PUBLISHED ONJune 19, 2025 9:40 AMByYeo Shu HuiMany would regard ruthless businessman Robert Zhang from The Little Nyonya (2008) as an iconic Singapore drama villain. But despite his popularity, the same cannot be said of Singapore-based Malaysian actor Zen Chong who brought him to life.
The 46-year-old, who is nominated for Star Awards 2025 Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes, told AsiaOne in an interview recently that while he enjoys acting very much, sometimes it's takes more than just passion and talent to make it a career.
"It's all about luck and I think it really plays a very important role. It's like, if fate doesn't align at the moment and it (an acting opportunity) doesn't belong to you, no matter how hard you try, you also cannot get it," he said.
Zen made his Singapore showbiz debut in 2001 after he finished third place in the Malaysian edition of Star Search that year. Besides playing Robert in The Little Nyonya, he's also known for playing convenient store staff Hong Daji in local Mandarin sitcom Lobang King (2003), which stars Chew Chor Meng and the late Huang Wenyong.
Zen told us that luck was what helped him land the role of Robert, a character so iconic that people on the streets — even in China — still call him by that name.
However, despite the success of the drama and his role, he found that his acting career became stagnant.
"My career got stuck after The Little Nyonya. It wasn't booming despite what others thought. So, I decided to take a part-time job as a property agent. I felt insecure [about my showbiz career], so I needed to do something else," Zen shared.
He elaborated: "There wasn't an increase in my salary and acting opportunities. I thought to myself that it was time to assess my acting career."
Zen became a part-time property agent in 2012, juggling his acting career until his contract with Mediacorp ended in 2014.
Despite being a public figure, Zen said he went "all in" in his new career: "I didn't care that I was an artiste and needed to protect my image. When working in the estate market, I really 'chiong' (go for it)."
He was involved in many aspects of the job including showroom sales, distributing flyers in malls and meeting potential buyers, who frequently recognised him.
"I was still young then, so I had to try everything," he added.
Zen now owns his own company Crescere Asset Management, where he is involved in financial management, including assets and funds.
When asked if he had felt it was a pity that his acting career didn't flourish, he said: "Whether it's a pity or not, it's not my call. I like to act, but luck plays a very important part. My social skills weren't so good in the past."
Zen still acts on a project basis nowadays, including as swimming coach Yan Qingheng in sports-romance drama Hope Afloat (2024) and upcoming dystopian-crime series The Leftovers (2026).
He shared: "Acting is a platform for me to destress, because I am very stressed in my other career. When I am acting, I can play another person and unload my emotions through the character."
Voting for Star Awards Top 10 Most Popular Male and Female Artistes is now available till July 6, 7.30pm on the Mediacorp website. Voters can make up to 10 votes per account, per award category, per day. On July 6 from 12am to 7.30pm, voters can make unlimited votes for each category.
Star Awards 2025 will be presented on July 6, starting from Backstage Live at 3.30pm to 10.30pm, Walk of Fame from 5pm to 6.30pm, the awards show from 7pm to 10pm and Post-Party from 10pm to 10.30pm.
The awards show and Walk of Fame will air on Channel 8, Channel U, Mewatch and the Mediacorp Entertainment YouTube channel, Post-Party will air on Channel U, Mewatch and the Mediacorp Entertainment YouTube channel, while Backstage Live will air on the latter two platforms.
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