'Thank you for your encouragement': Ryan Lian returns with commercial after lock-breaking incident

Local actor Ryan Lian, who got into trouble last month for allegedly breaking open a flat's lock, has made his first public appearance since the incident.

The 39-year-old uploaded a commercial for a cafe to his social media accounts yesterday (Oct 8) where he also poked fun at himself, indirectly acknowledging his circumstance.

"I was young and ignorant, having nothing to do and decided to break open someone's lock," Ryan said in the commercial.

He also wrote in his latest post: "Thank you for your encouragement. I am always here."

On Sept 15, a woman observed Ryan, who was shirtless, lingering at her door through her CCTV camera. He fiddled with the gate for a while and successfully opened the electronic lock, but left before opening the one on her main door.

According to a report by Shin Min Daily News, the woman's neighbours also had encounters with Ryan. He was apprehended by the police under Section 7 of the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) Act on the same day.

After Ryan posted his video, netizens and local artistes — including Irene Ang, Kenneth Chung, Dawn Yeoh, Brandon Wong, Tang Miaoling, Maxi Lim, Noah Yap and Shane Pow — cheered him on in the comments section.

Irene wrote: "Hey Ryan, wishing you get well soonest and keep fighting. There's a rainbow after the rain, okay? Jia you."

"In this current society, mental stress and anxiety are inevitable. Hope you face it positively and wish you happiness. Love your videos and your brilliant acting as always! Jia you!" a netizen also said.

Ryan had candidly opened up about his struggle with depression previously. He shared with Shin Min Daily News in 2022 that he had depression for three years and was unable to accept acting jobs. In addition, various unfavourable situations in his life worsened his condition.

He also told the Chinese daily this year that he would be taking a break from showbiz as he was feeling fatigued.

In a podcast with local singer-host Kenji Ng and digital creator Dexter CJR in August, Ryan shared that the "biggest cause" for his depression was his guilt towards his grandmother who had raised him for most of his life.

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He believed that he was the cause of the 90-year-old getting a stroke after he threw his temper at her one night.

"I took the chair and slammed it on the television. She was shocked. When she spoke that night, it was already gibberish… The next day at 7am, I heard the same speech… I rushed out of my room and saw her crawling on the floor. She had been crawling for 12 hours, which I didn't notice," he revealed in the podcast.

"I actually saw her getting a stroke right before me but I chose not to believe… She was there the whole night. So you can imagine how strong that guilt was."

He added that he had severe depression in 2019 and was unable to visit her for a year because of it.

Ryan also said they had lived in a one-room flat for decades and when he was finally able to purchase his own home, he wasn't able to enjoy it with his grandmother, who also has dementia and is currently living in an elderly care home.

While he didn't want to put her in a home initially, he was not capable of taking care of her and recounted a time when he cried while changing her diapers at home and had to go perform on stage after that.

"Every time I visit her, she says she wants to go home. I can't do anything but lie to her that the construction work for the flat hasn't been completed. These emotions haunt me at night," he said candidly, adding that he felt "unfilial" and "horrible".

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yeo.shuhui@asiaone.com

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