Although he spends a lot of time in front of the camera, acting legend Tony Leung is dealing with social anxiety disorder. Thankfully he has a way of dealing with that too.
In a video recently posted to his Douyin account, Tony dealt with social anxiety, sharing his thoughts and feelings about it, and how he deals with it as a celebrity.
The 60-year-old veteran actor said, “I’m not a special existence, sometimes I’m absent-minded and hiding somewhere.
“I’m not good at expressing myself in words, so I get nervous when I meet people for the first time, and I get confused when there are too many people.”
In his second Douyin video, a voice can be heard saying, “Tony, I want to know how you overcame your social anxiety.”
He replied: “I have my own way.”
Tony has three ways to deal with social anxiety.
As he mentioned each point, Tony acted them out, smiling and waving or making a finger heart at the camera.
“Did you guys catch it?” he then asked with a smile.
“Acting is the force that balances my life.”
Tony’s third video on Douyin also features excerpts that delve into exactly why movies and acting are so important to him.
“When I was a kid, the two hours I spent in the cinema were a temporary escape from reality.”
[[nid:615683]]
“I feel very lucky to have become an actor because acting allows me to let out all my repressed emotions. For me, acting is a balancing force in my life.”
And the general public gets a glimpse of what Tony is like outside the glitz and glamor of stardom and flying martial arts.
In a recently shared video of Tony and co-star Wang Yibo on the set of his latest film, Hidden Blade, Wang Yibo greets Tony as he walks into the room.
Tony is momentarily stunned, his face stiffened, and he becomes uncomfortable. He clutches his hands, perhaps having a moment of unease as the room fills with long silences.
Ibo, 25, also seems at a loss and can only nod and frown.
Hidden Blade director Cheng Er broke his silence and pointed to fellow cast member Yibo, Chinese actor Eric Wang. He called them “Dumb and Dumber” and the room burst into laughter.
Tony himself turns into a smile, ending the moment of awkward anxiety.
Weibo netizens found the short clip humorous, with some commenting on how awkward the scenario was.
“Please help me, my recent Chinese New Year gathering is like this every day!”
Also read: Former TVB actress and Tony Leung’s first girlfriend Margie Tsang showed up at the party, and Karina Lau was there too
khooyihang@asiaone.com
No part of this article may be reproduced without permission from AsiaOne.
