Li Nanxing gives himself space to learn: 'Cannot expect perfection'

Li Nanxing will rest easy on handling anything that comes his way in the upcoming year.

The local veteran actor, who turns 62 in November, told AsiaOne in an interview yesterday (Oct 20): "Time passes very fast and I treasure every day and every minute in the things I am doing and the people I meet.

"I learnt to enjoy the process of it... I cannot expect perfection in everything, but at least I completed it and tried it. I can't give myself full marks because I leave myself with space to learn and keep a young mindset."

Nanxing, who was at Australia-born celebrity hairstylist Kim Robinson's fashion show The Golden Age held at Ngee Ann City, also shared that he is working on a few more food and beverage collaborations.

He had previously collaborated with establishments including Nan Yang Dao as well as The Fullerton Hotel to release exclusive dishes.

As Nanxing's new local drama The Leftovers is expected to premiere in November, we also asked how he felt returning to dramas.

"I am very excited, because this drama is so different from the series that I did before. I performed in three seasons, from when my character was young to old," he shared.

In the dystopian crime drama, Nanxing plays Xiao Wenze, a surgeon from the fictional island Equaland who is invited to join a research team to develop artificial womb technology to give himself a new start after a personal tragedy.

The story spans between 2017 and 2043, where a volcanic eruption on Equaland results in severe environmental pollution and skyrocketing rates of organ failure among the citizens.

The series also stars Zoe Tay, Chen Liping, Jesseca Liu, James Seah, Jeremy Chan, Desmond Tan, Shane Pow and Zhang Zetong.

To make Wenze distinguishable at each stage of his life, Nanxing told us he had his hair dyed and styled to suit the character's progression.

"I had to worry about my hair style every day and that was the toughest. I had a lot of hair loss because my hair became brittle. Those parts [of my hair] that cannot be covered, I used hair spray. And when all these chemicals went into my scalp, it was quite damaging and I had skin irritation as well. It was really quite tough," he recounted.

Reuniting with friends Kim Robinson and Vicki Zhao

At the fashion show last evening, Nanxing reunited with his friends Kim and Chinese actress Vicki Zhao.

He shared he became friends with the former over time after patronising his hair salon.

"Kim recommended me styles that suit my image and I would follow his advice. He has travelled the world and seen a lot. He would also help me acquire suits for different occasions," Nanxing said.

While he prefers comfort over fashion in his daily life, he would take Kim's advice on outfits for special events to enhance his image, including the simple yet elegant black suit from luxury French fashion house Saint Laurent he wore at the event yesterday.

As for his friendship with Vicki, Nanxing shared in a separate media interview during the event that they saw each other's growth as actors over the years.

This included Nanxing signing to her management agency in China in 2019 as well as taking on the supporting character Zhang Jingzhong in Chinese drama Everyone Wants to Meet You (2020), which was produced by Vicki.

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