Cynthia Koh Shares Tips On Staying Adaptable In Life

From award-winning actress to jet-setting entrepreneur and budding restaurateur, Cynthia Koh shares her tips on how to be adaptable and stay relevant in changing times.

- Stella Thng

You bully an old lady!” mock-pouts Cynthia Koh at the hairstylist, teasing him when he accidentally musses up her fresh makeup. When our photographer shoots her complicated instructions – take a big step forward while twisting your body to the right. But keep the shoulders straight. And balanced! Bigger smile! – Cynthia cracks another joke about needing to reboot her old computer to process it all.

Don’t be fooled by her self deprecating humour. The veteran actress, who turned 42 in March, neither looks nor acts her age. “The defnition of old age is all in your mind. It’s how you think, how you feel. When I’m 60, I still want to have the mindset of a 20-something,” declares Cynthia, citing the example of a gung-ho New Zealander gal pal in her 60s she’s climbing Mount Shasta in California with next month.

“Be willing to learn and have fun. So many people lose their inner child. I always want that inner child in me. Whether it is bewilderment, adventure, discovery… it’s non-stop fun!”

Beneath that ‘fun’ front is a steely determination. Cynthia, who plays a divorced mum in her upcoming Channel 8 drama serial The Gentlemen, says she relates most to her character Charlotte’s craving for independence. She splits up with her chauvinistic husband, played by Chen Hanwei (their second collaboration as a couple after 2009’s Daddy At Home), to restart her life and becomes a high-flyer in the insurance industry.

Cynthia attributes her independent streak to being the eldest in the family; she has a younger sister. “I make my own decisions most of the time. My parents had a hard time with me when I was young!”

Her spunky nature has helped her blaze through 24 years in showbiz and launch a successful second career as a national marketing director for a direct selling company.