Five questions with
The Taiwanese-British film actor explains why he loves acting and cooking.
AFTER making his name in Taiwanese movies, Eurasian actor Rhydian Vaughan now finds himself rubbing shoulders with Hong Kong and Chinese stars in mainland Chinese projects.
Better known to Chinese-speaking fans by his Mandarin name Feng Hsiao-yueh, the Taiwanese-British film actor already has more than a dozen Mandarin-language movies and dramas to his name.
Born in Wales, UK, Vaughan just turned 27 early this month. The handsome thespian inherited his artistic genes from his parents: his Taiwanese mother is a performance artist, his British father a violinist. His grandfather is Tibetan, while his grandmother hails from Henan. Vaughan spent his childhood running around the rustic Taipei countryside, and even got sent to the legendary Shaolin Temple for a brief stint when he was six.
With such a colourful background and his Welsh-Chinese good looks, Vaughan has enjoyed an interesting pick of projects. He is best known for his performances in award-winning Taiwanese coming-of-age movies like (2008),
(2010) and (2012), which earned him a Best Supporting Actor nomination at The 7th Asian Film Awards.
In a recent phone interview, Vaughan shared how he enjoys working on diverse projects and keeps grounded with a healthy lifestyle.
What are some of the new film projects we will get to see you in this year? I’ve wrapped up four projects last year. There’s a mainland Chinese film called (also known as Crazy New Year’s Eve), which co-stars Taiwanese actress Amber Kuo. I play a young man lost in the modern world, searching for what he wants. Like many others, he’s not sure about his love life, he’s not sure about his career path, he really enjoys Amber’s company, and he wants to progress in life. It’s a rom-com, a feel-good movie made for the new year.
There’s also a detective film ( a sequel to
with Lau Ching Wan, a sci-fi film ( with Mark Chao and director Lu Chuan, and a drama series that is set in the 20s/30s Shanghai (
with Hu Jun; all very diverse projects. I’m very lucky in that sense.
What do you like most about acting?
I think it’s the possibility to explore all the corners of life, the element of surprise, and satisfying my curiosity. What is your favourite pastime?
I’m really into cooking. I really enjoy using different spices in different dishes, and getting the different flavours of life. I like to open the fridge and see what I can find. It’s a very spur-of-the-moment thing. Anything goes, as long as it’s clean and fresh.
I like to eat a lot of vegetables. I don’t eat that much meat. I’m slowly becoming a vegetarian. It’s better for the body and keeps the mind clear.
How do you keep fit and healthy? Do you prefer the indoors or outdoors?
I like both, indoors and outdoors. I make sure I get enough sleep. I like to do yoga and taichi. I like doing slow exercises, the really deep breathing ones, so that I can connect.
Do you have any advice for aspiring young actors out there?
Work really hard. And relax, I guess. I don’t think I should be answering this question, as I’m a young aspiring actor myself!