THE WILD NARRATIVE

Things didn’t start well for actor Yuan Teng – and then he won an award.

- John Ng

Serendipity helped Yuan Teng spring to fame as a teenage battling with drug addiction in The Paradise. Like many of us, Yuan grew up with more than just one ambition. He tells us he wanted to be a movie star, a cinematographer, an athlete, a sports teacher, a writer and a businessman. And like many of us, our innate traits would – most often than not – guide us forward on our ultimate calling. It was in college when a performing arts tutor encouraged him to pursue a career in acting. “I think my bold personality gave it away,” he says, laughing. “I loved acting and I also loved creating, especially filming. I was working as an extra while studying because I wanted to see how the industry works and look for audition opportunities.”

Though the journey was not without a gloomy cloud of self-doubt. The mounting uncertainties convinced Yuan that he wasn’t the kind of person who would get a serious role – and just when he thought he’d be better off behind the camera – he received a call from movie casting director Teddy Chin Shu Jia. Yuan turned her down at first but her unwavering persistence on meeting him made him said yes. He recalls showing up to the audition for In My Heart without shaving because he was almost sure that he wouldn’t get selected.

“I didn’t follow the script that was given to me during the casting session and pretty much just did my own thing,” he admits. “But the director was very open-minded and felt that what I did showed my versatility. I was immediately signed to join the company More Entertainment Sdn Bhd. Everything about it really seem fated.”