Lawrence Wong forges new path with his own multifunctional botanical skin and personal care brand, Grail

ACTOR/SINGER LAWRENCE WONG FORGES A NEW PATH WITH HIS OWN MULTIFUNCTIONAL BOTANICAL SKIN AND PERSONAL CARE BRAND, GRAIL.

... is your true-blue go-getter, constantly on the move to strive for greater success and purpose. His commitment to acting and the local TV station’s lack of vision (casting him in bit roles) pushed him to China where he snagged a role of his life: palace guard turned general in the most viewed Chinese drama of 2018, Story of Yanxi Palace. Owing to the success of the show and his breakout role, Lawrence was ranked the 35th most influential artiste in China and landed a lead role in the 43-episode Chinese serial One Boat, One World (2021).

With millions of views on streaming platforms, one would imagine a celebrated actor to rest on his laurels but no, armed with resilience and a “never say die” attitude that has kept him going through tough times, the MalaysianSingaporean actor is finding success in another venture ̶ a skincare startup he calls “Grail”.

Did you always know you wanted to be an actor?

I wanted to be a vet actually. Initially, I wanted to be an architect, because the majority of my family members didn’t have a high level of education. I have an uncle, who is an architect, and I always looked up to him and yearned to be well respected among my family members, But as I got older, I discovered I love animals so much so caring for them felt natural. I didn’t think about acting till much later.

When you sta ed acting in 2002, it would be 16- years before you’re in a series with major pop cultural impact. What would you say has been the biggest challenges in your areas of personal growth?

I really started from the bottom. I didn’t win talent competitions and I wasn’t signed with anyone big. I was a part-time actor and played many extras and I had to climb all the way up, to where I am today. When I started, I didn’t really fit into the mold of the usual leading man. Men who are usually tall, dark, more mature looking whereas I had a baby face. I didn’t get good roles, nobody thought I would make it and my family members wanted me to give up.

I often felt like I was very alone, and I had so much to give, yet no avenue for me to show it. These challenges have shaped me artistically, emotionally and professionally; there was certainly a lot of growth as a result.

A MAN OF DEEP CONVICTION, LAWRENCE WONG

You mentioned that lead rolls didn’t typically go to someone who looked like you. How did you feel about that, what gave you the motivation to keep going?

Pure passion, pure faith and belief. In addition, I knew I had what it takes, and I had so much to give, and I only needed an opportunity to show it. Having hope and actively pursuing your dreams are crucial to life in general, not just being an actor.

You never considered: I had enough I want to give up?

Oh man, many times! I felt I could choose the easy path and use my degree in mass communications. I could always do other things related to the media industry and I would still be in the industry that I love but I guess I have a “never say die” attitude, I never give up and I don’t know why.

What do you do in the face of a setback?

I just keep going! The funny thing is that while I’m going through all these things I don’t really think about it, you just think about what you need to do and how I can keep moving forward. Of course now in hindsight, things could have gone really wrong but while I was at it, it wasn’t something I thought about. That said, you have to be smart about things and be objective - do you have the required skill sets? Are you really talented? Do you really want this? What can you do to be better?

This is why I explored markets overseas because if my look is not suitable for local audiences, where can I go? I think my experience is very special because I’ve never met another actor who have worked in Thailand, Taiwan or China, because I keep looking for opportunities in different places where I might potentially be welcomed and celebrated.

There was a whole 16-year period before Story of Yanxi Palace, did you set a milestone for you to hit before you decided you should do something else?

To be frank, it was when I went to China. To me, that was my last trip because I felt that I’m at an age where I have a lot of other passions that can be pursued other than being an actor. Even now, if you ask me whether I’d be an actor forever, my answer will be “maybe not” because I think my life is more than just filming show after show back to back. I’m multifaceted. There are many things that I want to pursue, explore and develop. Back in 2006, China was my last try.

So now you’re the 35th most influential actor in China. Many other actors will just be content on focusing on their career, why did you decide to sta a business?

COVID is a huge push factor. I’ve always wanted to have our own brand because one of the most common questions I get asked is “what do you use for your skin?” But you know, everyone’s skin is different, and I don’t really have the kind of confidence to push a product to you without full knowledge of say the ingredients or how it is made. So I thought maybe I could start something but I never got round to it because I was always busy.

Last year, when COVID struck, I was stuck at home like everyone else and I guess, while others were baking, I was formulating, devising and trying to make my brand happen, and it happened.

