Before there was Netflix or Disney+ or even Astro, there was just regular old Television. Back in the day, we’d watch our favourite TV series on channels like TV3 or NTV 7. Other than Malaysian dramas, there were also a lot of popular Indonesian, Singaporean, and Hong Kong TV series as well.
Speaking of Hong Kong TV series, if you were born in the 80s or early 90s then you’d probably remember the popular series “Journey To The West” in 1996 and its sequel “Journey To The West II” in 1998. While we don’t exactly remember which channel it was aired on, we do remember it was loved by many. Good news for fans of the show, one of the original cast members is reprising his iconic role in a new movie.
After it was reported that “Journey To The West” is getting another movie adaptation, fans were looking forward to the list of actors playing these legendary characters. The new cast consists of young actors like Malaysia-born Tan Xin Zer (陈信喆) and Fu Meng Ni (付梦妮). Much to everyone’s surprise, TVB veteran actor Wayne Lai (黎耀祥) reprised his role as Zhu Bajie or Piggy after 24 years in the new “Journey To The West: The Five Elements Mountains” movie that was released in China last month.
As part of promotion for the new movie, the 58-year-old shared a behind-the-scenes make-up process of getting into the legendary character. In the 33-second video, the actor seemed to have hardly aged at all as he still looks as how did 24 years ago in full Piggy make-up and costume. According to Oriental Daily, the entire make-up process took more than an hour.
Fans of the actor left comments on social media with many praising the actor for his return as the character. Some commented that out of all the actors who have played the character, Wayne’s portrayal was the most iconic.
Wayne Lai apparently once swore that he’ll never return as the character but changed his mind after he was touched by the sincerity of the production team for the new movie. Wayne’s acting career actually took off after he played the role in 1996 and again in 1998.
Sources: OrientalDaily, TikTok
