In a video promoting a cafe which he posted on social media, Ryan Lian plays a man who has just been released from prison. Photo: Ryan Lian/Instagram
Singaporean actor Ryan Lian has broken his silence after he was arrested in September under the mental health act. He was allegedly caught on CCTV tampering with the digital door lock of an HDB flat in Telok Blangah.
The 39-year-old told Shin Min Daily News on Oct 8 that he has been discharged from hospital and is on medication.
He said the authorities were concerned about his health and asked him to avoid accepting interviews, but he is still grateful for everyone’s concern and encouragement.
He appears to have taken on a new gig, and posted a video clip promoting a cafe on his socials on Oct 7 and 8.
In it, Lian plays a man who has just been released from prison after serving 10 years.
The character takes a dig at the lock incident when he says in the clip: “Due to my youthful ignorance, I had nothing better to do than tamper with someone else’s lock.”
The character then corrects himself and says he was referring to taking the rap for a gang leader.
Lian captioned the video: “Thank you for your encouragement. I’ve always been here.”
The actor made his name with filmmaker Jack Neo’s two-parter movie Long Long Time Ago (2016). He played Ah Long, a gangster who later turned over a new leaf.
Lian went on to star in director Ivan Ho’s film Take 2 (2017) and had a role in Neo’s military comedy Ah Boys To Men 4 (2017), playing a soldier nicknamed Ah Long.
Many netizens and several celebrity pals left words of encouragement on his Instagram post on Oct 8, including actors Shane Pow and Dawn Yeoh, and his Ah Boys To Men co-stars Maxi Lim and Noah Yap.
Actress and artiste management agency Fly Entertainment’s founder Irene Ang wrote: “Hey Ryan, wishing you get well soonest. And keep fighting, there’s (a) rainbow after the rain, okay?”
Lian opened up about his struggle with mental health in an interview with Lianhe Zaobao in September 2022.
He revealed that it led to him withdrawing from the Mediacorp drama (2022). – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
