performance would determine the likelihood of me getting more lead roles in the future,” says the Raffles Institution alumni and Duke University graduate.

Even though he’s all fired up and ready to take his acting career further, the 27-year-old is pragmatic on what he needs to do to stay relevant.

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“You have to know how to solve real-world problems, like knowing the right people or having capital to produce your own content,” he states.

“You also have to be willing to entertain your audience through new media like YouTube skits and TikTok videos.” He gives an example how one may spend up to six months filming a production only to end up with very little views.

He explains: “You can look good and hone your craft well, but capturing an audience is key to your growth as an actor.” He adds, eloquently: “Your aspirations as an actor? It’s a pipe dream until you put yourself out there and meet the right people too”.

This article was first published in Her World Online.