Huang Yiliang returns to acting after 19 years: Like ‘a fish back in water’

Thinking it sounded like fun, he went for it, only to realise later that it was a “much bigger production” than he expected, complete with overseas shoots and multiple roles.

While Huang was happy to reconnect with his old colleagues, he admitted that returning to acting was never really on his mind.

“You know how some people say they have the ‘itch’ to return to filming after some time away? I didn’t have that urge at all. Honestly, I hadn’t thought about coming back to acting at all in these 19 years. Even now, I don’t have that ‘itch’. That’s really the truth,” he said.

What he does miss, however, is spending time with the people he used to work with.

“I enjoyed getting together with them – having meals, drinking tea and chatting. We worked together for so many years, so I enjoyed catching up with them much more than I enjoyed acting,” he shared.

“I think what I really missed was the people I used to work with, rather than acting itself. Maybe it’s because I’m busy with my own life. I simply never thought about acting again,” he added.

When asked if he faced any difficulties returning to acting after such a long break, Huang responded with a question of his own.

“Twenty years ago, I could swim, and I was actually quite a good swimmer. Even though I haven’t swum for 19 years, if you throw me into the water, do you think I’ll still be able to swim?”

Apparently, the answer is yes. For Huang, getting back in front of the camera felt much like getting back in the water.

He revealed: “When I started filming, the first scene, the first shot, felt quite fresh. But it also felt like I was a fish back in water. It wasn’t unfamiliar at all. I didn’t have the fear that a newcomer would have, because I already knew how to swim. I’m a fish! If you throw a fish into the water, of course it can swim!”

When asked if he would ever give up his Circuit Road crab bee hoon stall to return to acting, Huang declared without hesitation: “I don’t want to give up either one. I like both of them.” 

It’s clear that his hawker business is still very much a priority. After the press conference and a round of interviews wrapped up, Huang was eager to get back to his stall. It was, after all, a Friday, his busiest day at the stall. As the man in charge, he still handles pretty much everything himself.

“I do everything myself. I handle everything from start to finish. It’s like being an octopus!” he laughed.

He said he’s gotten used to juggling multiple tasks at once, much like many other hawkers who run their stalls largely on their own.

“Once you keep doing it, practise makes perfect. The more I do it, the faster I become, and the better I get at it,” he added.

As for his highly publicised spat with his hawker stall neighbour, Huang kept things brief: “We’ve drawn a very clear line between us. You do your thing, and I do mine.”