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<\/p>\nSINGAPORE \u2013 After 27 years in show business, most celebrities would be content to coast, pick comfortable roles and enjoy the occasional red carpet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But home-grown actor Pierre Png wants to use his fame for a greater good \u2013 to shine a light on subjects that many still consider taboo, including suicide, mental health and menopause.<\/p>\n
The 52-year-old is standing by his wife Andrea De Cruz, 51, as she speaks publicly about her menopause journey. Since March, the former TV personality has been talking about coping with perimenopause and menopause symptoms on the podcast And One Should Know.<\/p>\n
He sees De Cruz\u2019s openness about menopause as part of a much-needed cultural shift.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn Asian society, a lot of things are still taboo \u2013 be it menopause, andropause, suicide, divorce,\u201d Png says. \u201cI think it\u2019s about time. As long as you make the information available, no more can people say, \u2018I don\u2019t know about this, or I don\u2019t care.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
He was speaking to The Straits Times at the Asia TV Forum & Market at Marina Bay Sands on Dec 3. He was promoting the Thai-Singapore collaboration Decalcomania, an eight-episode thriller also featuring Thai actors Mookda Narinrak, Chai Chatayodom Hiranyatithi and Thaneth Warakulnukroh.\u00a0<\/p>\n
National helpline: 1771 (24 hours) \/ 6669-1771 (via WhatsApp)<\/p>\n
Samaritans of Singapore: 1-767 (24 hours) \/ 9151-1767 (24 hours CareText via WhatsApp)<\/p>\n
Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019<\/p>\n
Silver Ribbon Singapore: 6386-1928<\/p>\n
Chat, Centre of Excellence for Youth Mental Health: 6493-6500\/1<\/p>\n
Women\u2019s Helpline (Aware): 1800-777-5555 (weekdays, 10am to 6pm)<\/p>\n
The Seniors Helpline: 1800-555-5555\u00a0(weekdays,\u00a09am to 5pm)<\/p>\n
Tinkle Friend (for primary school-age children): 1800-2744-788<\/p>\n
Touchline (Counselling): 1800-377-2252<\/p>\n
Touch Care Line (for caregivers): 6804-6555<\/p>\n
Counselling and Care Centre: 6536-6366<\/p>\n
We Care Community Services: 3165-8017<\/p>\n
Shan You Counselling Centre: 6741-9293 <\/p>\n
Clarity Singapore: 6757-7990<\/p>\n
Decalcomania, streaming on mewatch, follows two women (played by Mookda) \u2013 one a socialite in Singapore and the other a nightclub owner in Bangkok. They discover they are long-lost twins after a car accident causes them to mysteriously switch bodies.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Png takes on a supporting role in the series, playing a dedicated policeman and devoted husband to Cynthia Koh\u2019s domineering wife. His character takes in one of the twins, causing a rift with his mother-in-law, played by Hong Huifang.<\/p>\n
The actor jokes that De Cruz must have spoken to Koh about who wears the pants at home. \u201cCynthia and I have played husband and wife quite a few times already. I know Cynthia for way too long, so she can\u2019t boss me around,\u201d he adds with a laugh.\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Pierre Png plays a policeman in Thai-Singapore TV series Decalcomania.<\/p>\n
PHOTO: MOCHA CHAI LABORATORIES<\/p>\n
Png, who married De Cruz in 2003, says a husband\u2019s role is not to offer solutions, but to be present and provide support.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything I know about the female species, it is just to be there,\u201d he says. \u201cDon\u2019t offer any suggestions. We have nothing wise to say.\u201d<\/p>\n
And if a partner asks for an opinion, he believes the response must be genuine: \u201cLet it come from the heart, you can\u2019t go wrong with that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another passion project on Png\u2019s plate is SPEAK, a suicide prevention initiative he started with parenting coach Michelle Choy in July. SPEAK is an acronym for Suicide Prevention through Empathy, Awareness and Kindness. <\/p>\n
The turning point came when he learnt of some tragic yet preventable incidents related to teen suicides, and how young people are drowning in information and expectations, especially through social media.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s just this overflow of information that\u2019s given to them, and they don\u2019t know what to do with it,\u201d he says. \u201cKids nowadays feel like they have to put up something on TikTok or whatever, and then the comments that come in… It\u2019s no longer a safe world for children.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Png, the answer is not more silence, but more conversation \u2013 at home, not just online.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s got to be more light shed on suicide,\u201d he stresses. \u201cPeople need to know that suicide is not contagious. We need to talk about this at the table and how to approach it.\u201d <\/p>\n
SPEAK has organised free webinars and discussion panels for parents on teen mental health issues.<\/p>\n
If his words carry urgency, it is because Png is acutely aware of time.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m 52. If the average lifespan of a man is like 70, 80, I\u2019m more than halfway through my life,\u201d he says. \u201cI feel more satisfaction doing charity than winning an acting award.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I don\u2019t make use of my voice, or if I don\u2019t make use of what little shelf life I have in entertainment to bring awareness, the opportunity is wasted.\u201d<\/p>\n
He and De Cruz do not have children, but they have like-minded friends who have rallied behind SPEAK.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Between his radio shifts \u2013\u00a0he guest-hosts on Gold 905 every Tuesday from 8 to 10am \u2013 acting projects and advocacy work, life is hardly slowing down.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Yet, the Crazy Rich Asians (2018) actor insists he is not busier than before, just more intentional.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone once told me, it\u2019s not that you have no time, it\u2019s just organising yourself,\u201d he says. \u201cWhatever empty pockets and whatever opportunities, I make full use of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
He is also hoping for a Crazy Rich Asians sequel or spin-off. \u201cI haven\u2019t heard anything from Jon Chu,\u201d says Png. He adds that it was a regret he could not meet up with the American film-maker when he was in Singapore recently for the Wicked: For Good film premiere.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of us remained in the (Crazy Rich Asians) chat group, secretly hoping Jon would announce something. But he\u2019s too busy,\u201d says Png.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SINGAPORE \u2013 After 27 years in show business, most celebrities would be content to coast, pick comfortable roles…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":176001,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[458,146,85,46],"class_list":["post-176000","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrities","tag-celebrities","tag-entertainment","tag-il","tag-israel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176000","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=176000"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176000\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/176001"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=176000"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=176000"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=176000"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}