Ex Mediacorp Actress Tang Miaoling Is Now A Real Estate Agent, Says Only Clients Above 50 Will Recognise Her

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When you see former Mediacorp actress Tang Miaoling in person, you will immediately get why she was one of the biggest TV sweethearts in the early '90s. 

When 8days.sg met Miaoling, who plays Jack Neo's wife in the director's new Chinese New Year movie Money No Enough 3, on a set visit at the Mandarin Oriental Ballroom last year, we were immediately wowed by how well-maintained the 55-year-old actress is.

Even though Miaoling faded out of the industry three decades ago — longer than this writer has been alive — the actress did not let herself go.

She still has that pretty girl-next-door demeanour, now imbued with sophistication and elegance. She also still has that sweet and gentle voice so familiar to those who grew up watching Ch 8 dramas in the '80s and '90s.

Miaoling, whose husband is in the finance sector, left Mediacorp in 1994, and worked in the beauty line for about two years before starting her own interior design company.

She shuttered the business after five years to care for her two kids, a daughter, who is now 24, and a son, now 20. 

She became a real estate agent because of its flexible hours. At that time, her kids were still young and needed their mummy by their side.

"Back then I was always with them and would rarely go out. Only when I had real estate viewings would I leave the house for a few hours and come back. I spent a lot of time with them every day until they went to secondary school," recalled Miaoling.

"Slowly, they became more independent and we spent less time together. Now... don't even talk about it! I always don't get to see them," she chuckled. 

Is this why she's all primed for her showbiz comeback?

8DAYS: We've been seeing you take on more roles. How does it feel to be back acting again? 

MIAOLING: I realised I still enjoy doing it. I filmed an English drama earlier this year and I appeared in Silent Walls before that. Prior to that I took a three-to-four-year break. Of course at the beginning I had to adjust but it's not that bad because the gap wasn't that big this time

The longest break I had was more than 10 years. When I first came back to shoot 118 in 2016, I couldn't really get into the zone and struggled with the long lines 'cos i was out of practice (laughs). Thankfully after one or two days I got used to it again. 

Do you think it is easier being an actress now compared to last time? 

Yes, I do think filming was tougher back then. Firstly, we used to film 24/7. Back then we had three different shifts and if you had a significant amount of scenes in the show, you would really be running between three shifts. 

I once filmed for two days straight and could only take small naps in between. Sometimes we'd even just lay a backpack [on the ground] and rest by the road (laughs).

Back then we did period dramas and the environment was not as great. Those outdoor scenes were not so relaxing, unlike now [where we're filming in a beautiful air-conditioned hotel ballroom] (laughs).

Will we be seeing a lot more of you on TV now or are you still intending to only take on occasional roles like this one in Money No Enough 3?

I think it depends if there are suitable roles for me. My kids are all grown up now and they are busy so I have more time on my hands.

Do you still keep in touch with your former showbiz pals? 

I do! With people like Hong Zhao Rong, Cassandra See, Wang Yuqing, Pan Lingling and Aileen Tan.

Do they keep you updated about what's going on in showbiz?

Not really. Sometimes we have gatherings and they'll mention some stuff, but usually when we go for meals and high tea, we'll be talking about more casual things like our kids, going on holidays or health issues (laughs).

Did you keep up with who's popular now?

I haven't really been paying attention because there are too many streaming platforms and too much content to watch. I'm not very familiar with the younger stars. Especially the very new ones. Sometimes I find it hard to register their names (laughs).

How has it been working with them? 

I think they're still very eager to learn and are hardworking. After I came back, all the young stars that I worked with had a really good attitude. 

Are you still working as a real estate agent?

Yes! I like how flexible the time is. If I want to act, I can put my real estate job aside and that's okay too. 

Do people recognise you while they go for house viewings? 

Not really. They will recognise me and go: 'Eh, you're Tang Miao Ling, it's been long since I saw you on TV. I used to like watching your shows.' Especially those who are in their 50s or 60s now. I think those below 40 definitely won't know who I am (laughs).

Once a buyer was viewing a house and she didn't say much. After we left, she texted me to ask: "Er, are you so and so?"  

Sometimes they won't directly ask, but some would and would even ask for photos (laughs). 

What did your husband and kids say about you returning to showbiz?

My husband is very encouraging. He told me: "You should go. It's been so long since you last acted. If you go back, the audience from your era would find it very refreshing to see you back onscreen again". My kids were very supportive as well.

Money No Enough 3 opens in cinemas on Feb 1.

Photos: Dillon Tan/Mediacorp Photo Unit, Tang Miaoling/Instagram, J Team Productions/Instagram, 

Catch Miaoling in The Magnate on mewatch or in the embedded video below: