The drama also makes clear that different cancer treatments affect people in different ways. Although his character doesn’t lose his hair like Chen’s character does, Xie decided to shave his head in a show of solidarity, he shared. “To me, my appearance is not an issue,” he stated.
He added: “I accept myself. That’s why I I live my age. I try to be connected with it. I’ve gone from nothing to now, the digital age, AI and all that sort of thing.”
How did it feel to be back on set after two decades? “Oh, it’s much easier!”, he exclaimed. “Now, the technical side of things is so advanced, because of digital technology. I just concentrate on my acting – lights, camera and all that sort of thing. You just try to be in the in character. It’s so much easier because technology has advanced so much.”
One observation he has is that “how technology has evolved has produced a kind of new generation lifestyle”.
At times, “people don’t know how to read human emotions and expressions any more,” he mused. “Everything is on screen, work is on Zoom… I think people have to give themselves some quiet time to be with themselves and just have the ‘social’ in social circle, and not so-called ‘media’ social. If I’m in a fan group, do I really want to know what you eat for breakfast and lunch?”, he quipped.
It’s not that he has anything against it – it’s just that “I like to observe, and I study social norms. When I act, in fact, I always like to have psychology and the study of social sciences behind it.”
While he hasn’t confirmed his next project yet, he’s open to possibilities.
“I always try to be satisfied. I try to enjoy every bit. Once I make the decision, no matter what it brings, I say, come what may, and bring it on,” he asserted. “I will try to tackle challenges along the way – and really tackle them, without complaining and criticising. I find a lot of satisfaction in that, because I learn and grow.
The Gift of Time will be available on demand for free on mewatch starting Oct 20, and premieres on Channel 8 on Oct 23, weekdays at 9pm.
