Jaspers Lai Was “Jealous” Of Romeo Tan & Andie Chen; Could Not Understand Why He Didn’t Have Their Success Despite Coming From The Same Agency

Jaspers Lai, 35, is fast becoming one of Singapore's most recognisable comedic talents. 

Number 1, a movie that's based on a script the Malaysia-born actor wrote, scored two nominations, including Best Actor for star Mark Lee, at the 57th Golden Horse Awards in 2020.

For years, however, success evaded Jaspers, even though he acted in Jack Neo’s massively popular The Lion Men and Ah Boys To Men franchises. But now, here he is, sitting opposite Quan Yifeng as her guest on the latest episode of talk show Hear U Out.

Jaspers revealed that he first struggled with pursuing his dream to be an actor because his father wasn’t on board with the idea. He also felt that acting as a career was something “not everyone approved of”.

When he was in his first year of Nanyang Junior College, he won a singing competition, which led to him getting scouted by a now-defunct Hong Kong-based artiste management agency. He only called them after completing his A-Levels and was told he had to go for acting, modeling, dancing, hosting classes, which he needed to pay out of his own pocket. 

So Jaspers took a $500 loan from his mother and soon found himself in the same training classes as Romeo Tan and Andie Chen.

He then went through five years of gruelling training that spanned his army and university days. Sadly, Jaspers still couldn't make his showbiz debut even after all that effort?

When asked by Quan Yifeng why he left the company, Jaspers laughed bitterly as he said: “I didn’t leave, it closed down.”

“I endured the scolding in that company for five years, and all of a sudden, it closed down. ‘My father was right, I was wasting time’, I thought to myself. I remember back then, during one reunion dinner, my dad singled me out and said 'This one’s going to be a clown in the future'".

Jaspers said he did not speak to his dad for "five to six years" after that.

Jaspers also revealed he “didn’t dare to watch TV” during that period of time.

It was because each time he turned on the TV, he would see his “seniors” Romeo and Andie acting in dramas.

"[I was] jealous. I thought 'Why [not me]?’” he added.

Yifeng then wondered why Jaspers did not join Star Search like Romeo and Andie.

“I did not think I was good enough. I was so scared,” he said, before explaining that he had placed Star Search on a pedestal. To Jaspers, if he still could not make it after joining the competition, which he likened to passing a “sacred level”, his dreams to be an actor would be over.

Jaspers also recounted his time acting in Jack Neo’s films. He thought he would get his big break after starring in Ah Boys. Alas, he never became as famous as the other Ah Boys, and he began to question why he wasn't as successful as them.

Things started to look up for him after he came in second in a Malaysia-based comedy competition for non-entertainers.

Jaspers initially wasn't keen on joining, but eventually decided to give his all anyway, and it paid off. The competition gave him an opportunity to be “reborn”.

He then enrolled in a scriptwriting class, where he felt motivated to write a script for the “outcasts of society”. That script turned out to be Number 1, which is about a retrenched middle-aged man who becomes a drag queen by accident.

“I have some friends who are drag queens and I feel that on some level, we [actors] are the same. We don’t have the approval of society, and we’ve always been working hard to prove ourselves,” he said.

We all know what happened next. Mark Lee saw Jaspers working on the script for Number 1 and immediately decided he wanted to be on board. Mark’s performance earned him a Best Actor nomination at the Golden Horse Awards. The movie was also nominated for Best Make-up and Costume Design, which it won.

When he returned from Taiwan after attending the Golden Horse Awards, Jaspers had to serve quarantine at home for seven days.

When he opened his door on the last day, he saw his dad taking a photo of the award proudly.

It was then Jaspers knew his dad finally approved of his career.

“He felt that I needed a better environment [to work in] and recently bought a house with me, in hopes that my career would reach newer heights,” revealed Jaspers proudly.

Photos: meWATCH, Jaspers Lai/ Instagram