Singapore – On June 2, actor Ayden Sng confirmed his contract renewal with Mediacorp. This comes after fake news began circulating, about the possibility of the rising star leaving showbiz.
In an interview with 8days.sg, Sng explained that speculation might have started after the Star Awards Top 60 Most Popular Artistes was revealed and he wasn’t shortlisted.
It was in March when the news came about.
The actor was interviewed by a local Chinese daily soon after the list was revealed and they spoke about it.
Then, Sng’s story was published with a sensational headline that made it look like he was going to quit showbiz because he had been passed over.
“I was actually quite upset over that specific article ‘cos it was factually untrue,” Sng clarified. He added that he had explicitly told the reporter that his reservations about the entertainment industry had nothing to do with the nominations.
Furthermore, he had felt some “tension” between him and the industry because of his straightforward personality.
“It takes a longer time for me to acclimatise and get used to what is expected of me and it was wearing me down a bit, so while those feelings might propel me towards rethinking my journey in this industry, it’s not related to the Star Awards,” the actor explained.
What’s more, the published article was picked up by an English-language publication, resulting in further circulation of the fake news.
Sng revealed that he received hate mail and messages on social media saying: “‘Who do you think you are?’, ‘Why are you so arrogant?’, and ‘You want to leave the industry just ‘cos you never got nominated?’”
“In my mind I was like, I explicitly told the reporter that, yes, while I was disappointed like any normal person would be, it wasn’t the be-all and end-all of my career, but I don’t know why they decided to paint that sort of picture in the headline, and as a result I got hate mail, which I never spoke up about ‘cos I just decided to stomach it as I was in the last leg of filming Recipe of Life,” he said.
That’s not all. When Joel Choo announced that he would be leaving Mediacorp, the Chinese media wondered if Sng would be the “next to leave”.
Sng and his manager started receiving media enquiries about that.
Thankfully, the fake news and rumours have been put to rest for good now that the actor has signed a new contract with Mediacorp.
It’s unfortunate that he had to go through all that stress because of fake news. We’re glad that he stayed cool and composed through the ordeal!