'We never came into this industry wanting to be famous': Das DD and Chiou Huey say fame is part of the journey, not the goal

While some might enter showbiz in pursuit of fame, Das DD and Chiou Huey have their sights set on something further up the road.

In a recent interview with AsiaOne for the Mediacorp game show That Free Money Show, the two actors-hosts shared their thoughts on what fame means to them.

"At the end of the day, fame, money and power are not the goal," Chiou Huey, 33, said. "I think it's kind of our learning journey or process, but it's not what we should be focusing on."

Das, also 33, commented: "For sure, I never came into this industry wanting to be famous, I just thoroughly enjoyed doing what I do.

"But at the same time, I guess this (fame) is the byproduct of this industry… The goal was never to become famous because honestly, if you want to become famous, you can do a lot of random, weird things."

Das and Chiou Huey both have roots in online content creation prior to finding some mainstream success. Das recently won Best Rising Star at Star Awards, while Chiou Huey co-starred alongside Rebecca Lim in the Mediacorp drama Soul Doctor last year.

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Chiou Huey also gave her take on what people ought to do to become famous — know your niche and continue working hard.

She explained: "Continue grinding, even though nobody might see it… you are perfecting your craft, yourself and your mentality.

"There's a reason why some people take a decade to become famous, while others just need a year. There's so many life lessons to learn — not just about faith or money. "

The struggles that people go through will mould them into the exact kind of person needed to take on the challenges they face in life, Chiou Huey said.

"When the time comes, when you get exposure, you'll be ready for it," she added.

Eyes on the prize

If fame isn't their goal in showbiz, what exactly is it then?

While the duo didn't specify the exact goals they have for their career, they did shed light on a few objectives they would like to achieve.

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Said Chiou Huey: "I basically hope to do more and expand on what I can offer. For example, I would like to do more hosting and eventually become a host for the National Day Parade (NDP).

"I'd be very proud of that as a Singaporean, and it would also be one of the climaxes of my career."

Similarly, Das also has the NDP as part of his aspirations.

"I would like to host major events — I think the New Year's Eve countdown show would be a great thing, but obviously as a Singaporean host, hosting NDP is on my bucket list."

But that's just one part of their ambitions in showbiz.

Das also said that he hopes to have his own talk show, similar to late night shows.

Additionally, he also stressed that he still "thoroughly loves" acting and is open to more opportunities to star in movies. He had a supporting role in the 2022 Chinese New Year movie Reunion Dinner.

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On the other hand, Chiou Huey hopes to go behind the camera.

"I honestly hope that I can work on more of my skills… It's a dream for me to one day be able to direct a sci-fi film or series because there're a lot of ideas in my head but I don't think it's the right time to do that now."

As the duo addressed their aspirations in their careers, Das also commented "These are things I'm very happy to work on, and the beauty of this industry is that you're never perfect, and you'll never know when you are."

'We're kind of like Robin Hood'

Before the duo are able to hit the stage for major events, they've hit the streets as hosts for Mediacorp's That Free Money Show, a web series where Das and Chiou Huey gave members of the public a chance to win up to $10,000 throughout their episode.

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The two hosts went to Lau Pa Sat where they invited passers-by to multiple hawker-themed games.

These included challenges such as identifying the taste of common coffee shop drinks and chowing down on noodles, giving participants a chance to earn more than $1,000 per game.

Commenting on how it felt giving away such large sums of money, Chiou Huey cheekily said: "I think both of us felt very happy… it's also not our money, right?

"We're kind of like Robin Hood, in a sense, because we're taking money from Mediacorp to give to people, and you can see the smiles on their faces when they receive the money."

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxg9bKcyyU0[/embed]

Sometimes, it's not about the $2 or $5 that they receive, but the sense of victory when they win, Chiou Huey added.

As entertainers, they also felt fulfilled through this game show with the unique experience that it provided.

Das explained: "As an entertainer, comedian or whatever we decide to call ourselves, the thing that we do for society is to make people's day or give people a vacation from their problems… so I think the game show made a difference.

"The spontaneity of it is also very, very lovely and we met so many Singaporeans who were so excited to play these challenges — it was fabulous."

That Free Money Show also features Noah Yap, Munah Bagharib, Benjamin Kheng, Jade Rasif and Xixi Lim, with episodes currently available on meWATCH.

ALSO READ: 'We shouldn't compare ourselves with influencers': Joanne Peh gets candid in lookback on 20-year showbiz career

khooyihang@asiaone.com

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