Andie Chen On Post-Star Awards Interview: “I Guess I Did Seem A Little Bitter”

Andie Chen recently raised eyebrows when he revealed in an exclusive interview with 8 Days his disappointment at going home empty-handed at this year’s Star Awards and how it may affect his decision to act on Ch 8 in the future. Now that all the dust from the Star Awards (not to mention, Andie’s rollercoaster ride of emotions) has settled, the 31-year-old would like to set the record straight on a number of issues he raised in that interview.

8 DAYS: You were very emotional when we last spoke to you about a week ago after your Star Awards loss. Are you feeling better now?
ANDIE CHEN: I am, for sure. Actually then, I was also not very upset lah. But I was emotional for sure.

Did you expect the story to go viral and create so much talk?
Not really (laughs). I’ve been getting a lot of feedback after the article came out (laughs). I had a lot of supporters, friends and colleagues messaging me to encourage me. Quite a number of people mistakenly thought I was going to quit. Some people said, “Oh, you didn’t win, that’s why you're going to quit.” (Laughs) I don’t want to sound like a sore loser. I was just upset that I didn’t win an award. But I’m just going to keep my head down and keep working hard. I’m sure my time [to win an award] will eventually come.

People probably thought you were thinking about quitting because you said you might venture overseas after this. Some of the public’s feedback says that you came off sounding bitter and insecure.
At that point of time, I was quite emotional. I guess I did seem a little bit bitter lah, and I want to apologise for that. I was feeling quite vulnerable. I didn’t mean to rub people the wrong way. When I read through the interview again, there was something that made me a little uncomfortable. It almost felt like I was taking away from the winners of the award. I just want to clarify that I don’t think I deserve the awards more than the winners. [The judging criterion for] awards are subjective, so [Chen] Hanwei and Romeo [Tan] are winners in their own right. I’m no one to be taking away any credit from their hard work and recognition.

DJ Rosalyn Lee compared your Star Awards loss to Leonardo DiCaprio being snubbed by the Oscars 5 times since 1995 on a Facebook post, and mentioned how Leo doesn’t go around “bitching and whining” about it (see pic above).
I read it and I was like, 'Wow'. I know Rozz, we’re friends, but that’s harsh. But I know she’s a straight-shooter and I respect her opinions. I appreciate that she even bothered to write about me. I’ve no problems with people being honest with me. If you think I’ve a bad attitude, I’d rather you tell me upfront. I’m going to text Rozz to thank her for pointing that out. It’s enlightening. I’m not upset about it. She has her valid points and her views are shared by many people. I was definitely whining to a certain extent in my previous interview which is why I think it’s good to come out and say that that article was definitely emotionally-driven. And if I came across as whiney, then I definitely have some reflecting to do.

If you could redo the interview again, would you have done it any differently?
I don’t think so. It reflected my true emotions at that time. When I read it, I found it whiney as well [like Rozz]. But I don’t regret it ’cos people deal with things differently. At that point, I was going through the emotions akin to ‘Post Break-up Day 3’ (laughs). You know, when you’re emotional, you will just be angsty and whiney about everything and that was me back then. But you don’t whine and bitch two years after your break-up ’cos nobody is going to be there for you anymore. Right now, it feels like I’m in ‘Post Break-up Week 3 (laughs).

In the previous interview, you suggested that you might have lost out on the award ’cos you weren’t a full-time artiste. But, actually, more than half the judging panel for Star Awards are industry professionals outside of Mediacorp. Most of them would not have been aware that you aren’t a full-time artiste.
I didn’t know who the panel of judges were before [the interview]. But after the interview, I did talk to the management [in Mediacorp] and they also told me about [how the judges would not know who isn't a full-time artiste]. I fully accept the results. Who am I? I’m not that arrogant to think that I’m definitely a better actor [than others]. In the first place, I’ve never said that I should have won the award. Was I disappointed? Yes. Did I wish I had more recognition? Yes! Do I think I should have won all the awards? Definitely not! (Laughs) All I’m saying is that I was tired from putting in my heart and soul and being disappointed year after year, for 10 years straight. I hope I’m entitled to that emotion. I’m sorry if I appeared whiney or off-putting. That wasn’t my intention. I hope with this interview, people will know that I’m still me. I’d try to work harder to prove myself as an actor. Hopefully, people will give me another chance to do that.

After reading our follow-up story about how long it took local TV veterans to win an award, did it change your perspective on things? Like it took Jeanette Aw many years to win Best Actress too.
I know that a lot of artistes took a long time to win awards. I mean, there are always hardworking actors around and I don’t mean to belittle them. A lot of them are actors whom I respect. So I’ll just put my head down and continue working. Hopefully, however long it takes, people would be able to see my efforts.

You said that you weren’t ready to take on another Ch 8 drama but now that you’ve had time to think about it, are you ready to take on more Ch 8 projects? Your fans would be terribly disappointed if you didn't.
At that point of time, I wasn’t sure. But now, I’m open to [taking on Ch 8 projects]. If they’re happy to work with me, for sure. But I’m going to take a break for a while to let my emotions settle before making any decisions. I’m still keeping my options open and I’m just going to take things one step at a time. If [the company] is willing to use me, I'd be more than happy to work with them again.

PHOTOS: JOEL LOW/ROSALYN LEE'S FACEBOOK