Rui En: The Star Who Hates Stardom

I don't enjoy being a celebrity. I really don't. All of us have parts of our jobs we don’t like. But we put up with these things in order to do the parts of the job we like. The part I like is the acting and the singing. I like it enough to put up with the things I don’t like, which is going to awards ceremonies and all that.

A lot of people have this misconception that I’m rude... Actually, when people come up to me and ask for a photo, for example, I won’t reject them. The least I can do is take a photo with people. Unless I had no make-up on and looked like something the cat dragged in.

I do have one friend, [Chen] Liping. The first time we worked together was on Unriddle, and we just clicked. Sometimes, you meet people you realise you’re meant to be friends with. She’s someone I respect. She’s got integrity, and she’s taught me a lot. We hang out outside of work; we go to church and we eat. We love food.

I like to be normal once in a while. I don’t want to be caught up in that whole “I’m an entitled celeb” thing. I don’t see myself as a celeb first — I see myself as a person first. I don’t want to let fame or celebrity or what others think of me define my self-worth. Which is why I’d rather my personal life be separate from my work.

This story features excerpts from Rui En's cover story in Issue 1131, Jan 21, 2012