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Singaporean actress Ya Hui took a leap of faith when she left Mediacorp after 15 years on Feb. 28, 2023.
After her departure from the company, the 35-year-old seems to have been enjoying some time to herself.
But independence didn't come without woes of its own.
The actress sat down with DJ Kenneth Chung (Kunhua) to talk about it on an episode of Chung's podcast, KUNZversations.
More control over her career
For Ya Hui, the decision to leave Mediacorp was one she had been stressing over for a while.
There were times when she even cried and had trouble eating, but in the end, she just had to bite the bullet and do it.
After 15 years of acting, Ya Hui was jaded, exhausted, and feeling like her career had plateaued.
Now out of the system, Ya Hui says that she has more power over the trajectory of her career.
"I myself am not sure which is the right route to take, but at least I have the ability to try. When you're inside [Mediacorp], though, there are restrictions. Like when a job opportunity comes in, you still have to ask the company for approval. It's a different world."
Price of freedom
Ya Hui revealed some of the worries she had stepping out of her comfort zone.
"I was never someone who liked bungee jumping," quipped the actress, who said that taking the first step out of one's comfort zone is extremely terrifying.
Now a freelancer, the ex-Mediacorp star shared that it was nerve-wrecking to not have a stable source of income.
"You need to take into account a host of considerations like, 'Will my mum and dad be okay?' And I also can't splurge on good food or buy things I want."
Photo from Ya Hui's Instagram.
Ya Hui said that being billed S$18 for bak kut teh was a wake-up call for her. She told herself she needed to be more thrifty when it came to her food choices.
"I never had an affinity for numbers, but once I came out [of Mediacorp], my mathematics suddenly became insanely good," the actress joked, adding that she took more than two hours to produce a "formal" enough invoice.
Still an actress
Ya Hui also cleared up some misconceptions about the current state of her career.
"A lot of people think that my resignation [from Mediacorp] means that I've left the industry... Many people don't understand that I'm still continuing [acting], I just no longer have an agency representing me."
Without an agency to do the heavy lifting, 35-year-old has to grapple with more tasks on her own, such as meeting clients and "finding someone to help negotiate things [for her]".
Photo from Ya Hui's Instagram.
She apparently also became an aunt agony to her followers.
"A lot of people dm-ed me, saying, 'My company asked me to try something new, should I quit?' I told them to just try first, and if they can't do it, then see how."
"If you're always spoon-fed, you'll never learn anything. You won't even know how to hold a spoon," said Ya Hui.
Considering other options
For someone who enjoyed income stability for over a decade, the road ahead was riddled with uncertainties, especially over how to make ends meet.
"I even went to a cafe to ask how much [employees there] were paid per month," the actress confessed.
"You wanted to be a barista?" Chung interjected incredulously.
"No, no, I just wanted to get a gauge of how much workers are paid nowadays, so I had to ask," Ya Hui explained.
The freelancer further remarked that she was someone who was able to adapt to different living circumstances.
"Thankfully, I'm not someone who, once she's reached a certain status, has to maintain it no matter what. I can actually go to a cafe and work."
Ya Hui remarked that a lot of people are unable to think this way.
"Maybe you work a job earning S$10,000, and one day you lose your job. Just don't have so much ego — a lot of people are unable to let go [of their egos] and easily become depressed."
Speaking to Mothership, the actress clarified that working at a cafe is "no lowering of ego at all".
"In fact, I always dream of setting up a beautiful place for coffee tea and dessert lovers. I even took a day course learning about coffee and I'm still in the progress of perfecting my latte art. "
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Top images via Ya Hui's Instagram