Joanne Peh says showbiz celebrities are different from internet celebrities

SINGAPORE: In an interview with the newspaper Lianhe Zaobao, local artist Joanne Peh explained the difference between showbiz celebrities and internet celebrities commonly known as “influencers”. She said that this difference has been the cause of problems for many young actors. 

“I think artists will feel pressure from influencers. I often tell young actors that we are not influencers and we should not compare ourselves with them. Our online traffic won’t be better than theirs,” Joanne Peh admitted. 

Due to the nature of their jobs, showbiz influencers may not be active in social media for long periods – unlike influencers, who need to constantly post online. 

Joanne added: “Their (influencers’) job is to create online content every day. Comparing the traffic they get with the traffic actors get is extremely unfair.” 

However, Joanne stated that there are actors who want to improve their online presence and be like influencers. 

“What they care about is not improving their acting skills, but instead inflating their numbers. How can they have the time to read books, go to classes, watch others’ performances and practise acting? There’s no online traffic to be had in doing these things that improve their acting skills,” Joanne declared. 

Joanne Peh mentioned some of the difficulties she experienced as a showbiz celebrity. One was when she had her first child with actor Qi Yuwu and did not renew her contract with MediaCorp. 

Joanne remarked: “It was actually quite scary and hard to predict what would happen next. I was worried that I would be stereotyped in a certain way after having a child and that my acting career would end because of it.” 

She also admitted that being an artist is lonely because the portrayal of the characters depends on the actors themselves. 

“No one can help you. If you can’t feel and understand your character, you simply can’t. The pressure is all on you,” she said.