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Viewers who were watching Star Awards 2022, and who had a heart, were greatly moved by Brandon Wong's reaction to winning the "Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes" award.
It was the actor's first award, ever, after 27 years in the industry.
Screenshot via Mediacorp Entertainment/YouTube
Photo via Mediacorp
The long-awaited win opened a floodgate of emotions in Wong, who tried (and failed) to suppress his tears before giving his thank you speech.
Here's an excerpt of it, translated from Mandarin:
"27 years really haven't been easy. There are not many 27 years in one's life time. Some sweep up all the awards that they deserve in their first year, and only have to worry about what award to get for the next year. Jiong Yao [Wong's Chinese name] only painstakingly made it up to the stage of Star Awards to receive the first award after 27 years.
I worry it will take me another 27 years to win the second award. I do not dare to say I'm anybody but every step I took in the past 27 years to come this far proved that I'm a qian li ma* that can take criticism and hardship."
Wong then went on to thank those who have supported him on his journey.
Note: "Qian li ma" translates to a horse that can run a thousand miles a day. It originates from a Chinese saying that is used to describe talented people who are waiting for someone with good judgement to spot them.
You can watch the snippet here:
But wait
Beyond Wong's emotional intensity at having to wait 27 years for his moment on stage, there might just be something else in there.
We're talking about this line in his speech, specifically: "Some sweep up all the awards that they deserve in their first year, and only have to worry about what award to get for the next year."
If it gave you pause, well, you're right: the "some" is likely to refer to a specific person, such as, maybe, perhaps, Fann Wong.
At Star Awards in 1995 (the same year Wong debuted), Fann made history by bagging three prominent awards in the same night: Best Actress, Best Newcomer, and Top 5 Most Popular Female Artistes.
Clutching her trophy, the actress had said, “我的戏龄才一年多 那我明年应该拿什么【奖】呢？
Translation: "I've only been in the industry for slightly over a year, what award should I win next year then?"
One does not have to interpret the line as being obnoxious, of course; Fann could simply be concerned that she had peaked too early in her career.
Zaobao made the same observation on Wong's speech, adding that Fann had been "shot lying down" (i.e. to become a target when she did not do anything).
Back to Star Awards 2022...
Photo via Mediacorp
During a post-show interview with the media, Wong said that he had felt tremendous pressure at having to win, in order not to let down those who have been rooting for him and feeling "unjust" on his behalf.
However, when asked by the media if had felt the "injustice" on a personal level, Wong tactfully replied that there are many factors when it comes to winning an award, and he may have been missing one last crucial factor (that was out of his control) for his previous nominations.
Top image via Mediacorp Entertainment/YouTube