And what a year it has been. Barely a month after the finals, he landed his first leading role in his drama debut All Around You, which came with the very shiok perk of getting to travel to Japan for filming. While he previously shared that he would be taking a pay cut compared to his old job, being appointed as the celeb ambassador of big international brands Samsung, Audi, and Senka seems to have helped to beef up his bank account, and he told us that his pay is now “comparable” to what he used to make.

Then, COVID-19 struck, bringing the entertainment industry to a standstill. Zetong spent the circuit breaker cooped up at home alone — he is Malaysian and his parents live in JB — and passed the time by creating his own Instagram filter, learning how to make cold brew coffee, taking on fitness challenges, and reading the scripts for his latest drama A Jungle Survivor.

He’s currently shooting his first English language drama Slow Dancing and has a packed schedule (even his rare day off was spent meeting us for this interview). But he completely doesn’t mind the busy-ness at all. In fact, he welcomes it with open arms. “Those two months at home made me realise how much I really wanted to work.”

That said, Zetong admitted that he’s still trying to get used to the long and gruelling days, which typically last at least 12 hours. “They did tell us about this during the [Star Search] training sessions, but it’s different when it’s actually happening to you,” he told us. “Especially coming from an office job, it was a stark change to have my weekends and public holidays taken away, so it was quite tough at the beginning.”

So… any regrets, then? Well, there was a fleeting moment during the Star Search training period when he questioned if he made the right decision to join the competition (having to go from his full-time job in the day to classes at night sure wasn’t easy), but now, Zetong is happy he made the career switch and is grateful for the opportunities and good fortune he’s had. Minus the global pandemic, of course.

“All in all, I can only feel that I’ve been very lucky in spite of everything that has happened,” he mused when we asked for his thoughts on finding fame not long before such a difficult time. “I didn’t think so much about feeling unlucky ‘cos I can’t do anything about it and [COVID-19] wasn’t something that anyone expected, so we just have to deal with it, but fortunately, things have picked up quickly ever since I resumed work, and I really appreciate it.”

8 DAYS: Can you believe it’s been a year since Star Search?
ZHANG ZETONG: No! Time has passed way too quickly. And Instagram has been reminding me of all the things that happened last year, such as the time we made our debut as the Top 24 and all the days we went for classes together. We had a lot of fun and that’s something that I really miss.

In what ways has life changed for you over the past year?
I stopped drinking bubble tea. (Laughs) I believe that keeping fit and maintaining your looks is part of the job, and it’s also good for your mental and physical health, so I’ve been abstaining from sugar. But maybe one day when my manager is not around, I will start drinking bubble tea again. (Laughs)

Other than that, I also get recognised on the streets occasionally, sometimes even with my mask on. There was once I was doing the SafeEntry check-in at NTUC, and the staff there, who was this young guy around my age, immediately asked, “Are you Zhang Zetong?” I was shocked ‘cos I had my mask on and I was feeling very ‘protected’, but I said yes and thanked him for supporting Star Search.

Have you ever denied it?
I did deny it sometimes at the beginning, especially when I wasn’t dressed up super nicely and was just eating alone at the hawker centre. (Laughs) One time, this aunty sat down beside me and asked, “Xiao Di, are you the actor?” I said “No, no, no!” and just quietly continued eating my food, but before I left I did tell her the truth. (Laughs) I’m still trying to get used to the attention, but I know that getting recognised is one of the signs that you are making it in the industry, so it’s a good thing.

Where do you think you would be right now if you didn’t win Star Search?
Two things might’ve happened: One, I might have started a YouTube channel. I mean, I could still do that now but my current focus has to be acting. Two, I might have gone back to tech and started a company with my friends.

Do you think you would still have tried to go into acting?
Actually, I might have. I must say that now, I’m starting to understand why some people can be so passionate about acting. I had the chance to have a one-to-one talk with Zoe Tay for close to an hour, and despite being in the industry for such a long time, she’s still very passionate about her craft, which you can see from the way she understands and talks about it. That’s something that I really want to learn from veterans like her.

