True story: Eager to break into Hollywood, Singapore’s Ng Chin Han once printed 200 flyers about himself, and snuck onto the Fox lot in L.A. pretending to be a delivery driver to distribute them. “That was the boldest thing I did back then,” he said on stage during this month’s  Singapore International Film Festival, where he seemed just as happy to dwell on tales from his school days and his first steps in Singapore’s emerging English-language TV sector. 

The filmography that makes him the country’s most successful acting export includes: Christopher Nolan’s "The Dark Knight", Roland Emmerich’s "2012", Steven Soderbergh’s "Contagion" and the live-action remake of "Ghost in the Shell". 

TV roles include HBO Asia’s ill-fated "Serangoon Road", streaming series "Marco Polo", "American Born Chinese" and the third season of "Avatar: The Last Airbender".

Chin Han’s acting career began early. While still at school, he auditioned for a local theatre production of "The Crucible". He turned down the part because of swimming commitments. Later, he walked away from stage play "A Fish and a Kettle" because of university studies.

But his commitment to acting ran strong. He says he never thought of “all those years” studying psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, economic theory, urban economics and public finance at university as a “backup”. 

“I never thought that I was going to use it. It was more knowing that I could do it. And, because it is a methodical, rigorous way of thinking, it develops all those habits [that actors need]”, he said. 

The first taste of “what a really well-run television series was like” was when the then Television Corporation of Singapore brought in directors from Australian serial "Neighbors" and producers from the U.S. to knock Singapore’s stage actors into shape for the 1994/6 series, "Masters of the Sea". 

Shifting back and forth across the Pacific pre-breakthrough, he also developed skills as a producer, and was a significant producer of stage plays in Singapore. His credits include "Mee Pok Man", which Eric Khoo adapted as his first feature film. 

Self-respect, enjoying the journey and responsibility were recurring themes for SGIFF audience members last week.

“It’s very important to distinguish recognition from your peers from just being known for something. Anyone who’s an actor should seek out people they respect, a particular director, a particular actor, and get feedback,” he said. 

“Those kinds of responses are more valuable than the number of followers you have on social media or who wants to take a picture with you. Because, if you are going to start believing your own publicity, you’re going to have to start believing all the negative stuff as well.”

“I always try to bring my best self to the show. You’ve probably heard that if you can do the job and you can do it well, you’re going to make a nice sum of remuneration. But I want to be worth every cent I make,” he said.

“When I go on set, I feel a responsibility to the people who have hired me, producers, directors, the studio. And that, I think, is the best representation I can bring, whether that is representative of Asian people or Chinese people or Singaporeans or myself.”