10 things you didn't know about Ian Fang

The 8 Dukes of Caldecott Hill was the all-male synonym of the Seven Princesses of Mediacorp. The group was made to promote eight rising stars within the broadcaster, comprising Zhang Zhenhuan, Romeo Tan, Desmond Tan, Jeffrey Xu, Xu Bin, Aloysius Pang, Shane Pow and Ian Fang.

Ian Fang got his big break after starring in the 2011 drama On The Fringe, the same year he debuted with a cameo role in C.L.I.F. He went on to star in shows such as Don't Stop Believin' (2012), 96°C Café (2013), Tiger Mum (2014) and All Is Well – Singapore (2019). His work in Don't Stop Believin' also clinched him the Star Awards' Best Newcomer award in 2013. He had also gotten two Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes trophies in 2015 and 2017.

In April 2023, Ian Fang announced that he would be departing Mediacorp after working with them for 12 years. "It’s not a sudden decision, I’ve thought about it for quite a while, especially since last year. Last year I didn’t really have many productions, and when you’re alone at 2-3am in the night, when nobody is interrupting you, you tend to think about a lot of things, like your future and what are the things you can do. That made me think if I should take another leap [to try new things]."

Ian Fang added that he would first try to "get used to being an independent artiste first to see what [he's] capable of" and by being "versatile enough to accept different types of jobs and projects." He also expressed keenness to create music and social media content as well as backend production work such as script writing and directing.

"Leaving doesn't mean the end, but the beginning of a new journey. I will take the experience and skills I have learned over the years to new places and continue to pursue my dream of acting. I believe that on this road, I will continue to be grateful, move forward steadily and constantly surpass myself to make myself better."

In 2022, Ian Fang announced that he now goes by Fang Weijie instead of Fang Weijie. But before you scratch your head, the difference makes itself apparent in Mandarin. He is going back to his original name 威捷 (Weijie) instead of the previous 伟杰 (Weijie).

Ian Fang's birth name was the result of his mother consulting multiple fengshui masters, but he went by the latter after moving here from Shanghai in 2002, as many couldn't get his name right.

On the name change and what it could symbolise, Ian Fang shared, "I guess it's like a "reincarnation" 'cos us Chinese, we believe in the 12-year cycle, and it just happens to line up with the number of years I've been in showbiz. I also see it as a new stage for me to start again."

If you're curious as to what Ian Fang has been busy with since departing Mediacorp, consider your query answered as he is now a teacher. Specifically, he is teaching young kids acting.

"Actually, after I left Mediacorp, there were plenty of education organisations reaching out to me to share about acting. I am now a teacher with a company called First Model. They started about a year ago, and basically focus on modelling courses for kids four to fourteen years old. They wanted to expand with more lessons such as dance and acting and asked if I was interested in giving acting classes."

"I tap on the experience I’ve gathered throughout my 12 years [as an actor]. For example, I would ask them to imagine their left leg is hurt — how would they walk? The younger ones will jump and hop around and the older ones will walk unnaturally. So I told them to take out their left shoe, then I placed a battery in that shoe, asked them to put it back on, so they know what it looks like to walk with a limp."

“When I’m with the kids, I see their innocent smiles, their real tears, real laughter, and real tantrums and I can forget about all the superficial stuff in society. As an actor, I’m also learning from them."

Despite loving his new job, Ian Fang hasn't forsaken his first passion. loving his new job. "I miss the hell out of acting. I want to be someone on TV again."

In August 2022, Ian Fang launched his very own hair wax. As someone who gets his hair styled often, he wanted to create one that would "hold your hair, not become sticky as the hours go by, is easy to wash off, has a matte look, gives volume and has a scent suitable for young people". It also had to stand up against Singapore's heat and humidity. The hair wax comes under his streetwear label First Attempt, which he created in 2013.

Besides fashion and hair wax, Ian Fang once co-owned the House of Mu restaurant and karaoke pub PUB-G. The latter was forced to close its shutters due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ian Fang also dropped the rap single 1st Attempt back in 2016.

While filming for the web reality series Family Wanders in 2015, Ian Fang opened up about his difficult childhood as the only child of divorced parents. His parents split when he was four before placing him under the care of his maternal grandmother. "I don't blame my parents for leaving me alone with my grandmother since I was young. I don't feel that they abandoned me." "Even though I didn't have parental love, it made me stronger. It allowed me to grow up faster and become more mature at a younger age."

In 2019, Ian Fang spoke about an instance where his grandmother saved his life. "I remember I went with her to buy vegetables at the market when I was four or five years old. And I randomly got picked up by a stranger who placed me on his bicycle. My grandma was walking in front and if she hadn’t turned her head back to check on me for that split second, I would've been kidnapped. She immediately dragged me off the bike and screamed at the person who scurried off."

Though Ian Fang and Rebecca Lim maintained that they were only good friends, rumours about them having a romantic relationship had been circulating. This came especially to a head on the day that Rebecca Lim announced her engagement to now-husband Matthew Webster in November 2021.

A couple of hours before her announcement, Ian Fang took to his Instagram to post an emotional yet seemingly cryptic post. "As transient as a fleeting cloud, quietly, and without a trace. Not every Christopher Lee will have his Fann Wong; not every Fann Wong will stay with her Christopher Lee. Not everyone can be Christopher Lee and Fann Wong. And when everyone thinks that the both of you will be like them, not everyone believes that you’ll be the next."

People later put two and two together and wondered if Ian Fang was referring to himself as Christopher Lee and Rebecca Lim as Fann Wong, except that they couldn't be together unlike Chris and Fann.

In May 2019, the private messages between Ian Fang and Carrie Wong were leaked. The explicit content hinted that they had a physical relationship with reference to slang denoting love bites, for example. It was especially salacious at that time since the two were said to be dating others - Ian Fang with Rebecca Lim and Carrie Wong with then-boyfriend Boris Lin.

Ian Fang later made a public apology. "Carrie and I are good friends who talk about everything. I acknowledge that our language was vulgar and inappropriate. I apologise for our conduct. I am sorry to those who saw the exchanges. As a public figure, I will be much more careful in my behaviour going forward."

When asked about this incident in 2023, Ian Fang stated that there was "no point talking about it" as it had been so long ago. "All I can say is, in the past 12 years, there were ups and downs. Be it good or bad, I’ve learnt a lot and become a very different person. So I hope people can get to know the real me. The things that I’ve done wrong in the past, I’ll take full responsibility for them. I can say I’m sorry. But right now I hope people can give me more opportunities and a chance to see me otherwise."

The trio involved have all since moved on and gone down their own paths. In 2021, Ian Fang eluded that he was “seeing somebody” and that she was not in the entertainment industry.

Ian Fang added a year later that the relationship is “still ongoing”. “But when it comes to marriage, I probably still need some time. [Marriage] is not a confirmed thing. What I meant was that [maybe] I’ll get married this year, [maybe] I’ll get married next year. I don’t know when, but of course I’m working towards that direction because I’m 33 and I hope to settle down.”