Now, most celebrities would be happy to lend their name to branding, but you actually went into the whole entrepreneurial path. Why did you choose one path over the other?

Of course I can choose the easy path but it to me, reputation in show business is sacred. I believed that if I wanted to do this and it has always been a dream of mine for years, I would rather do it right. I mean if this is going to be my brand, I want to have full control of everything, including packaging, ingredients, range of products, even the brand story. I want to be involved in every aspect, only then I can call it my own brand. If not, I can’t say “this is by Lawrence Wong”, it would just be a collaboration or a product endorsed by me as long as it works well for me. But I don’t want to be just the face of the brand for a year or two, this is what usually happens in our line and I didn’t think I would be contented with that.

Did anyone try to discourage you?

I didn’t share this dream with anyone. One thing I realised is, if you have a dream and a goal, just look towards it. If you

I KNEW I HAD WHAT IT

TAKES, AND I HAD SO MUCH TO GIVE, AND I ONLY NEEDED AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW IT. HAVING HOPE AND ACTIVELY PURSUING YOUR DREAMS ARE CRUCIAL TO LIFE IN GENERAL, NOT

JUST BEING AN ACTOR

I DIDN'T SET GRAIL UP TO ACHIEVE THE CONVENTIONAL BENCHMARKS OF SUCCESS. TO ME, BEING ABLE TO LAUNCH GRAIL IS ITSELF A SUCCESS BECAUSE I'VE BEEN WANTING TO DO IT FOR MANY YEARS AND NOW I FINALLY DID IT

want to seek advice you must be very careful who you are seeking advice from. You must ensure that the people you’re seeking advice from or sharing your ideas with are like minded people who can elevate your ideas instead of putting you down.

For Grail, COVID meant I didn’t really have a chance to go out and mingle so I didn’t really have a chance to share my plans or ideas with anyone anyway.

For someone with li le business experience how steep was that learning curve?

Really really steep [laughs]. There are so many things to consider not just the product. Even if you have a freaking good product, you still need to know how to market it, how to price it, how to balance cost and quality; in spite of the steep learning curve, I enjoyed the process. I was learning something new and this appeals to be because I get bored really easily. I feel alive when I’m creating something and putting it out into the universe.

Was it completely experimental or did you have business mentors to help you?

I have a business partner but everything else was a new experience. Formulating the product is new to me. I had to learn in detail about ingredients. For example, our aloe vera is organic. I had to do my research and weigh the necessity of using organic aloe vera from Africa instead of regular aloe vera, so there were many factors to learn and read up on and hear specialists arguments for and against it.

So, just out of curiosity, what did you discover about aloe vera? Is organic that impo ant a er all?

There is a lot of debate over organic products, even food in the supermarket. There are people who don’t believe in it, but to me, I think it’s better to put something that is harvested in a sustainable, and responsible fashion. It is also kinder to your skin in the long run. One of the core philosophies of my brand is to use as little chemical as possible. That’s why my products have mostly botanical formulation.

What did you learn about yourself during the process of becoming an entrepreneur?

I discovered that I was quite the perfectionist [laughs]. It’s my brand and I’m putting my face out there so I want to be in control of everything. That said, Grail is not my full time job, there are many other things that I have to attend to. I have learned that it is necessary to let go and let people handle it for you and you have to compromise a bit on certain things. for me to start betting on events you have in your head. You especially have to compromise on reality versus what’s ideal in your head.

What do you hope to accomplish with Grail? What is considered a successful outcome for Grail?

To be honest, I never really thought about it, but I hope that Grail will become a daily necessity in people’s lives. That said, I didn’t set Grail up to achieve the conventional benchmarks of success. To me, being able to launch Grail is itself a success because I’ve been wanting to do it for many years and now I finally did it. I didn’t start Grail with an endpoint in mind because it is an on-going passion. I find quantifying success in commercial terms is not only very stressful but also unnecessary as it would deviate me from my true motives in launching Grail.

What If someone offers to buy you out, would you sell?

It depends on who and how much and at which stage Grail is at, I mean there’s no hard and fast rule [laughs].

I know you’re secretive, but what comes a er Grail?

We will come up, with lifestyle products that you might not expect of me.

What will the Lawrence Wong today tell the Lawrence who was just sta ing out?

Relax. Be patient, your time will come AM