PUBLISHED ONOctober 08, 2026 1:10 PMBYEsther LamTo local actor and content creator Simonboy, the hardest part about recovering from drug addiction is not when people give up on you but rather, when you give up on yourself.
In a media interview alongside his Pace co-stars Desmond Tan and Zaki Hussain, the 38-year-old, whose real name is Simon Khung, told AsiaOne that those consumed by substance abuse often end up becoming "a devil that they themselves hate".
Simonboy first dabbled in drugs at the age of 16 and later served time in prison in 2015 after assaulting someone under the influence of drugs. He went to jail another two times before he voluntarily checked himself into a halfway house in 2019, got clean and started anew in 2021.
He explained to us: "I think the worst part when you're a drug addict isn't when people give up, it is when you start to give up on yourself, and it seems like there's no redemption.
"But once you are able to give yourself that very first chance, you step out and when you start to turn good, then after years, people will start to give you that chance."
Pace stars Desmond, 40, as former drug abuser Malcolm attempting to rebuild his life and look for purpose in his late brother's passion for running. Simon plays Larry, Malcolm's former drug-using friend who's now his house-moving colleague.
The cast also includes local actors Zhu Houren and his son Joel Choo and Taiwanese actress Elaine Jin. The film is directed by Houren's older son Jonathan Choo.
On a scene that hit particularly close to home, Simonboy recalled watching the film's first cut and being struck by Desmond's performance.
"I saw the despair in his eyes, the loss of direction, the aimlessness," he said.
"It's like you know you want to make a change, but you don't have that fire. You don't know what to do and you don't know where to go. There's nobody mentoring you or journeying with you, to guide you step by step."
Simonboy explained that many drug addicts can lose up to decades of their life, which he described as the "most important and big period".
By the time they decide to turn their lives around and seek recovery, they may already be in their 40s or 50s, struggling with little work experience, savings or qualifications to fall back on.
He also highlighted another scene from the film, which he kept under wraps to prevent spoilers, describing it as one that captures "the real struggle of a drug addict".
"The moment when it seems like you are going to relapse, the kind of pain where you know you are going to bring hell back into your entire life again," he said. "I think that part is very realistic and very real."
Simonboy admitted that he felt "very honoured" when director Jonathan and executive producer Lim Teck shared the storyline with him.
He explained: "I felt that we are not just acting, we are not just filming a movie. We are really telling real-life stories that are to serve as a reminder and also encourage people with my background. And to me, it really is very meaningful compared to a lot of other films."
For Zaki, he knew the story was "really good" while reading the script.
Although he already acts in his social media content, he acknowledged that acting for a film was very different.
He said: "I feel like I'm among a great group of people. I'm very blessed throughout my whole career. I'm surrounded by a great team, and I wouldn't ask for any other team to have my first feature film with," he said, drawing applause from Simonboy and Desmond.
In the film, Zaki plays Coach Firdaus, a secondary school cross-country coach who takes Malcolm under his wing and trains him alongside his students.
He shared that the students featured in the film are real cross-country runners who have not acted before, making the project a first-time experience they shared together.
On whether he went for any training for the role, Zaki quipped that his body "isn't really made for running" and that he prefers playing football and walking on an incline.
Aside from researching on TikTok, he also sought advice from the students, who shared what their coach would typically say and taught him proper running form.
"I hope I don't embarrass myself among the running community," Zaki joked, adding that he was fortunate most of his scenes involved motivating the runners than running alongside them.
Pace is supported by the Singapore Film Commission and the Infocomm Media Development Authority, through the Media Talent Progression Programme Long Form Content Grant and Yellow Ribbon Project. It is set for release in local cinemas on Oct 8.
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