Wallace Huo: “It’s Not Shameful to Be Single”

When looking at Taiwanese actor Wallace Huo (霍建華), one would never imagine that he used to suffer from lack of self-confidence. One would never imagine that, even now, he still dislikes it when fans visit him on set, fearing that they will see an unexpected, perhaps unlikable, side of him. For many, he is still the perfectly groomed idol-actor-turned-wuxia-actor.

But in a new interview with Sina Entertainment, Wallace shared his conflicted feelings regarding the entertainment industry and his plans to alter the course of his future acting career. Of course, he also tackled the usual questions about his love life, boldly declaring, “It’s not shameful to be single.”

“I’ve Tried All Sorts of Roles… Except a Eunuch”

When Wallace made his acting debut as a fresh-faced Taiwanese idol drama actor, he never expected that his later filmography would consist primarily of ancient dramas and wuxia series. For two years, he jumped from idol drama to idol drama, soaring to fame with the romance series At Dolphin Bay <海豚灣戀人>. In 2003, he shifted his career focus to mainland China, where he was cast as one of the lead actors in the wuxia series Royal Swordsmen <天下第一>, which was written by well-known director/producer Wong Jing (王晶).

Wallace received favorable reviews for his performance in Royal Swordsmen, laying the path for his promising future in wuxia dramas. However, the role was also important for Wallace for another reason: it allowed him to feel a true sense of accomplishment from filming a drama. “It really opened up another world for me,” he said.

To Wallace’s surprise, he began liking his profession a little more, and thus he started to take ancient dramas more seriously – he watched more films set in ancient times, he studied the actors, and he even practiced walking at home. Soon, he became one of the top names in wuxia dramas.

When asked why so many ancient dramas seek him out, however, Wallace humbly replied that it is probably because he is “willing to bear hardships.” For instance, unlike other actors, he is willing to film wuxia dramas in the summer, even though the costumes are often multi-layered and unbearably hot.

Although he aims to continue filming wuxia series while he still has the physical stamina for it, Wallace does hope to start trying new types of characters, which is why he acted out a soldier in the currently airing Battle of Changsha <戰長沙>. After so many years as an ancient series actor, he has been through almost every type of character imaginable. “The only one I haven’t acted before is a eunuch,” he said with a smile.

“When male actors cross the age of 30, they will definitely wish to play something with more depth,” he went on. “These small-time roles are no longer able to satisfy my tastes.”

“If You Asked Me to Stop Acting, My Life Would Be Blank”

When Wallace first debuted, his initial desire was to be a singer. However, he decided to start off as an actor, even though acting did not appeal to him at all.

“I think God wanted to discipline me, because when I was little, I didn’t really know how to express myself,” he mused. “I would always become shy when talking in front of more than two people…. Maybe God wanted to test me and have me overcome these psychological barriers.”

After years of honing his craft, Wallace has come to love his profession, and he could not imagine separating himself from it. “If you asked me to stop acting, my life would be blank,” he said.

Wallace also shared that when he was young, he often suffered from feelings of inferiority. In fact, he still experiences these feelings sometimes – but never when he is on set filming.

“Sometimes, when I leave the set, I feel like the streets are a very strange place and I become uneasy,” he said. “But when I’m on set, I feel like that’s the place where I should be. This is where I have the most self-confidence…. On set, I am one of a kind.”

Though he found self-confidence in his work, Wallace readily admits that he still feels “very ordinary” whenever he finishes working for the day. Unlike other actors who strive to keep up a “perfect image” for others to look at, Wallace is well aware of his shortcomings and personality faults. This is partly why he prefers his fans not to visit him on the filming set.

“I don’t wish for them to see the living side of me,” he explained. “I’m afraid that what they like is my character and not myself.”

“It’s Not Shameful to Be Single”

Since Wallace will turn 35 at the end of this year, he has constantly been targeted by the media regarding his love life, about which he has always been fairly low-key. As always, rumors flurried around regarding him and his Perfect Couple <金玉良緣> costar Tiffany Tang (唐嫣), though he firmly insisted that they are just friends.

“I don’t want to say much about my personal love life,” he said. “I don’t have to be in love or anything. It doesn’t really matter. I’m very happy, and I don’t think it’s shameful to be single.”

However, Wallace did note that it is quite difficult to find one’s “other half” after joining the entertainment industry, since actors are constantly on the move due to work. He also admitted that he is now more likely to actively pursue a woman if he is interested in her, even though he is afraid of rejection. “I’m getting old,” he joked.

Since Wallace filmed Battle of Changsha with 21-year-old Yang Zi (楊紫), whom he praised as a hard-working and optimistic actress, the media asked him if he would consider dating a younger woman, following the footsteps of Nicky Wu (吳奇隆) and Hawick Lau (劉愷威).

“I’ll have to see if they like me,” Wallace said. “I’ve never given much thought to it, but if it does happen, I won’t mind. As long as we can communicate, it’s fine.”

He also stressed that his girlfriend needs to be “a little independent,” someone who gives him space to finish his work and achieve his dreams. But apart from that, he has not given much thought to whether he will go public with his relationship or even when he should get a girlfriend.

“I very much enjoy my current life,” he shared. “Being single doesn’t mean you’re not happy.”

Source: Sina.com 

This article is written by Joanna for JayneStars.com.