Becoming an actor was never on the cards for Koh, who didn’t go looking for showbiz – it came looking for him. While a student at Ngee Ann Polytechnic in 2013, he was discovered via the talent scouting television programme Hey Gorgeous, and eventually finished in second place. His first acting role was in the 2017 military-themed drama When Duty Calls, and in 2018, he earned a Best Newcomer nomination at the Star Awards.
Fame had been attractive on paper, but he soon grew disillusioned. “When you’re young, you’re a bit attention-seeking, and when you see stars on TV, you think, ‘Their life must be nice’,” he recalled. In reality, “People are always asking about your life, or they want to get gossip from you about other celebrities. It’s like Chinese New Year, when relatives are always asking, ‘Got girlfriend?’” He laughed.
But, as time went on, he fell in love with acting. “You could say I was curious and stumbled into it. Then I started to get into it, and learned more about this acting thing,” he said.
For three years, “I was so focused on acting that I didn’t really want to do anything else,” he said. “I would watch a show two or three times – the first time, for enjoyment; the second, to see how the actors perform; and the third, to see the overall character development.”
His all-time favourite movie is The Dark Knight, and it’s his dream to play either a superhero or a villain.
Artmotion Asia
