What has Singaporean actress Fiona Xie been up to

Talent spotted at the age of 15 when she was in secondary school, Fiona Xie debuted as an actress in the English-language drama Growing Up (2000). Her breakout role would come a year later in My Genie where she played Genie 0385985. That role would help Fiona Xie clinch the Best Newcomer award at the 2001 Star Awards.

In an episode of Hear U Out, Fiona Xie shared that she was in a girl group with fellow actress Jeanette Aw and socialite Arissa Cheo prior to joining Mediacorp. “We actually performed once in Takashimaya, singing and dancing. In the end, I can’t remember why but I eventually left the group, I think I lost interest in it.” Perhaps, they could have given Destiny’s Child a run for their money.

A term given to the most popular, up-and-coming actresses on Channel 8 at that time, the Seven Princesses of Mediacorp was Fiona Xie, Felicia Chin, Jeanette Aw, Rui En, Dawn Yeoh, Jesseca Liu and Joanne Peh.

At the peak of her career, Fiona Xie sent shockwaves through the entertainment industry in 2009 when she announced that she would be giving it all up. She cited two reasons for the departure. The first was because her then-Australian-Amerian fiance did not want her to continue acting and the pair were planning to move to Hong Kong.

The second was because she was tired and had struggled with picking up Chinese lines. “I’ve been in this line of work since I was 19 years old. I’m thankful for all the opportunities but I was also under immense pressure because of my poor Mandarin. I had to memorise lines every day, but I have a poor memory.”

However, the romance did not last as the couple called it quits in 2011. The deck of cards came falling down after Fiona Xie’s grandmother passed away. “She was diagnosed with lung cancer and only had a month to live. I was with her 24/7. She had to sit up all the time. Watching her take her last breath is something I can never forget. I couldn’t go back to the US and I just left my luggage and everything that I had there. [The entire experience] changed me.”

After the death, Fiona Xie shut herself off from the world and had to slowly pick herself back together. In hindsight, she reflected that while she was living the tai tai life and indulged in shopping daily, she felt like she was “trapped in a gilded cage.”

Those who caught the Hollywood movie Crazy Rich Asians (2018) might remember Fiona Xie’s appearance in the movie as a social-climbing gold-digging soap opera starlet Kitty Pong. And if you’ve read the book, Kitty Pong is set to become a bigger character in the sequels, though it is unsure yet if Fiona Xie would reprise her role.

While Fiona Xie still does a little acting here and there, she has since picked up many new hats outside of the entertainment industry. Fashion influencer, art curator, investor and photographer are among the other titles Fiona Xie goes by.

Web 3.0, cryptocurrency, NFTs and the metaverse might all sound like trendy digital terms thrown around these days. But Fiona Xie revealed that she is excited about all of their possibilities. “It is moving so quickly I can’t catch up. I am excited to be in this space and observing all these transformational changes.”

When asked in April 2022 whether she will launch her own NFTs anytime soon, Fiona Xie replied, “This space really intrigues me, but I definitely want to look at this through a different lens. I am not going to create something just for the sake of creating.”

Fiona Xie detailed two instances when she had to deal with stalkers. The first was when she was in primary school and the stalker was an admirer from another school. “[He] would follow me every day, but that wasn’t the scariest bit. What was terrifying was when he’d call my home number the moment I got back and tell me that he knows what I was wearing and what I was doing. I didn’t know if he was telling the truth but I was so frightened that I drew the curtains shut immediately. I don’t even know who he was.”

The second was when Fiona Xie lived overseas. “Someone would call me and say really lewd things the moment I picked up the phone. He’d make strange noises and say very odd things and it was really terrifying. I kept rejecting his calls but I was so afraid that I told my friend that I wanted to report him to the police. I was travelling alone and I didn’t know where he was [or who he was]. Thankfully, nothing happened.”

In a 2020 radio interview, Fiona Xie disclosed that she gave up a filming opportunity in Malaysia. The reason? Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, she chose to stay at home in Singapore with her family instead. To fill her time, Fiona Xie spends time in nature, exploring different parts of Singapore and riding a bicycle at the same. She also continually upgrades herself with online university courses too.

Read Next

Chantalle Ng's fashion looks are giving us major inspo

“I feel beyond blessed”: Fiona Xie on her comeback and Crazy Rich Asians

10 Beauty Tricks We Can Learn From Fann Wong