PUBLISHED ONDecember 24, 2022 12:30 PMByKhoo Yi-HangOne year older, one year wiser, and one more year for Shane Pow to grow.
And Shane's career has certainly been growing since his release from jail — he's taken on the telemovie sequel to the series My Star Bride and is starring in the new drama series Love At First Bite.
He's even had a role in the hit Singaporean-South Korean collaboration film Ajoomma, starring Golden Horse nominee Hong Huifang.
In a recent interview for Love At First Bite, AsiaOne caught up with Shane and spoke with him about how the year has been for him.
We highlighted how the character he plays experiences a turning point in his life and asked if Shane has ever experienced any similarly significant crossroads in his own.
In response, Shane brought up the incident in 2020 where he was caught for drink-driving and sentenced to five weeks in jail last year.
"I'm glad I got a second chance to have a new start… This thing (his incident) will always be there but it gives me a fresh perspective on how I deal with things and how I mature and grow as a person, and how I deal with certain situations that I might face in the future," the 32-year-old actor said.
"I felt that it was kind of needed, because previously I was always very sheltered… I'm still very lucky in a sense, but the turning point came and now I feel like everything is possible again — but this time around I have to check on myself."
He plays Chang Shengjun in Love At First Bite, a food delivery man who goes bankrupt after failed ventures.
Although his character finds solace in his sister and main protagonist of the show, Xiyue (Chantalle Ng), and their friend Zann (Tasha Low), Shengjun reaches a significant turning point in life when he becomes an unlikely celebrity.
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Shane added: "When I first came out [of jail], I didn't have much expectations in that I didn't know how long it would take — or even if I would be able — to be an actor again."
Thankfully, he came across many people who extended a helping hand, including the executive producer of Love At First Bite, Leong Lye Lin. Leong also gave him a role in the 2021 telemovie My Star Bride.
"Subsequently, it feels like everything is getting back on track," he said. "But I didn't have a super big expectation of how [life] would be.
"I felt at that point I was more focused on what I would become as a person and what the things I need to do are in making sure that I look back at this incident and I feel like I've grown from it."
He also explained that he was focused on "other aspects" of his life, including family and friends.
Shane added: "I'm just going to take whatever life throws at me and fight my way through it and just see how it goes, and go with the flow."
While crossing the law is certainly neither simple nor enjoyable, Shane expressed that he was glad it happened then instead of at a later date.
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"I feel like maybe I needed that wake-up call," he admitted. "I was in a very bad state before. I feel like everybody has their own challenges to face and that was mine.
"I'm thankful that I went through it and gained a new perspective and I'm still learning more about this every day instead of being my own reckless self… like eventually I might have gotten into worse s*** out there, so this incident was a good way of saying to myself, 'Hey, stop.'"
And his experience returning to showbiz has been filled with people who have been "very nice" to him, he shared.
Said Shane: "I'm sure the first concern they have is that they are worried I might feel dejected, so when they see me getting back on my feet, I'm sure they're very happy…
"For me, even when I didn't get to shoot a show again, they always checked on me once in a while throughout the whole year. So I feel very blessed to have all these people care for me."
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWVqd-VYTyE[/embed]
khooyihang@asiaone.com
