Since graduating from the Lasalle College of the Arts with a degree in acting, Oon Shu An has gone on to excel in theatre (#UnicornMoment, Chinglish, Lungs), television (Mata Mata, I’m Madam) and film (Becoming Royston, Rubbers). She has even been nominated for multiple best actress awards for her work on stage. Many of you might also know Oon Shu An from being the host of Clicknetwork’s Tried and Tested.

On why she got into acting, Oon Shu An shared this with Her World in 2020. “I wanted to live through other people’s lives – I’ve learnt from all the roles that I’ve taken on, all the scripts that I’ve read, and all the discussions I’ve had in the rehearsal room. I remember when I played Andrea Sarti in Galileo, we learnt about science and religion, and how he was persecuted because he said the earth revolves around the sun. Back then, they believed that the earth was the centre of the universe and that the sun and planets revolved around it. To be able to think about it from a human perspective, that’s what I find exciting about the arts. I guess it’s always been a part of who I am, and so I just say what I feel.”

Yeap, Oon Shu An joins other local celebs like Fann Wong, Pierre Png and Tan Kheng Hua to earn an acting credit in a Hollywood production. She was part of the 2014 Netflix series Marco Polo where she played imperial concubine Jing Fei.

With regards to acting, Oon Shu An revealed in a 2017 interview with local theatre company Wild Rice that her favourite part of the process was the rehearsals. “I love all the hours we can spend on discussing the script, and trying to figure out how a scene runs or how to make a moment happen. It’s like working out a puzzle with like-minded people.”

In the same Her World interview, Oon Shu An spoke candidly about having depression and seeking therapy. “I was diagnosed with depression in 2015, but was probably dealing with it for a while before that. It was confusing for me because career-wise I was doing well. I find that quite an interesting observation looking back – that in my head, my career going well meant that it didn’t “make sense” for me to be “sad”. I saw a psychiatrist, but after one or two years, I went off meds. Then I saw a therapist, but at both points, I didn’t think I needed to see anyone. I think in our culture, people don’t like to talk about this, and often view it as a weakness, like we’re finding excuses for things.”

Covid-19 was a period for everyone to take a pause and reflect on their lives. And for Oon Shu An, it was a period for her to learn “how to take care of my mental health” and how to “best channel my energy”. In the 2021 interview, she added that she would share on social media people’s experiences with acts of kindness, awareness and positivity.

“A lot of these stories gave me a lot of hope, because they gave me a different understanding of how to approach these issues,” she shared. “And it also just reminds me that as people, we’re really trying our best in a world that was not made for everybody. And it’s like, ‘How do we find our way through that? And how do we make it better for the next generation?’”

“I was already looking into this stuff before and trying to educate myself, but more so during the pandemic. I really started looking, learning more about what systemic issues are and how to understand those, and rejigging my understanding of the issues that we face. ‘What I can I do about it? What is within my control, and what can be done, and who is doing the work to push things forward? And how I can support that in some way?’”

Despite being a public figure, Oon Shu An doesn’t see herself as a role model. “I’m just trying to live my life the best I can! I just want to keep evolving, learning, and growing to be the fullest version of myself that I can be. I want to educate myself, unlearn harmful narratives that I learnt growing up and rewrite them, understand and manage my triggers, deal with my insecurities, heal my traumas, and learn to treat myself with kindness and empathy. I really want to be able to offer the best of myself to the people in my life, and the community that I am in.”

With regards to having a “wholesome image”, Oon Shu An shared that she isn’t “trying to live up to any kind of image” and that she is “just trying to be who I am”. She added that she is a “very flawed human being”.

When the local food and beverage industry was badly hit during the Covid-19 lockdowns, Oon Shu An pitched in and showed her support by making autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) videos on Instagram. She loves ASMR for its relaxing qualities. You can still watch the videos on her Instagram Stories highlights.

Another assumption one might have of Oon Shu An is that she is an extrovert. In an interview with You Got Watch, Oon Shu An revealed that she is “100 percent introvert” and “had to learn how to be an extrovert in certain situations for work.”

But don’t mistake Oon Shu An’s introversion for meekness. She isn’t afraid to speak her mind about what she thinks is right. One instance was when British expatriate Anton Casey made insensitive comments on social media about people who took public transport. Oon Shu An fought back in a Facebook post that highlighted his ignorance and privilege.

Another instance was when local influencer Xiaxue commented on obesity and that those who seemingly glorified obesity were being “irresponsible” and “disgusting”. Oon Shu An responded with her views and it led to both public and private discussions about the topic.

In 2016, Oon Shu An released a video done in collaboration with Joel Tan. Titled Here I Am, the viral four-minute-long video delves into the issue of identity and how we create and frame ourselves in relation to others, especially with the backdrop of foreign workers, travel and globalisation. She finally declares “we are all foreign” and asks “so what decides who should stay or who should go?”

Text: HO GUO XIONG/Her World

Read Next

10 Cruise OOTD Inspiration For Your Next Holiday From Local Celebs

10 Local Celebs Show Off Their Favourite Luxury Watches

Ase Wang, Anita Kapoor And Other Local Celebs Speak Out About Their Sexual Harassment