Zheng Wanling willing to lose 25kg for good acting role

Losing even a kilogram of body weight can be difficult and daunting, but Zheng Wanling is willing to lose far more than that for a good acting role.

Twenty-five kg — that's how much the veteran actress is willing to drop if a good role requires her to slim down, she said in an interview with Shin Min Daily News yesterday (July 3).

The 56-year-old said: "I will take on the challenge, I'm very brave!"

However, she also quickly caveated: "As soon as the filming is done, I'll start eating and return to my current body shape!"

Wanling was speaking to the Chinese daily while in South Africa visiting friends. She recently guest-starred in local English drama Sunny Side Up as a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner who is the old flame of Wang Yuqing's character. 

She currently weighs about 75kg but when she was younger, she weighed around 43kg to 46kg and had a slim waist. When asked if she wants to return to her past appearance, she said more people like her when she's plump.

Fortunately, Wanling added cheekily, her heavy bones contribute to her weight so she doesn't actually look too big.

Aside from her aesthetic preference, she also explained another factor in her decision to stay on the chubbier side — convenience.

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She needs to keep her body warm in countries where seasonal climates are harsher than Singapore's. Particularly, in countries such as South Africa where she lived for 11 years, having body fat keeps her hands warm, Wanling explained. 

Despite her nonchalance about body weight, she doesn't feel that being slim is easy to achieve and respects other local actresses for their ability to stay in shape many years after marriage.

Praising Xiang Yun, Aileen Tan and Pan Lingling, she said: "The most important thing is that you're happy!"

Last month, Chinese actress Fan Bingbing documented a grain avoidance diet — also known as bigu fasting — on Xiaohongshu, which resulted in her losing 6.25kg in seven days.

Although some netizens noted that she appeared slimmer afterwards, other users on Xiaohongshu pointed out that her health wasn't splendid on the fifth day — she "appeared weak", "had no strength to speak" and had sluggish reactions.

READ ALSO: 'I used to hide he's my child': Liu Lingling feels guilty about having son at 50

khooyihang@asiaone.com