"How Come They're Not Asking Me To Leave The Stage?": Zhang Zetong Mortified That He Cried During Best Supporting Actor Acceptance Speech

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While most people would relish their winning moment on stage, Zhang Zetong, the newly-minted Best Supporting Actor at Star Awards 2024, does not want to be reminded of it.

The 31-year-old was so overwhelmed by his win that he sobbed uncontrollably while making his acceptance speech.

“Wah, I really don’t want to cry. I don’t know why I have so much [air]time [for this speech],” says Zetong in between sobs on stage. He beat Zhu Houren, Darren Lim, Peter Yu, Andie Chen to the trophy for his turn as the villainous Richard Mo in All That Glitters.

In his post-win interview with 8days.sg, Zetong says it’s “regretful” that he cried and would prefer not to rewatch the moment.

“I was shocked ‘cos I was told I only had 30 to 45 seconds to make my speech, so I only prepared a few good liners to fill me in for 45 seconds. After I passed the one-minute mark, I was like, ‘Oh, this is way too long. How come they are not asking me to leave the stage?’,” he says. “I was scrambling to put words together, but nothing came to my mind ‘cos I couldn’t stop myself from crying.”

Zetong was the biggest winner of the night, clinching all three awards that he was nominated for: MYPICK! Most Hated Villain, Most Popular Rising Star, and Best Supporting Actor.

Despite high expectations of him as the hot favourite, Zetong wasn’t confident of taking home the Best Supporting Actor gong, which explains why he was especially emotional when he won.

“I was up against a lot of heavyweights and veteran actors whom I respect a lot, so I didn’t have high hopes of winning… It’s so rare to land a good script and good character that truly resonated with me. I might not get it again, so I really wanted to represent my character well and hope to receive accolades for it,” he explains.  

Does he have anything to say to his fellow nominees?

Zetong shares: “So sorry. Someone mentioned that our experience in the industry ranges from five to 39 years, and I’m the one with the least experience. But I feel winning this award is not just based on one person’s ability. A group of people contributed to my character, so I would like to thank the cast and crew of All That Glitters. They made Richard Mo the villainous character that he is. And I really hope to act alongside the other four nominees in the future.”

Photos: Mediacorp Photo Unit

Catch up on the Star Awards 2023 on meWATCH here.