With his boyish good looks and charming personality, it's no wonder that Singaporean actor Lawrence Wong has struck the fame lottery in China. His breakout role as Hai Lan Cha in the hit period drama, Yanxi Palace, propelled him to superstar status and earned him over 2.4 million followers on Weibo, China's social media platform.
The 36-year-old heartthrob was recently re-cast as the male lead in Channel 8 drama "My One In A Million". The role originally belonged to the late actor Aloysius Pang, and also stars Carrie Wong and James Seah.
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The Beijing-based actor was born and raised in Johor Bahru, but came to school in Singapore for around ten years. The actor officially became a Singaporean citizen around two years ago, according to Malaysian newspaper Sin Chew Daily. Here are 10 swoon-worthy reasons why China has gone ga-ga over this gorgeous actor:
Lawrence went to university at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) in Australia, where he graduated with a degree in mass communications. It was also during his time there that he reportedly decided to go into modelling full-time (he's now the brand ambassador for luxury brand Montblanc).
It's like he was born for the stage. Besides acting and modelling, Lawrence also sings and plans to release a single this year. In an interview with Channel 8, he says, "My main job is acting, and my duty is to act well. But as for singing, it is a way to become closer to and express myself." Watch a teaser for his latest music video for "大好青年" above!
On a day off, Lawrence enjoys a bit of painting at Mandarin Gallery's Arteastiq cafe. Did we also mention that he's crafty as well? He cut, sewed and stitched his own pair of espadrilles:
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hand-cut, sew and stitched my first pair of leather espadrille and i must say i’ve quite some talent in it. swipe to see the end product! ✂️?
A post shared by Lawrence Wong 王冠逸 (@ohohlawrence) on Jan 9, 2019 at 12:44am PST
He posted this adorable photo of him cuddling with his ragdoll cat, Coconut. When he moved to Beijing to pursue his acting career, Lawrence flew Coconut over to be with him.
Sure he may have 2.4 million followers on Weibo now, but the actor, who frequently gets mobbed in China by ardent fans, was spotted taking the MRT in Singapore just last December.
You've probably seen him in a myriad of local TV dramas, like 118 and The Promise (which earned him a nomination for Favourite Male Character at the 2010 Star Awards). But it wasn't until 2016 that Lawrence took the leap of faith to "risk it all" in China.
In an Instagram post, he revealed, "i was prepared to starve, eat up my savings and to bite my teeth through the obstacles of trying to get roles (any roles!). after all, things weren't exactly that rosy back home, so why would it be here? [...] but i had a huge dream and i knew i have what it takes and much to give, so i went ahead and took the plunge."
Evidently, that plunge has paid off immensely well, and Lawrence landed lead roles in big productions, until his breakout role in Yanxi Palace.
It's refreshing to see a celebrity talk about saving the earth. Lawrence posted the photo above, revealing that he had started the habit of bringing his own reusable straws and cutlery to places, calling his fans to join him. "They are easy to purchase and it's just a small effort on our part, but a huge positive impact on the environment," he says.
Since he's based in China, the actor revealed via Instagram stories that he misses Singapore food, namely Bak Chor Mee. The actor was also spotted handing out bubble tea drinks to hundreds of eager fans at The Alley, a bubble tea shop in Changzhou, China (see video above).