Actor Lawrence Wong gets international recognition for directorial debut with Esky
Lawrence Wong has been chosen for the Official Selection in the Best First Time Director category at the Hollywood Best Indie Film Awards. PHOTOS: ST FILE, LAWRENCE WONG
SINGAPORE – Local actor Lawrence Wong, who made his directorial debut with the short film Esky, has been chosen for the Official Selection in the Best First Time Director category at the Hollywood Best Indie Film Awards.
Esky is part of Homebound, an anthology of five shorts produced in collaboration with animal welfare group SOSD Singapore to spotlight rescue dogs in Singapore.
The other four short films were directed by Rui En, Tejas Ewing, Jeremy Ng, Zhang Minhua and Jason Lee, with actress Rui En also making her directorial debut.
Wong told Shin Min Daily News that the recognition was unexpected.
'It was actually sent for competition by my Hollywood agent, who didn't tell me about it,' he told the Chinese-language evening daily on May 5.
'I was really a bit dumbfounded when I found out that I was selected.'
Wong was moved and sobered to receive international recognition. 'I won't regard it as a big achievement, but just an encouragement,' he told Shin Min, adding that that this selection brought not satisfaction, but the motivation to continue exploring creative possibilities.
Esky stars Malaysian actress Yeo Yann Yann, who won the Golden Horse Award for Best Supporting Actress for Ilo Ilo (2013) and Best Leading Actress for Wet Season (2019). Both films were directed by Singapore film-maker Anthony Chen.
Actor Lawrence Wong (left) worked with actress Yeo Yann Yann for his directorial debut Esky.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF LAWRENCE WONG
Wong said he felt pressure during his first collaboration with Yeo, 48, even though they have been good friends for many years.
'She is a very experienced actress and has her own views,' he told Shin Min. 'Sometimes, we disagree, but this also creates new sparks.'
The Malaysia-born actor is very grateful that Yeo has 100 per cent trust in him. 'I told her as soon as I was selected (for the award), and she said it was really great,' he said.
Speaking of the filming process, Wong said he had not received professional training as a director, nor did he understand the traditional concept of storyboards, as he just ran with his instincts.
This brought him both challenges and freedom. Faced with more senior crew on the set, Wong had to strike a balance between adhering to his style and accepting other opinions.
'Very often, you have to discern who to listen to and whether to stick to your original ideas,' he told Shin Min.
Wong, who shot to fame after starring in the Chinese period drama Story Of Yanxi Palace (2018), has just returned to Singapore after shooting 36 episodes of a time-travel TV series in China.
He recently sought an 'internship' with award-winning local film-maker Eric Khoo for the Kopitiam Days anthology, the film marking the 60th anniversary of Singapore's independence.
'I asked him to let me help out on the set and do some odd jobs,' he told Shin Min.
The other party was worried that this would not be a good idea for a star, but Wong insisted, saying: 'I'm here to learn and not to be taken care of.'
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