Andie Chen Doesn't Think Chen Hanwei Should Step Down From Star Awards: "I’d Still Rather Lose In A Fair Competition"

By now, it’s clear there are two camps when it comes to Chen Hanwei’s 16th nomination at the Star Awards 2026: those who believe the seven-time Best Actor deserves a nod as long as his performance warrants it, and those who think he should “step aside” to give younger actors a chance.

And it doesn't take a genius to figure out which side local actor Andie Chen belongs to.

In a recent Instagram post, Andie shared an 8days.sg article about Hanwei’s response to the ongoing controversy surrounding his nomination.

Hanwei is up for Best Actor at Star Awards 2026 on Apr 19 for his role as a terminally ill cancer patient in The Gift of Time. 

The headline of the original article read: "Will 7-time Best Actor Chen Hanwei step down from Star Awards 2026? "Let me discuss with the company," he says."

It was also disclaimed in the standfirst that this is actually Hanwei's 16th nomination, meaning that he "doesn't win all the time".

In his caption, Andie questioned: "Why are we asking big brother Hanwei to step down from Star Awards?"

"An award show has one job — to recognise the best performance of the year. That’s what gives it meaning," he added.

Andie opined that if people are unhappy with the outcomes, the conversation should be "about fairness and transparency in the process".

"Not about who should or shouldn’t be in the running. Because if that changes — the award stops meaning what it’s supposed to mean," he wrote.

The four-time Star Awards Best Actor nominee also stated that he's been "nominated many times and never won".

"And honestly, I’d still rather lose in a fair competition than win in one that isn’t."

Many of Andie's showbiz pals agreed and have taken to the comments to express support.

"If an award has to be ‘given way’, who would even want it?" asked three-time Star Awards and four-time Golden Bell Best Actor Christopher Lee.

Tay Pinghui also weighed in, sharing that he's "personally lost to [Hanwei] many times for Best Actor".

"And I am not complaining, so why should anyone? If he is deserving of it, then he deserves it. No one should take it away from him," said Pinghui, who lost to Hanwei in the Best Actor race in 2005, 2009 and 2010.

Catch the Star Awards 2026 Backstage LIVE on April 19 (Sunday), streaming from 3.30pm to 10.30pm on mewatch and the Mediacorp Entertainment YouTube Channel.

The Walk of Fame takes place from 5pm to 6.30pm, and will air on mewatch, Ch 8, Ch U, and the Mediacorp Entertainment YouTube Channel.

This will be followed by the Star Awards 2026 Live Show from 7pm to 10pm, broadcast on mewatch, Ch 8, Ch U, and the Mediacorp Entertainment YouTube Channel.

You can watch Hanwei in The Gift of Time on mewatch, or catch an episode below.