7 inspiring celeb quotes from Star Awards 2021

To the surprise of just no one, Control star Ya Hui took home her fifth “Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes” award.

In her words: “Life isn’t easy especially in light of everything that is happening. As celebrities, everything we do is put under a magnifying glass. We can’t expect everyone to like us. We can, however, be the best versions of ourselves. We are all special and unique in our own ways.”

(Read also “Jacelyn Tay, Ya Hui And Other Celebs’ Empowering Quotes On Being Single“)

We would be remiss not to include Pierre Png’s speech in this list. It’s not about what he said but how he said it. Even though he peppered his speech with English phrases and struggled to find the word for “votes” in Mandarin, we could feel his sincerity and joy through our screens. The Crazy Rich Asians star’s rise to channel 8 A-list status wasn’t always a walk in the park. Because he could barely speak Mandarin, he had to work twice as hard when it came to memorising his lines compared to his linguistically-blessed colleagues. Clearly, his perseverance paid off. At this year’s Star Awards, he bagged his fourth “Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes” award.

In his words: “This award is a recognition of my efforts.”

It took so long for the 26-year-old to finally make the list of “Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes” after years of nominations, so viewers islandwide waited with bated breath to hear what she’d say when she got to the podium to receive her award.

In her words: “I’ve always been very lucky. I’ve met many people who have helped me along the way. This (award) isn’t just for me but for my company, agency, parents, significant other (Nick Teo), fans, mentors and viewers. Thank you for liking and supporting me. If you don’t, that’s fine too. I hope that one day I can change your mind with my work.”

The veteran actress won “Best Actress Award” for her role in My Guardian Angels where she played a single mum who goes from rags to riches, but it was her acceptance speech that soared above the rest. Before the usual thank-yous to her costars, company and friends, she started her acceptance speech with a refreshingly humble statement. Definitely not something we would have expected from someone who has won 13 “Best Actress Awards”.

In her words: “I’m very surprised, because I wasn’t even the dark horse.”

China-born Qi Wuyu won “Best Actor” for time-travel drama A Quest to Heal (which was also named Best Drama). To kick off his acceptance speech, Yuwu touched on the emotional aspect of being at the airport with nowhere to go. “The last time I was here at the airport was the year before, when I was going home to Guangzhou for Chinese New Year. It’s been a long time since I was home, so I feel quite emotional,” he said. He ended his acceptance speech graciously by praising the other nominees in his category.

In his words: “To the other nominees – please don’t feel that this means I’m a better actor. Our industry needs different types of actors in order to have better and more diverse productions.”

After over three decades of being in the local entertainment scene, everyone’s favourite ajumma “auntie” and budding TikToker took home the “Top 10” award on top of the “Evergreen Artiste” award.

In her words: “In the past, I was always nominated and watched other people win. I always thought, ‘When will it be my turn?’ I had gotten used to being contented with just dressing up and being able to gather with people.”

Bryan Wong may have won the award for “Best Supporting Actor” for his role as a scheming eunuch in A Quest to Heal, but his acceptance speech was heartfelt and honest. In particular, after thanking his family for their encouragement, the entertainer, who got his break hosting the popular variety show City Beat, ended with a quote that had us all emotional.

In his words: “Lastly, I want to thank myself. At the age of 40, I decided to change track (from hosting to acting) and do something I’ve always wanted to do. I hope that you can learn something from my experience. I took a risk and today it paid off.”

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