Have any of the veteran actors given you feedback on your performances so far?
I had a feedback session with Chen Hanwei, and he commented on my performance in All Around You. He gave me some really good and actionable advice that I did bring over to A Jungle Survivor, as well as some harsh but constructive criticism. [Such as?] He felt that my performance was a bit too rudimentary, but of course he tried to put it in a softer way. It’s good that he was so open and honest about it ‘cos even though I’m the winner of a talent search competition, I don’t expect myself to know everything right off the bat and I can only hope to improve myself.

What’s something about yourself that you hope to improve on?
With regard to acting, I feel like I can be more immersed in my roles. At times I find myself getting easily distracted by things happening around me that have nothing to do with the drama, such as people walking around, so staying in character is something that I need to strive extra hard for. Actually, there have been instances while filming Slow Dancing that I realised I’m more immersed in the character, but there’s still room for improvement.

Did any of your friends or acquaintances start treating you differently after you won Star Search?
Let me put it this way: This competition made me rekindle a lot of old friendships. (Guffaws) But they just wanted to congratulate me, I didn’t get any MLM or insurance sales pitches. (Laughs) And my existing circle of friends didn’t change ‘cos it’s quite a small circle and they’ve been following the show since the beginning anyway. I’m just glad that they are very accommodating to my schedule ‘cos I’ve had to cancel plans with them at the last minute due to work quite a few times.

Speaking of friends, which fellow artistes do you find yourself getting along with particularly well?
Mostly the co-stars that I’ve worked with before, like Chantalle Ng, Shane Pow, Regene Lim, and Desmond Tan. I also chatted more with Romeo Tan and He Yingying while filming A Jungle Survivor, and with Tay Ying on Slow Dancing.

Then of course I still keep in touch with the other Star Search guys. I saw Herman Keh on the set of A Jungle Survivor very often, and whenever he was around, he would always bring his monkey business with him and I would unfortunately get dragged into it. Patricia Mok once told me that whenever I wasn’t on set, Herman would be very sad, lonely, and quiet ‘cos he had no one else to monkey around with. (Guffaws)

Is there an artiste who turned out to be completely different from your initial impression of them?
The first name that comes to my mind is Desmond Tan. (Laughs) Before getting to know him, I thought he was this cool, reserved fashionista who would be hard to approach, but then I realised he’s actually completely different from what I expected. He’s actually very warm, personable, loves to crack lame jokes, and is just nice to hang out with.

You’re the ambassador for Samsung, Audi, and Senka. If you don’t mind sharing, do you get paid a lot for it?
I would say… I get by. I do hope to join the ranks of Hong Ling, Romeo Tan, and Ian Fang and buy my own house soon, but I’m not quite there yet. [Do you have a goal of when you want to achieve this?] Hopefully before I turn 30, but that’s a bit too soon, so maybe within the next five years?

How is the money compared to your previous job at Carousell?
I would say there’s not much difference, actually. It’s comparable. But in this industry, there’s a variation ‘cos you can make more or you can make less, so that’s the uncertain part.

Any plans to start your own business?
Yeah, that’s something that I want to do for sure. I’m a guy who always wants to start something, and after seeing so many other people do it, I’ve also been toying with a few ideas, but there’s nothing concrete yet. I’ve been having discussions with my friends, like do we want to launch a cold brew brand? A coffee chain? Or something not even related to F&B? So that might even happen before I get my first house. (Laughs)

What is your ultimate goal for your career?
[Mulls it over] To get a Golden Horse Award. (Laughs) I would say that Mark Lee has quite a high chance of winning Best Actor this year, actually! But yeah, to even be able to attend the Golden Horse Awards is something that I would really love to do. I think that could be cool sia.

Photos: Aik Chen
Additional pics from The Celebrity Agency, Zhang Zetong/Instagram

Outfit from Brunello Cucinelli