Actress Ya Hui says her ‘love luck’ has improved since she quit Mediacorp

Local actress Ya Hui has been a familiar face on local television for 15 years.

Since making her show-business debut through the local talent competition Star Search in 2007, the 35-year-old has been contracted with Mediacorp, taking home a stable income with her regular roles on Channel 8 dramas.

She has a reliable fanbase, allowing her to nab the Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes six times in a row at the Star Awards from 2017 to 2023.

So when she announced her departure from the broadcaster in February, even friends asked her why.

Ya Hui tells The Straits Times she left in search of a breakthrough.

Speaking in Mandarin, she says: “It’s a feeling I had. I felt stuck and I didn’t know what the problem was. I had reached a bottleneck stage. People are always talking about breakthroughs, but to do that, you need an opportunity. I think I was shown a lot of signs from the universe that it’s time for me to step out of my comfort zone and not be afraid to lose what I have now.”

In fact, the day she made up her mind to quit, the radio in her car was playing Taiwanese rock band Power Station’s I Can Endure Hardships, the theme song for the local drama Stepping Out (1999). It opens with the lyrics: “Take a step out and there will be a path ahead.”

Ya Hui recalls with a laugh: “I was like, ‘Wow, thanks for the encouragement.‘”

More than two months after her last day at Mediacorp, she has yet to really feel the effects keenly since she is filming a long-form drama until November.

She is also starring in Channel 8 drama Family Ties, as a divorcee co-parenting her child with her ex-husband (Shane Pow). It is airing on weekdays at 9pm and is also available on mewatch.

And her new local movie Seven Days – a family drama about a long-deceased schoolgirl (Xuan Ong) whose spirit gets the chance to inhabit the body of her younger brother (Ayden Sng) – opens in Singapore cinemas on Friday.

Ya Hui plays the big sister of the family, who is not only stressed out juggling work and family, but also battles a constant guilt over her younger sister’s death 20 years ago.

The film marks the first time Ya Hui has appeared with her bare back onscreen in a spa scene. The actress, who has generally been fairly covered up in her roles, says: “I was so awkward. The production cleared the set for me that day, which was good because I felt a bit embarrassed.“

 

Now a freelance artiste, Ya Hui has friends who help her discuss payments for endorsements, but is otherwise handling her affairs on her own for the first time in her career.

“Back at Mediacorp, everything was taken care of for you. I was a flower in a greenhouse. But when you’re on your own, you have to be 200 per cent more proactive. I never had to send an invoice, reply e-mails or meet clients, and now I do. You have to hustle or you don’t have an income,” she says.

One interesting side effect of getting e-mails sent directly to her work inbox are propositions from men asking her out on a date.

While Ya Hui may not notch e-mail blind dates on her calendar, the bachelorette says her luck in love has improved since leaving her previous job.

“I don’t know why but ever since I left, I’ve had many friends introduce me to eligible single men. Perhaps it’s because I was very busy when I was in Mediacorp? I was always filming and I didn’t have time to go out much,” she muses.

When asked what her criteria is, Ya Hui, who is in the process of “getting to know more people“, says she wants a good man. “It sounds very simpl,e but do you know how hard that is to find? Looks-wise, as long as he’s presentable, it’s okay, and he has to be financially stable as well.”

Looking ahead, she is hoping for more diversity in her acting career, especially after she recently watched Netflix’s Taiwanese thriller Copycat Killer, about a serial killer’s grisly murders.

She says: “It reminded me that I’ve never done a really dark character. All my roles are good people, but I think it would actually be quite cathartic to play a villainous person. If there are productions with roles like these, I’ll be game to try.”

Since acting is still her passion, Ya Hui – who has seven Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes trophies – still hopes to round the number up to 10 one day, so she can take home the All-Time Favourite Artiste at the Star Awards.

Non-Mediacorp artistes are still eligible for popularity awards if they appear as a main lead or host in a Mediacorp programme, or appear in a supporting role or episodic host in three programmes, or star in at least 30 episodes across various programmes.

The All-Time Favourite Artiste award is given to one who has accumulated 10 popularity awards over the course of his or her career and exempts the artiste from participation in ensuing popularity awards.

“My fans are really hardworking, optimistic and enthusiastic. They’re also eager to graduate (from voting at the popularity awards), so they say they’ll do their best to send me up onstage.”

• Seven Days opens in cinemas on Friday. Family Ties airs on weekdays at 9pm on Channel 8 and is also available on mewatch.