This article first appeared in Harper's Bazaar Singapore, the leading fashion glossy on the best of style, beauty, design, travel and the arts. Go to harpersbazaar.com.sg and follow @harpersbazaarsg on Instagram; harpersbazaarsingapore on Facebook. The January 2022 issue is out on newsstands now.
The spark that turned into the flame in Glenn Yong's acting career was ignited by Leonardo DiCaprio.
"When I watched Catch Me If You Can (2002), where DiCaprio played a conman who impersonated, among other things, a pilot, banker, lawyer and policeman, it made me realise that as an actor, you can really try out so many lives. That's not something you can do with an office job," says Yong.
These days, the 25-year-old has plenty of imaginary lives to keep him busy.
He made his debut as a lead actor in September 2021 in Mediacorp's Chinese-language drama Live Your Dreams and is currently seen on the big screen in Ah Girls Go Army, the latest instalment of director Jack Neo's Ah Boys To Men movie franchise.
It was not so long ago that Yong himself was an army recruit exploring social media.
"I was doing my national service in 2018 and I started posting a lot of TikTok videos. That was when TikTok really took off and I was probably one of its early adopters. Some of those videos went viral, and that's kind of when people started noticing me and asking me for shoots and shows," he says.
Since then, his rise has been swift.
"This past year has been a breakthrough year for me: I got my first lead role on TV and then my first lead role in a movie. Those were two things I set for myself as goals and I'm so thankful I've been able to achieve them at such an early stage in my career."
That is not to say that the journey has been without bumps.
"There are definitely a lot of doubters - people who don't want to see me succeed and so they do or say a lot of things behind my back," he says.
"That is not something I was familiar with. Before I was an actor, I never knew anybody in the media or entertainment industry. In the past two years, I've realised that many things are different from what I expected - what you see may not always be what you get."
But he remains optimistic.
Yong, who graduated in marketing from Murdoch University, says: "I tell myself that for every hater, there are 10 more people who love and support me. So many people have carried me on this journey. My priority is making sure that I do well so they can be proud of me. What I've learnt over the past couple of years is that I can only be myself, no matter how messy the world is."
Yong has his sights set on the things that truly matter, like using his new-found platform for good.
"There is a deeper purpose behind why I do what I do," he says. "Of course, there's that passion for acting, for living out all these different roles. But I've also always wanted to be an activist, to fight for the causes I believe in. And in order to do that, I need to be in a position of influence."
The cause closest to his heart is for youth to be unimpeded.
"I deeply believe in young people being idealistic. A lot of times, people think that youth should be realistic, study hard, get a normal job. I really want to encourage young people, especially those who are not so privileged, to reach for their dreams," he says.
"Even though you may not have the same starting point, that doesn't mean your dreams are impossible."
This is something Yong feels so strongly about because it is personal.
"My own experiences definitely played a huge part. A lot of people in my life have told me I'm too optimistic, or maybe I'm young, that's why I think so many things are possible.
"That may be true to a certain extent, but I don't think you should discourage young people from dreaming. What if they are the next Elon Musk or Steve Jobs? What I really want is to make an impact on other people's lives. If I die as a rich person or a successful one, but no one's life was impacted by my existence, I would see that as a failure."
