Fans defend Alex Man after he suffers backlash for smiling at a national hero’s funeral

Changsha — Chinese scientist Yuan Longping, known as the “father of hybrid rice”, who helped save millions from hunger with his work, died at the age of 90 on May 22. His funeral was held in Changsha last week and reportedly drew tens of thousands of mourners from around the country including Hong Kong star Alex Man, whom Singaporeans know best from the classic Mediacorp drama The Golden Pillow. 

Media outlets reported that the 63-year-old, who was dressed in a dark suit and holding a bouquet of chrysanthemums, was easily spotted by eagle-eyed fans despite wearing a mask. Man would pull his mask down to greet them with a friendly smile whenever someone approached him. Nevertheless, it appears that his pleasant disposition may have rubbed some the wrong way, reported 8days.sg.

A video of Man being interviewed at the funeral was shared and he suffered backlash for “disrespecting the deceased”  because of the big smile plastered on his face.

Luckily for Man, a group of more sensible netizens quickly jumped to his defence. They noted that the Hong Kong actor set a good example by making a trip down to the funeral to pay his respects in person, instead of merely posting a tribute on social media like so many other celebrities and influencers.

There were other netizens who reacted differently to the recent clip of Man, choosing to focus on his looks, saying how “unrecognisable” he has become. They age-shamed the actor.

Some media reports and netizens zeroed in on his “receding hairline”, “greying hair roots”, and “face full of wrinkles”.

“He looks a lot skinnier and older,” wrote one while another confessed, “If no one said that this was Alex Man, I wouldn’t have been able to recognise him at all.”/TISG