Latest news with #OnTheFringe
The Star
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Chinese actress Zully Le criticises actor Ian Fang for his sexual offences
Former Mediacorp actress Zully Le (right) has lashed out at former actor Ian Fang after he pleaded guilty to three counts of sexually penetrating an underage girl. Photos: The Celebrity Agency/Instagram, Zully Le/Instagram Former Mediacorp actress Zully Le has lashed out at former actor Ian Fang after the latter was sentenced to 40 months' jail for committing sexual offences against a minor. Fang, 35, pleaded guilty on May 19 to three counts of sexually penetrating an underage girl. Better known as Le Yao, she wrote the post, titled 'The price of being in the limelight', on Instagram and Facebook on May 20. 'The limelight is a double-edged sword. It can make you a national idol or bring you back to your former self overnight,' she wrote in Chinese. 'You want to enjoy the benefits of being in the limelight, yet you don't set a strict standard for your behaviour? You want to have social influence and make lots of money, but yet you don't obey the law and be a good citizen? It's impossible to be so greedy as to 'have it all'.' 'Please – be a human first before acting,' Le wrote, without naming the person. She told Mediacorp's online publication 8world that she was referring to Fang, saying that they both hailed from Shanghai. She came to Singapore to participate in the Star Search finals after she was the female winner for the Shanghai zone in 2001. Meanwhile, actor Christopher Lee declined to comment when he was approached by Chinese-language evening daily Shin Min Daily News . Fang had previously addressed him as 'shifu' (mentor or teacher). The 53-year-old, who is married to actress Fann Wong, responded with: 'I don't know what to say.' Fang played Wong's younger brother in crime drama On The Fringe (2011) and then interned at media production company Wawa Pictures. He served as a production assistant on the medical drama The Oath (2011), which starred Lee and Jesseca Liu. Fang then played Lee's son in gambling drama Show Hand (2012) and became Lee's mentee. 'I would always 'pester' him on the set, for example, by calling him 'shifu',' Fang had said. However, on the YouTube programme Rise 'N Shine in October 2024, Fang said that he no longer called Lee 'shifu' but 'big brother' instead. 'I let him down a few times and I could feel it even though he didn't say it,' Fang said. Referring to the leak of explicit private messages between him and actress Carrie Wong in 2019, Fang said: 'I was lectured by him after the incident.' Fang quoted a disappointed Lee as saying then: 'Can you make me feel proud when you call me 'shifu'? Not the type of incredulous expression when people learn that I am your 'shifu'.' Fang added that Lee did not cut ties with him due to the text-messaging scandal. He apologised to Lee on the show and promised to be the best version of himself. The video has since been deleted. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
The Star
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Actor Edwin Goh, back in SG, quit smoking, binge-drinking while living in Sydney
Spending two years away from Singapore did wonders for Edwin Goh. The local actor – who relocated to Sydney, Australia, in 2023 but moved back home on April 9 – stopped binge-drinking and quit smoking. 'Before I left Singapore, I was not in a good relationship with myself, and alcohol was my coping mechanism,' the 30-year-old says. Despite having attained recognition for his acting work, the former child star and Mediacorp artiste was struggling inside. 'I should have been happy because I was doing well, but I wasn't,' says Goh, who is now a Fly Entertainment artiste. Turning to the bottle became easy and normal. 'My inner conflicts led to some self-sabotaging behaviours. The amount I drank increased as my alcohol tolerance went up, and before I knew it, it was out of control,' adds Goh, who was convicted of drink driving in 2022. He was fined S$6,500 and disqualified from driving for three years. He eventually cut down on the boozing due to the comparatively stress-free lifestyle Down Under. Goh broke out at the age of 15 in Channel 5 drama Fighting Spiders in 2009. He subsequently found fame playing Li Nanxing's rebellious teenage son in Channel 8 crime drama On The Fringe (2011). Goh continued to be a regular face in local shows, growing up in the public eye. His last on-screen show was 2023's blockbuster series All That Glitters. Citing career burnout and a desire to start a new adventure, he dropped everything, packed his bags and relocated to Sydney with his girlfriend, Singaporean content creator Rachel Wan, in July 2023, about 10 months after they started dating. Goh recently proposed to Wan, 28, sharing the news on their Instagram accounts on April 4. Being in the new environment and a city where no one knew 'Edwin the actor' was liberating, he says. For Wan, being in a foreign land helped her overcome the grief of losing both her father – to oesophageal cancer – and best friend within two months in 2022. 'Everywhere I went in Singapore somehow reminded me of either of them,' she says. The change of pace in the Australian city helped Goh overhaul his lifestyle, including finally kicking his smoking habit. 'I was addicted to nicotine for more than 10 years. I knew smoking is bad for health and tried to quit over many years, but was not successful,' he says. He adds: 'Instead of making me relaxed, nicotine became my source of anxiety.' Goh credits crocheting as a means of keeping his hands busy, so there was no urge to reach out for a cigarette. He picked up the needlecraft from Wan in November 2022, and the couple turned their hobby into a business. Their online shop Unravel &, set up in April 2023, sells handmade crocheted wares such as beanies and bags, and crochet shirt patterns designed by Goh. Now that they are back in Singapore, they plan to expand Unravel &, which will be rebranded to The Club Made in May. Apart from digital patterns, the online store will also sell yarns curated by them. Says Wan: 'Most yarn shops in Singapore carry thicker yarns meant for winter climates. It is hard to find thinner yarns, such as lace-weight yarn, suitable for our warm weather.' Working in a yarn store in Sydney also showed Goh how to run a retail business. 'I did social media marketing for them, so I learnt the backend operations, which helped us with Unravel &,' he says. Plans for The Club Made include having a bricks-and-mortar space by end-2025, where networking events can be held. 'We hope to build a community for crafters to socialise,' says Goh, who considers this his main hustle as he has no acting engagements for now. Wan, who started a thriving head-shot photography business in Sydney, may also use the space for her photography studio. The couple also have their wedding to organise, which they hope to hold in April 2026. They envision an intimate ceremony in a restaurant setting. The bride-to-be says: 'We're still at the blissful stage where we are enjoying being engaged, so we have not started making plans.' They are currently renting a condominium apartment. While they have discussed getting a Build-To-Order flat, they are not in a rush to buy a marital home. 'We are still settling down and unpacking,' says Wan. 'We still have a lot of things in Sydney that are kept in a storage space. We can bring only that much back with us, and will have to go back and sell them.' Spending quality time with their mothers has become a priority, which was a big reason for their homecoming. Goh says: 'I lost my father to a heart attack in January 2024. It was so sudden. It's good that we are back during the Qingming (tomb-sweeping) season (in April).' – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
