Oct. 23, 2023

Shining Asian Stars in 2023

The year 2022 witnessed the meteoric rise of several Asian stars who captivated audiences with their talent and charisma. From Thailand's Rachata Hamphanon, the favourite rising actor of the year, to China's Allen Ren (Ren Jia Lun), renowned for his unconventional journey into acting, and South Korea's Kim Soo Hyun, a multiple-award-winning sensation, to Malaysia's Michelle Yeoh, making history on the Oscars stage, these luminaries have left an indelible mark. By: Wee Yan Ling

Rachata Hamphanon (Thailand)  

Named as The Most Favourite Thailand Rising Actor of 2022, Rachata is the victor for the contest, having garnered a total of 231,476 votes. The bachelor of graduate in music is the male lead in his most recent series, Laws of Attraction.  

The series tells the story of a shrewd and ambitious lawyer, Charn, who is known for taking on lucrative and high-profile cases that boost his reputation. When he was removed from a sensational case, his pride and suspicions started to grow. Determined to unravel the truth, he joins forces with Tinn, the uncle of a young girl who was killed in a car accident without justice. He was also known for his other shows such as To Sir, With Love and The Love Proposal.

Ren Jia Lun (China) 

Better known as Allen Ren, his fame skyrocketed in early 2020 when he took on the role of the stoic and principled imperial guard Lu Yi in the breakout historical drama Under the Power. What sets him apart from many of his peers is his unconventional journey into acting. Instead of having a background in the performing arts, he initially pursued a career as a professional table tennis player. However, his promising career was cut short due to frequent injuries, forcing him to step away from professional table tennis.

He had starred in 18 dramas as the main lead to date, with his more recent dramas being Twilight, Thousand Years for You, The Blue Whisper. His net worth is said to be 6.38 million in 2023 and 5.74 million in 2022. 

Kim Soo Hyun (South Korea) 

Kim Soo Hyun gained immense popularity from the show My Love From The Star where he co starred with Jun Ji-hyun. Throughout his illustrious career, he has clinched multiple esteemed accolades, which encompass four Baeksang Arts Awards, two Grand Bell Awards, and a Blue Dragon Film Award.

His most recent award being the 2020 Asia Artist Award for It’s Okay to Not Be Okay. He debuted in 2007 as a supporting actor in the sitcom Kimchi Cheese Smile in 2007 and breakthrough in the drama Dream High in which he was propelled to stardom. 

His more recent dramas are It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (2020), One Ordinary Day (2021) and upcoming drama that is releasing in 2024, Queen of Tears.  

Michelle Yeoh (Malaysia) 

 Michelle Yeoh has been making the headlines since her debut in the film, Everything Everywhere All At Once. The 2023 winner for Oscars has attained the title as the best performance by an Actress in a Leading Role just this year and also became the first Asian woman to win the award. 

 Her most recent film out in theatres now is A Haunting In Venice. A Haunting in Venice is a supernatural-thriller inspired by the murder mystery writer Agatha Christie’s novel Hallowe’en Party. Yeoh plays the role of Joyce Reynolds, a mystic who conducts a seance attended by Poirot, but also turns out to be a scene of murder. 

Her other highly anticipated projects this year include Guardians of the Galaxy and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. 

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