Png’s apprehension of communicating in Mandarin is apparent when he describes his month-long rehearsal in Taiwan. In fact, he compares it to what the heroine, Hua Mulan, had to experience in the musical — going against the odds to discover unchartered territories. “While alone in Taipei, ordering food with my limited Mandarin, I realised… This is me; I’m Mulan. I actually dived into the deep water and I made it happen, I made it work,” he says, laughing. Aside from himself and Ann Kok, who plays a supporting role as Mulan’s pregnant elder sister, the Singapore edition of Mulan The Musical features an all-Taiwanese cast and crew. Png reveals they have become extremely close friends over the course of preparing for the musical and can barely contain his excitement when asked about their camaraderie. He calls them “very helpful, very loving, patient and warm”.
Png has said before that acting was not his first choice of career. He reiterates in this interview that, if not for acting, he probably would have signed up for the Singapore Armed Forces, specifically the Singapore Navy, or as a commando. “And if I didn’t sign up for SAF, I might have actually have gone to work at the zoo,” he says earnestly. “Or perhaps a theme park… I’m actually hoping that RWS will give me a call [for a job interview] after this!” During his years as a diploma student in tourism studies at Singapore Hotel and Tourism Education Centre, Png did a nine-month attachment at the now-defunct Underwater World oceanarium in addition to a stint as a bartender at Hard Rock Café. Prior to acting, he had worked part-time at jobs ranging from scooping ice cream at Baskin Robbins to wrapping hampers and zipping around on a motorcycle as a dispatch rider. “One of the best lessons I learnt was also from the army,” he continues. Png relates that he had doubts about being able to run long distances during NS as he comes from a family with a history of respiratory difficulties. However, two weeks into Officer Cadet School, Png discovered he could significantly improve his timing for the Individual Physical Proficiency Test 2.4km run from about 11 minutes to 8½ minutes. This enabled him to finally achieve a gold award, as well as improve his timing for the SAF’s Standard Obstacle Course to 7 minutes and 45 seconds. “I kind of developed a new ‘talent’ in that sense. Now I know that I can run. If there’s anything the army taught me, it was to believe in myself and to break those barriers. I just had to go through with it, and I just kept getting better.” Lifelong learning
Png’s spontaneous personality can be attributed to his days growing up in a kampung (village). He says he is very fortunate to have spent his childhood years “playing in longkangs [drains], catching spiders and swinging on trees”. “Life in the kampung just prepares you for the world out there,” muses Png. “If there’s anything I learnt, it was to clean up after myself. I grew up doing a lot of household chores. My brother moved out when he was really young, so it was just me and my second sister at home. Being the only son in the house, I had to chop trees and cut the grass and do so much work over the weekends. I remember I would complain and say ‘Why, why, why do I have to do all this?’ My dad would only reply, ‘Just do what you need to do’, and somehow that stayed with me. “Today, I really don’t care what other people are doing, I just have to make sure I do it right and not at the expense of anyone else. I’m really glad that my dad taught me that lesson.” He also credits his success to the people he has drawn inspiration from over the years. Aside from the army, his father and his growing up years in the village, Png stresses he has encountered “many teachers” — including Marcus Ng, who played his son in Phua Chu Kang, the production he is best known for. “He is much younger than me but was so much more experienced in terms of grooming. He would always come dressed well, knowing that at any time you might be stopped by a fan or meet a director you might potentially work with. He really embodied this whole ‘celebrity’ thing, and I couldn’t do that,” marvels Png, who calls himself a “shorts-and-slippers kind of guy” in comparison. “Every day, I’m learning something new from somebody, so in a sense, it makes all of these people my teachers.” Evolution of the self
Looking back, the actor acknowledges he has gone through a myriad of changes over the years, mostly for the better. “I used to be a very angry person,” he reveals. “When I didn’t get the things I needed [for work], I used to pull out my hair and punch walls. Now, I don’t lose sleep over it; I don’t take it out on those around me anymore either. It’s not their fault as much as it isn’t mine, so why should the people I love have to suffer for it?” His attitude towards his personal finances has also changed. It is the opposite of what it used to be, which was, in his words, “thrifty and always saving for a rainy day”. “People may not know this but I work really hard at what I do and I take pride in whatever I decide on doing, and so now I try to pamper myself a bit more,” elaborates Png. While he stopped making New Year resolutions a long time ago, Png says he prefers “taking life year by year”. After Mulan the Musical, he will be involved in two MediaCorp television projects this year. He has also sent out his showreels in the hope of participating in two Hollywood projects. “I’m really happy. I’m in a very comfortable and peaceful state right now. 2016 was a very good year for me. To me, what constitutes a good year is that my parents are still with me, as well as my wife… We all know that she’s on borrowed time,” says Png. Referring to the time when De Cruz suffered liver failure after taking slimming pills in 2002, he likens his wife’s life expectancy to a car’s certificate of entitlement: “Her COE expired, but we managed to renew it. “In the midst of all the adversities and challenges [I’ve faced in the past], there was still light at the end of the tunnel, and that’s enough for me. I don’t need to succeed or win every battle and every fight. My family is still with me, and I’m very grateful for that.” This article appeared in the Options of Issue 762 (Jan 16) of The Edge Singapore.
