Multifaceted artiste Henley Hii reflects on his career and fatherhood

The Star

09-06-2025

With a career that's seen him shift seamlessly between music and acting, Henley Hii has quietly carved out a space for himself in Malaysia's entertainment landscape.
With a string of accolades to his name, the actor, singer and songwriter has had a varied career.
Known for his roles in films like Kepong Gangster (2012), Paskal (2018) and The Assistant (2022), among others, Hii will appear next in Legasi: Bomba the Movie , which will be shown in cinemas in August this year.
As a recording artiste, the 40-year-old has enjoyed moderate success with an album, several EPs and multiple singles.
Career-wise, things are pretty swell for Hii at the moment, as is his personal life – the Sabah native is married to actress Pauline Tan and is also father to a 14-month-old daughter, Maya.
While he is in a good place right now, he has had his fair share of challenges: 17 years ago, he was almost forced to abandon his showbiz dreams.
An illustrious career
Growing up in Kota Kinabalu, Hii dabbled in music and singing in school, and his first foray into the world of entertainment was Astro Talent Quest in 2004.
'After Astro Talent Quest , I wanted to start a boy band, which had always been a dream of mine,' says Hii, who taught himself to play the guitar and piano.
The plan was set in motion but ultimately, the boyband never made its debut and Hii found himself faced with the possibility of giving up on his dreams and returning to Sabah.
'I hope she is kind and self-loving, and has integrity,' says Hii, referring to his daughter. 'Being successful without integrity is meaningless. Being respectful to other people is also very important.'
'After the talent show I was mostly singing in cafes with my guitar,' says Hii. 'My dad, who is a contractor, called me and asked me to come and work for him. I told him I would, but then the audition for the reality talent show Project Superstar came up,' says Hii.
Telling his dad he would move back after trying out for just one more competition, it seemed like divine intervention when he emerged as the winner, thus laying the foundation for his career in entertainment.
From then on, Hii says his professional life has been pretty smooth sailing.
'Because I was signed under a record company, I was placed under a manager, and I didn't need to do anything but focus on my music,' says Hii.
While he grew up speaking Mandarin, he never learned to read or write the language, but spending a year in Taiwan to film the drama Roseate Love changed that.
'It was hard to learn, but I spent every day forcing myself to write and after a year, I realised I could read a lot of words, I could even read my script,' says Hii.
His creative process when approaching a role is through observation.
'I like to look at people. Sometimes I look at people and just imagine I'm them. I see the way they speak, the way they write,' says Hii. 'For my roles, I get inspiration from friends around me.'
Sometimes, he lands a part but only has a short time to prepare before filming starts due to various reasons, such as the original actor dropping out due to illness.
'We get a role, and then we need to prepare for it in as little as one week. Once, I got a role on a drama series and because it was pretty last minute, I based my character on my own brother because I already knew him so well,' says Hii.
Every role poses different challenges for an actor, but apart from learning lines and memorising fight scene choreography, acting can take a toll on one's physique in various ways.
'One of the hardest roles was in The Assistant, where my character has a big tattoo on my back. I think it took 16 to 17 hours where I was just lying down,' he says.
'Because you're just lying there doing nothing. It's not like a sticker, it has to look authentic, they need to put on the mould and draw the outline, put in the colour. You pray you don't have to do a reshoot the next day,' says Hii.
When it comes to music, he says writing a song is like writing in one's diary.
'My inspiration actually comes to me when I'm driving. Many times I tell my wife, 'I need to write a song, I'm going for a drive'. It's 'me time',' he says.
'Music is about feelings. Whether you're sad, happy or feeling inspired by another song,' he adds.
Acting and music, he says, balance each other out for him: working with others as a team on the set of a production brings out the extrovert in him, while working on his music appeals to the introvert in him.
The Sabah native is married to actress Pauline Tan and is also father to a 14-month-old daughter, Maya. Photo: Pauline Tan
Family matters
Having the best of both worlds when it comes to his career in entertainment, it's always a balancing act when it's his personal life.
With a wife who is also an actor, they often bring their daughter to each other's sets during filming.
'It always brightens up the ambience on set and it keeps me motivated,' says Hii.
Thankfully, their filming schedules haven't clashed yet, making juggling parenting duties and work commitments easier.
Finding time to spend as a couple can be a challenge, but they try to do this during their daughter's naptime and after she goes to sleep at night.
He emphasises the importance of integrity, kindness and patience when it comes to parenting his young daughter, Maya.
'I hope she is kind and self-loving, and has integrity,' he says. 'Being successful without integrity is meaningless. Being respectful to other people is also very important.'
Looking ahead
With a solid career in both acting and music, what is there left for Hii to pursue?
A biopic, he says.
'I always wanted to do one. It's the hardest thing to do because you are basing the role on a real person,' says Hii.
'I need to not only convince myself, I need to also convince the family members. What if they watch it and say, 'that's not what the character would do or say',' he adds.
Taking on a fictional role, he says, is sort of like assuming that role as yourself, and building from that.
'But if I act as someone else, I would really need to talk to the person, ask about their personality, what their mindset is, who inspires them, basically to do a lot of homework,' says Hii.
Ultimately, whether he's on set, behind a microphone, or simply being a dad, Hii is driven by purpose and heart.