Zhu Houren Played Late Creative Founder Sim Wong Hoo In 1987 Mediacorp Drama Sunshine After Rain, Says It Was The First Time He Shaved Off His Beard For A Role

Singapore tech company Creative Technology announced yesterday (Jan 5) that its chairman and chief executive officer, Sim Wong Hoo, had passed away on Wednesday (Jan 4). He was 67. 

Wong Hoo, who founded Creative in 1981, was widely lauded as Singapore's tech trailblazer. His Sound Blaster sound card, which he launched in 1989, changed the way we listen to audio on our computers. And in 2006, he won a US$100mil (S$134mil) settlement after successfully suing Apple for patent infringements over the iPod. 

Here's something you may not know: 1987 Mediacorp drama, Sunshine After Rain, which starred Zhu Houren, Edmund Chen and Li Nanxing, was based on Wong Hoo's life.

Chinese media 8world reached out to Houren, 67, who played Li Chu Lian, the character inspired by Wong Hoo in Sunshine After Rain.

Houren, who's currently on a family trip in Japan, said: "Creative Technology was founded in 1981. At that time Sim Wong Hoo wasn't considered very successful yet. But I remember that he had a catchphrase: he would always use the phrase "number one". It's the kind of "You always have to be ahead of others" mentality that every successful person must have."

Houren also recalled asking Wong Hoo how he dealt with his competitors. 

"He said: 'Every time you conquer a mountain, don't think that you're already at the peak. There's always a higher mountain, you have to try to reach for a higher peak before others catch up to you.'"

In order to capture the essence of Wong Hoo, Houren had to mimic the tech mogul's look, from the glasses he wore to the pen he carried.

The hirsute actor even got rid of his signature facial hair for the role.

"That was the first time I shaved my beard for a show!," laughed the actor, who thanks to his trademark beard, has been called "SG's Wolverine" by netizens.

Houren also shared that during the filming of Sunshine After Rain, Wong Hoo would often visit the set as many IT-related scenes required his supervision. 

As for Wong Hoo's passing, Houren said: "If it was not because his life has reached its end, I think a person like him would never retire.”

Photos: meWATCH, 8World

Catch Houren in Sunshine After Rain on meWATCH below: