He’s gone from superstar in China to stay-at-home dad in Singapore. LEON JAY WILLIAMS, who stars in Lulu The Movie, talks to us about fame, fatherhood and finances.
“I can’t even step onto the streets when I’m in China ’cos people would mob me for photos,” says Leon Jay Williams, 40. He’s speaking to us over the phone from his home in Singapore, where he’s now based. “I get to enjoy my privacy here. There’s no paparazzi or fans; it’s pretty surreal,” he laughs. Not so surreal is fatherhood. Last year, the actor became a dad when he and his Taiwanese wife of two years (they dated for nine), Joyce Wang, 38, welcomed their baby daughter Harper Ann Williams. “I’ve rejected a lot of father daughter shoots in China ’cos I don’t want her to be exposed to showbiz yet,” says Leon.
8 DAYS: You haven’t been in many Singapore productions, so how did you get involved in Michelle Chong’s Lulu The Movie?
LEON JAY WILLIAMS: I’ve known Michelle since our modelling days, some 20 years ago. We caught up a few years ago over dinner, and I told her that if she was directing a movie next time, we could work together. So when she was working on Lulu, she approached me and that’s how I got the part. It’s always good to work with friends.
We heard that you take home about S$60K per episode when you act in a drama in China. So what’s this we hear about you receiving only a token sum for Lulu?
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