Actor Tay Ping Hui leaves GHY Culture & Media: 'Maybe I shall head west...'

Posted on 15 March 2024 | 10,067 views | 9 comments

Lim Ruey Yan
The Straits Times
March 13, 2024

Home-grown actor Tay Ping Hui left entertainment and content provider GHY Culture & Media in late February.

“It has been a great time with GHY for the past five years,” the 53-year-old wrote on social media on March 12. “But now it is time to move on and do the things that I want to do, pick projects that I am passionate about and work with people that I want to work with.”

Tay, who has been in the entertainment industry for more than 25 years, added: “Who knows? Maybe I shall head west in search of new challenges.”

The actor, who left Singapore broadcaster Mediacorp in 2018, told Chinese-language daily Lianhe Zaobao in a recent interview that he felt it was time to venture out again.

“When I was at Mediacorp, I also thought it would be great if I could go abroad to shoot some TV series,” he said. “Looking back, I have filmed in many places, such as Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Australia. You will experience how different crews work when you go to different places.”

The actor took up various roles in China in collaboration with GHY, which is headquartered in Singapore and China. They include Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan in The Legend Of The Condor Heroes (2017); top pugilist Yan Nantian in Handsome Siblings (2020); and spymaster Yang Xiao in the 1930s-set Chinese war drama Brave Heart 2 (2021).

Tay said going solo does not mean he will no longer work with GHY or in China.

Referring to GHY’s executive chairman and group chief executive Guo Jingyu, he said: “I have spoken with director Guo and they will still approach me if there is a suitable role for me.”

Tay added that he had no plans to return to Mediacorp for now, but did not rule out working with the broadcaster.

He said he had auditioned for a role in the Netflix drama The Brothers Sun (2024), which starred Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh and Chinese-American actor Justin Chien.

While he was not picked for the role, he hopes to act in a Western movie or TV drama in the future.

“If I have the chance, I would like to go and experience it, learn about it and find out how filming is done in the West,” he said.