Lawrence Wong has been trending on Singapore’s Google radar for well over a month now, and for good reason.
No we’re not talking about our Minister for National Development, Mr Lawrence Wong.
We’re talking about this incredibly charming Johor-born Singaporean actor who’s based in China and on the crux of global super stardom.
Here are some hard and fast facts about the impossibly handsome star who certainly proves that age is just a number.
The 30-year-old boasts 2.4 million followers on Weibo, thanks to his breakout role in popular C-drama Story of Yanxi Palace.
An eligible bachelor, he now receives 5,000 love letters/day from dedicated fans on social media.
He also made China’s most influential celebrity list, placing 35th amongst bona-fide stars — mostly credited to his inspired performance in Yanxi Palace which has been streamed 12 billion times to date.
Lawrence plays Hai Lan Cha, an imperial guard from the Qing Dynasty who becomes a great general.
His loyalty & comical chemistry with his onscreen BFF Fu Heng – aka the Empress’ brother – blossomed into a real-life friendship with China’s hottest actor Xu Kai.
Here’s an adorable shot of them hanging out on-set with portable fans.
Born and raised in Johor Bahru, Lawrence crossed the Causeway everyday to get to school in Singapore for about 10 years.
At 15, he was cast in his first commercial for “washing detergent”. Lawrence was then scouted as a potential member of a Japanese pop group while getting a haircut in Singapore.
He finally decided to make the move permanent in college to pursue a full-time career in modelling.
Lawrence later received his Singaporean citizenship officially, about 2 years ago.
He has played memorable characters in local Channel 8 dramas like 118’s Xiao Bao — a compassionate thug who romanced a wanton mee seller.
And a teenager who falls in love with a mentally challenged girl played by Julie Tan in Channel U’s The Promise, earning him a nomination for Favourite Male Character at the Star Awards 2010.
However, for the next decade, Lawrence grew frustrated that his career wasn’t picking up despite shuttling across the region.
How did he break into China’s infamously competitive market?
We can thank his close friend and co-star Chinese actress Qin Lan, who plays a benevolent Empress in Yanxi Palace, for granting him an opportunity.
The story goes that he was invited to join her talent agency, after they struck up a friendship when she came to film a campaign with Singapore Tourism Board in 2016.
She then took him under her wing, and brought him to red carpet events like 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
Rumours have been swirling about whether they are in a relationship, but both of them have called their connection a “brotherly-sisterly” one.
Now based in China, the thing Lawrence misses most about Singapore is no surprise — food.
When asked about which local cuisine he missed most, he mentioned a classic Singaporean-favourite, Bak Chor Mee.
He shared that it’s also hard to find authentic Nasi Lemak, Teh Ping and Kaya in China.
Lawrence occasionally visits Toast Box there for Hainanese Chicken Rice, but quips that although the taste is similar, it misses “a little kick“.
To satisfy his food cravings, he does make it a point to return to Singapore between projects, despite his busy schedule.
In an interview with Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore, Lawrence revealed that he was open to acting in local productions, when two conditions are met.
If a good script was offered to him, and if the right role was available.
The salary he received to star in one drama series in China was reportedly equivalent to an actor’s 2-year salary in Singapore.
A fitness buff, Lawrence peppers his Insta and Weibo feed with swoon-worthy pics to update his fans about his post-workout results.
Here he is, looking absolutely fabulous even as he sports a fully-shaved head.
Lawrence’s rising fame has heralded a new era for the actor. Tons of brand endorsements are rolling in for the budding starlet.
Notably, he’s now the face of Montblanc in Malaysia — a luxury men’s fashion brand that has cast the likes of Hugh Jackman as their leading man in ads.
Consider us sold.
Lawrence is also a friend to all — regardless of species.
He flew his cat Coconut to Beijing when he made the move to pursue a career there in 2016.
From snuggling with his gorgeous ragdoll kitten Coconut…
To posing for a pensive cinematic shot – ft. a white Pekingese pupper – in full-on Yanxi Palace guard ensemble…
We love a man who’s good with animals.
Lawrence opened up about his decision to star in an erotic film by Eric Khoo, which cast Japanese AV actress Shou Nishino as his co-star in a love-making scene.
He expressed that he didn’t regret his decision to pick up the project ‘In The Room’ — a film about the unconventional relationships and sex-capades that take place in Room 27 of Hotel Singapura.
In order to prepare for his sizzling onscreen scene, he controlled his diet religiously for a month and made sure to spend 30 minutes taping down his loincloth to ensure his ‘dignity’ was preserved while filming.
Over the 3-day shoot, Lawrence sprained his back on the last day — requiring 2 production assistants to help support him through the scene.
If you want to check out the R21 trailer, it’s available on YouTube here.
You’ve been warned though, it’s pretty explicit so we don’t recommend watching it in office.
Not that we’re complaining.
Besides his good looks, Lawrence actually has scores of talent to beef up his resume.
The multi-talented artiste has recorded songs, starred in indie films and modelled for global brands.
He’s also a major fanboy of Faye Wong — who shares a surname with him and is an equally talented triple threat.
He gives a shoutout to the pop queen on his Insta-stories, and calls her his “idol”.
Specifically, his go-to Faye ballad is ‘Reserved’ from her album Sky.
For fans who feel like they’ve missed the ship for this talented hunk, never fear.
You’re still not too late to the party.
Story of Yanxi Palace is streaming on StarHub’s Channel 855 at 9pm from Mon-Fri.
Episode 5, which plays this Wed (26 Sep) will feature Lawrence in all his 6-pack glory in a scene-stealing turn as Imperial Palace Guard Hai Lan Cha.
We may not be able to match his Chinese fans in number, but we can definitely show him a little more +65 love here on the little red dot.
You’ll also love this:
https://mustsharenews.com/henry-golding/
Featured image from Lawrence Wong on Weibo and Instagram.
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