Theme of death draws Wang Weiliang back to acting, Latest Movies News - The New Paper
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Theme of death draws Wang Weiliang back to acting

Wang Weiliang had been out of showbiz for years when he came across a script that attracted him.

So he’s back, in the short film Smoke Gets In Your Eyes, and now he has plans for more in this line.

And what was it that drew him to the dark comedy in which he plays a funeral business manager?

The death of his estranged father had something to do with it.

In an interview with Shin Min Daily News on Tuesday (Sept 20), Wang, 34, explained why he returned to acting.

"I stopped for a long time, about three to four years, because I began to have doubts… while I was still acting. So, I switched to doing business but I later discovered that only the showbiz industry evokes strong emotions in me," he said.

Then he got Alvin Lee's script for the short film, which is about a careless undertaker who accidentally cremates a corpse.

The theme with its link to funerals brought back thoughts of the death in his family.

"My father, whom I hadn't seen for more than 10 years, died of colorectal cancer," Wang told the Chinese evening newspaper. "It was during the Chinese New Year period in 2018. I mourned for him as his son so that he won't be sent off in a miserable state.

"I was calm but I could no longer hold my tears back when I saw my father being cremated. In that moment, I finally understood that blood is thicker than water. I never felt so close to him before."

This intimate experience with death was one of the motivations behind his decision to take up the role.

So what now, for the future?

Wang said he had plans to set up a film company and follow director Jack Neo's lead in contributing to local cinema.

And he wants to develop Lee's Smoke Gets In Your Eyes into a full-length feature film.

Though he left Neo's company six years ago, Wang is ready to work with him again.

When asked if he would act if Neo had an opening for him, he said: "I'm willing to do it!"

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