Singaporean actor Ryan Lian fears disfigurement after he was attacked outside a shopping centre and suffered facial injuries.
Shin Min Daily News reported on Nov 26 that the incident took place at a taxi stand outside Nex in Serangoon on Nov 22 at about 6pm.
Lian, 39, said he was discussing work matters with a friend near the taxi stand when he was attacked by a man with a knife. The actor was reportedly slashed at least three times on the face.
Lian’s friend, who is reportedly the owner of a hair salon, was also injured while trying to help him ward off the attack.
Both managed to subdue the attacker, with Lian’s friend then calling his colleague for help. The colleague immediately called the police and an ambulance.
Two medical staff who had just finished work, and were passing by, helped bandage the wounds of the two men.
Lian told Shin Min on Nov 26 that he did not know the assailant nor his motive. The evening newspaper reported that a 21-year-old man has been charged over the attack.
Lian, who has starred in local movies such as Long Long Time Ago (2016), Ah Boys To Men 4 (2017) and King Of Hawkers (2024), said he was discharged from hospital on Nov 25 and is recuperating.
“The doctor asked me to be mentally prepared,” he said. “My face will be affected after I recover and there will be scars.”
Lian made headlines in September when he was allegedly caught on a doorbell camera tampering with the digital door lock of an HDB flat and arrested under the mental health act.
On the spate of bad news that has followed him, he said: “It never rains, but it pours. What else can I do except be optimistic?”
He added that he “will definitely act until no one approaches me to do so”, but is prepared to move behind the camera and is already working in video-editing.
He said: “If it doesn’t work out, I can also be a director, screenwriter or shoot some meaningful short videos.” – The Straits Times/Asia News Network