"Am I As Good As She Says?": Zhang Xinxiang Says Jessica Hsuan Is The First Person To Praise His Acting On Stage

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At the recent Star Awards, ex-Mediacorp actor Zhang Xinxiang, 58, was happily watching his Kill Sera Sera co-star Jessica Hsuan win Best Actress when she suddenly name-dropped him. 

In her acceptance speech, the Hong Kong actress said: "Big brother, you're a great actor... very very great! You [and the rest of the cast] made a huge impact on me! You helped me tremendously," she said while looking at Xinxiang in the audience. 

He then stood up from his seat and bowed in appreciation.

Xinxiang played a police inspector investigating the murder of Jessica's onscreen daughter, Chantalle Ng, in the 2024 crime thriller.

Two weeks after the awards, Xinxiang still remains surprised by that moment.

In a call with 8days.sg, he candidly tells us he had no idea what was going on when he first heard Jessica say his name.

Him standing up was "out of reflex", he says. 

However, instead of basking in the moment, Xinxiang surprisingly tells us that he immediately wondered if he was deserving of the high praise.

"'Am I as good as she says? I asked myself," he chuckles.

"So far it's only been the audience, my colleagues, the directors or producers who have told me that my acting is good. This is the first time someone suddenly [praised me on stage]."

He didn't get the chance to thank Jessica personally after the ceremony as there were too many people around and he couldn't get close to her. He does not have Jessica's contact too since they didn't get to interact much on the Kill Sera Sera set. 

So Xinxiang took to his Facebook to express his gratitude, saying that if he ever gets to work with Jessica again, he would wish to thank her and ask her what she liked about his performance. 

As brilliant an actor as Xinxiang is, he has never won a Star Award before. 

The actor, who used to be known as Zhang Wenxiang, has been nominated for Best Supporting Actor three times (in 1995, 1996 and 2004) and Best Comedy Performer twice (2004 and 2005).

When asked if he's still hoping for to be recognised professionally, Xinxiang says he's someone who just "tries his best" while doing "whatever [he] likes".

"What matters most is that the audience likes [my performance]. When I cry, they cry with me, when I laugh, they laugh with me. If I can give them something in their lives to remember me by, that's enough," he explains.