Xie Shaoguang Opens Up About Health Scare While Filming Comeback Drama: "My Mental State Also Wasn't Great"
Some roles, especially intense ones, can take a toll on an actor's mental and physical health.
For Mediacorp actor Xie Shaoguang, that was exactly what he had to deal with while filming for new Mediacorp drama The Gift Of Time, a 20-episode series that explores the meaning of life through the journeys of two terminally ill men.
In the heart-wrenching series, the 64-year-old veteran actor plays a lonely tycoon diagnosed with cancer. Chen Hanwei, on the other hand, is a well-loved retiree who's similarly undergoing chemotherapy.
The Gift Of Time also marks the long-awaited return of Shaoguang, who retired from showbiz for almost two decades. The actor, who last starred in Baby Blues in 2005, announced his showbiz comeback in September last year.
You know, it has been 20 years. The five-time Star Awards Best Actor surely feels different about acting after being on hiatus for so long, right?
His biggest takeaway from filming this drama, though, was that it made him realise how emotions can affect a person's body and immune system, he revealed in an interview with Shin Min Daily News.
The actor noted that, due to the high stress in today's society, there are so many cases of autoimmune diseases, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and more.
Even his own health took a hit after taking on such a harrowing role.
"My character required me to be in a state of extreme pressure, repression, confusion, and panic. Being in that emotional state unknowingly took a toll on my physical health during the three months of filming," he revealed.
"During that time, my lymph nodes began to swell, and it even affected my vocal cords. My mental state also wasn’t great."
Shaoguang, however, chose to view the health risk in a positive light.
"From another perspective, this unhealthy physical condition actually suited the character," he explained.
"I didn’t want to delay the filming schedule, so I chose to maintain that physical state throughout.”
The Gift Of Time is available on demand for free on mewatch on October 20; premieres October 23, weekdays 9pm on Ch 8.
