He Ying Ying - An Unintentional Actress

Through luck, hard work, and even more luck, He Ying Ying has made her way to the upper tier of the local acting industry.

- Joyce Chua

About a year ago, a local entertainment magazine had He Ying Ying on its cover, touting her as the next big thing and “the new Joanne Peh”. By coincidence, Joanne was on our cover two months ago, and now, this bubbly 24-year old graces this month’s. No longer a neophyte, she already has a Best Newcomer win in the 2018 Star Awards, and a nom for Best Supporting Actress (A Million Dollar Dream) in this year’s edition. Ever since she joined the industry in 2015, this National University of Singapore alum has been every bit the rising star. She jokes, though, that she might be in this writer’s position if she had continued on the career path her degree in communications and new media would have led to. “I find journalism exciting because, like acting, it gives me a voice,” she says. “I get to express the views and depict the lives of others and myself.”

So, yeah, she could have been a journalist (maybe she’ll play one someday), but she took the acting route instead, taking part in projects such as Toggle’s original series, Run Rachael Run, while in her final year at university before becoming a full-time actress in late 2016.

“I never intended to become an actress,” she admits. “I ended up in this industry by some stroke of luck, and it’s been smooth sailing for me ever since.”

By “luck”, she means being runnerup in Mediacorp’s Hey Gorgeous, a talent scouting competition that seeks new faces from tertiary institutes. This effectively launched her screen career.