Shane Pow's new film role hits a little close to home, but he's not bothered if people are reminded of his past
His character in the film Good Goodbye is a drug addict who is taken in by his grandfather after his release from prison.
It was just a couple years ago that local actor Shane Pow got a new lease on life after two drink driving incidents saw him slapped with a jail term of five weeks.
Pow has rebounded steadily in his acting career since then, getting top billing in a major Channel 8 drama last year, and getting nominated for Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes at Star Award this year.
However, in his new film Good Goodbye, Pow is stepping into the shoes of a character who has a similar journey to him.
His character, Wei, is a drug addict who is taken in by his grandfather after his release from prison, and struggles with redemption while reconnecting with him.
The similarity wasn't lost on Pow when he spoke to Yahoo Southeast Asia on Tuesday (26 March) for the film.
The 33-year-old said, “It definitely feels familiar. I mean, different circumstances lah.”
Shane Pow on second chances
But, he was very drawn to the role because of the theme of second chances.
He added, “Cliche as it is, sometimes, people really do deserve a second chance. There’ll always be people who don’t like you, or there’ll be haters, but the most important thing is you have to believe in yourself that I want to change.”
Pow also thinks that director Daniel Yam was aware of his past when he was cast, but shared that they “didn't really particularly dive into it”.
As for whether audiences will be reminded of his past when watching the film, Pow isn’t affected by it.
“I think that's a that's a chapter of my life that I am definitely moving forward from,” he said. Pow also noted that, as an actor, he can’t control if people can't 'unsee' him in a certain role.
“When I was working on the character, I didn’t want people to see me. It also helps that he just came out [of prison], he had to shave his head, I also put on quite a bit of weight for the role… I hope that when the audience see it, they won’t see me, they’ll see him (the character).”
And, pointing to the theme of the film, Pow added separately that he thinks the film is trying to “make society a bit more accepting”.
He said, “People are always judging other people. Sometimes you don’t know what the other person went through, like him (the character), he struggles with drugs. And it's the same with people who are dealing with depression, dealing with many mental illnesses that people don't really see.
“If everybody can be a bit more accepting and less judgmental, I think you'll make the world a better place.”
Making more time for family and friends
Good Goodbye is an anthology film about palliative care and, in some of its stories, it carries the message of living life to the fullest and not having any regrets.
And after filming it, Pow confessed that he has changed his outlook on life.
In the past, he didn’t have much time for his family and friends because of filming commitments, but now he carves out more time for them.
“I try to meet them (my family) at least once a week for a meal. And for friends gathering, if I can, I’ll drop by maybe like two, three hours,” he shared.
Pow also felt that the little break he had from the industry allowed him to regain his friendships, as he was able to be there for the birth of his friend’s child and the full month celebration.
“We (my friends and I) went overseas together, which we haven’t done in the last 10 years. [We had] a lot of these little moments in life that I really cherish… and this movie, especially, is telling everybody to spend more time with your family and loved ones.”
What's next for Shane Pow?
In addition to being there for friends and family, Pow is also looking to pursue filmmaking and is writing scripts.
It was something he had put off in the last few years after his 2018 short film which he wrote and directed.
He said, “I want to direct something that I wrote. I just want something that I wrote… it belongs to me… It takes a lot of time [to write] but I love it.”
The next thing on his list is travelling.
Pow revealed that he hasn’t been to popular destinations in Europe like Paris, London, and Milan, with the only place in Europe he’s travelled to being Germany.
The timing is one of two factors as to why he hasn’t made the trip to these locations. The other is because, in the past, he could only choose one or two places to go when he scheduled his breaks between projects.
“It’s either I go to US or Europe. Somehow, I always go to the US,” he explained. “If I have a chance, I really want to do a Europe trip, and not like the popular ones. The popular ones, yes lah - touristy stuff. I mean like Budapest, the Eastern Europe [locations].”
He said with a laugh, “I think that will be the last thing I want to do. At least I can say I’ve been to places and not just Ang Mo Kio, Toa Payoh. It’s like I’ve been out there, not just JB.”
Good Goodbye also stars Julie Tan, Tosh Rock, Andie Chen, Aster Yeow, Yang Shibin, and Teo Ser Lee. It is now showing in cinemas.
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