PUBLISHED ONSeptember 15, 2023 10:05 AMByYeo Shu HuiThey share so much of the glamorous and fun sides of themselves with us on social media, but there are some things that they are reluctant to reveal.
For local actor Ayden Sng, it would probably be his admission to Mensa, a society for intellectuals with an IQ of above 130. The average IQ of a person is between 85 and 115.
Although it was briefly reported in 2021, the 29-year-old has kept a low profile about it.
When AsiaOne asked him about it at the recent press conference of his new Mediacorp drama All That Glitters, Ayden shared — a bit reluctantly — that he took the Mensa test when he was in primary school and humbly said that it doesn't have any direct impact on his life, other than on his education.
The Raffles Institution and Duke University alumnus added that being in Mensa "affects [his] affinity a bit more" when it comes to seeking admissions into these elite schools, where he spent six years and four years of his life respectively.
From having his first blockbuster Mediacorp drama broadcasting soon to signing with Huanyu Entertainment to expand his career to China, the stars have aligned for Ayden.
However, he is mindful to separate his ambition from happiness and success, which he said is a realisation that he came to as he inches towards his thirties.
"Ambition is ambition. But success and happiness are completely different things. It doesn't have to be that co-dependent," said Ayden, who turns 30 on Nov 17.
He added that from his debut in 2019 till now, his career goals had become clearer over the years as he transitioned from "wanting to be famous" to "becoming a good actor".
About his own career goals, Ayden shared that as he has signed with Huanyu Entertainment, he hoped to participate in regional and international projects in the next few years to experience filming on a larger scale, even in small roles.
He explained: "The skill of a project or production has a direct impact on my growth as an actor… These opportunities will take my performance and my craft to the next level."
So where does he wish to achieve happiness and success from?
"Cats," said Ayden, adding that he has five currently and has plans to care for more of them.
"I'm just a huge cat lover. My cats give me a lot of joy and I spend a lot of time with them. They take up 90 per cent of my social life. Because they give me so much joy, so at the same time I also want to give back," he shared.
Ayden said that some of his colleagues and manager thought that he was "crazy" for wanting so many cats but he believes that "everybody has little goals or things that they derive happiness from".
He added that he also runs a cat rescue programme, where he spends thousands of dollars every month on their boarding, medical fees, transportation, food, litter and other miscellaneous items.
"I set up my life in a way that my work, of course, if it goes well, that's great, but if there are any hiccups or bumps along the way, then the rest of my life is actually still going fantastically well," he said.
Ayden also shared that although he is a homebody and enjoys coming home to his feline friends, it doesn't mean that he has difficulties when it comes to socialising.
He said: "I actually love making friends, talking to people and hearing their stories. It's just that in my own free time, instead of cramming it with social obligations, I enjoy staying at home."
"There isn't peer pressure or anything, peer pressure to me doesn't exist. I feel self-assured enough. I love my work. I love my friends, I love my life and I love going home to my cats," he added.
Speaking about his new drama All That Glitters, Ayden said that the filming experience with co-stars Desmond Tan, Jeremy Chan and Tyler Ten overseas reminds him of his college days.
"It feels like a fraternity, that we could actually be bros that would hang out. Truth be told, if we didn't have this overseas filming, perhaps even up till now we might still be a bit distant from each other," he added.
In the drama, Ayden plays He Jianzhi, who helps out at a satay stall owned by his debt-ridden gambler father to pay off the latter's debts. He is best buddies with Lin Musen (Desmond Tan) and Huang Jintiao (Jeremy Chan) and the story centres around how their close-knit friendship crumbles over the span of 20 years as they pursue success and riches to change their destiny.
He also shared that the brotherhood between Desmond and Jeremy extended off-screen even after they wrapped filming in July.
Ayden said: "The off-screen mirrors on-screen in a sense that our roles within this brotherhood are also a little based on our characters.
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"I'm the level-headed one who will do the planning and the administrative stuff. Desmond is that one who's like, 'Why not we go and do this?' And Jeremy is the joker."
He is also glad that the three of them have "inexplicable chemistry" despite not working together before and having different personalities.
"When we come together, everything just melds together as if it's a jigsaw piece in a huge puzzle… Even the best of friends might not be the best match when it comes to acting. I feel like this is a really, really happy coincidence," said Ayden.
All That Glitters, which also stars Chantalle Ng, Hong Ling, Zhang Zetong and Tyler Ten, premieres Sept 18 and airs on Channel 8 at 9pm on weekdays. It will also be available on demand for free on meWATCH on the same day.
ALSO READ: JOMO (joy of missing out): Ayden Sng doesn't conform to what other people want of him
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