Carrie Wong On Her "Lonely" Childhood, And Why She Thinks Being A Poor Judge Of Character Isn’t Necessarily A Bad Thing

If you were to ask Carrie Wong to describe herself in primary school, she would say that she was a loner with “no friends”, which is completely surprising 'cos just by looking at the actress, you would think she was the girl every boy had a crush on or something.

But we'll get to that in a bit.

We’re speaking to the 27-year-old star after the virtual press conference for Mediacorp drama, The Peculiar Pawnbroker, where she plays Cheng Yi Cheng, an orphan adopted by the titular peculiar pawnbroker, Cheng Huo Chang, played by Li Nanxing.

Since the drama does focus on the father-daughter relationship between Nanxing and Carrie’s characters, 8days.sg took the opportunity to ask about her relationship with her real dad, whom the actress says “pampers her quite a bit.

Nanxing is a very funny dad. My dad is not so funny, he just a very cool guy. Or actually, can I say that he just likes to act cool lah, but you know, he doesn't really tease me or play with me like how Nanxing does to me in the show,” muses Carrie, before going on to reveal that her dad only shows his playful side when he's with Carrie’s pet dog, Gege.

“The [biggest similarity] is that [your dad] is always your biggest backup in life. So whatever happens to me, no matter how sad or how serious, my daddy is always there for me. You know that you won't really get into trouble because your daddy's always there to protect you,” she says.

Carrie also reveals that she’s not too similar to her onscreen character, whom she describes as someone who is more “soft-spoken” and less confident than she is.

Whenever I start on a new role, the first thing I look into is their childhood ‘cos I feel that [someone’s] childhood is the thing that shapes him or her,” Carrie says.

As for me, I'm an only child at home, and my mum actually gave birth to me really late. Technology wasn't so advanced back in the '90s, so she actually suffered quite a bit. I was very pampered by my dad and mum since young, so I think that's actually the reason I'm this way,” she went on to say, adding that she’s more direct and outspoken.

Carrie says she wasn’t exactly Miss Popular back in primary school, and that affected her confidence.

I was very tall, and very, very, skinny, and I had very, very, ugly teeth before I got braces, she says. I loved to speak Chinese, and I didn't like to speak English. That was when all my friends started to stay away from me. So, I didn't really have friends back in primary school. I was very not confident at that time,” she recalls.

However, her turning point came after she entered secondary school.

I became more confident after getting braces and started smiling, she says. I think that was the big change for me. After that I felt like I had more confidence, and I realised that I'm a very outgoing girl. As long as people are willing to talk to me and all that, I can be very outgoing.

8 DAYS: You mentioned that you found it hard to make friends in primary school. Did it shape how you approached your classmates in secondary school as well?

CARRIE WONG: Yeah, because back then I was always the extra one. For example, if there are group projects, it’s like you are only needed if they don't have enough people. You are not the priority.

So I didn't like to go school when I was in primary school because I felt that I'm not needed there. I felt very lonely that I had no friends. I liked to be home and watch TV. That’s why I watched so much TV. I liked to be by myself and with my television. Those were like my happiest days.

I think after I gained some confidence, and I became prettier also, more people wanted to be friends with me. It was a very big rebound. I started going out a lot, and didn’t want to go home. It became a different phase in my life.

Did it make you feel that people are very superficial?

Actually not really. But because I was so young at that time, I didn't know about all these things like self-love and self-appreciation, which obviously I know now. I feel that as a kid, when you go through all these things, it becomes something that's very, very, hard to forget even after many, many years.

If there’s something that you could say to your younger self, what would it be?

Wow, um... (trails off) I don't know. I'll just tell her it's okay, to just do whatever you want to do, everything will be fine.

‘Cos everything will work out in the end, right?

Yes, everything will work out in the end.

In the show, Nanxing's character is very good at judging and 'appraising' people. Are you any good at doing that in real life?

(Laughs) I don't think I'm someone who can judge people well. I suck at it.

Why though? Do you tend to take things at face value, or...?

It's more like I don't really think too much into things, and this trait had created a lot of trouble for me 'cos I'll just... [go] ‘Aiyah, don't think so much, just be in the moment or whatever.’

I feel that it's very tiring to keep having to think carefully on what kind of person he is, or what motive he or she has. Maybe I'm just lazy, or I just don't care. But when things really happen, I'm like 'Oh man, why didn't I say this properly’, or something like that. It's like a toxic cycle all the time so my friends tell me to pay more attention or be more detailed. But it's really my personality.

So basically, if you were to start second-guessing everyone, it would change who you are?

Yeah. For some people, they're just naturally very detailed and sensitive, but I am just not that kind of person.

Would you say this is a positive or negative character trait?

I think there are pros and cons, but since I don't think so much, it's easier for me to feel happier and be more happy-go-lucky. It’s just what makes all of us different so I don't think it is bad or good, you just have to embrace it and become a better version of yourself.

Photos: Carrie Wong/Instagram, meWATCH