Carmen Soo gets serious with Stephanie Yap about life after marriage, giving back to society, what acting means to her and the new, exciting business that’s on everyone’s lips.
It says everything about Carmen Soo when she arrives for our interview in a plain T-shirt, black midi skirt and flip flops, her hair tied back in a loose ponytail – she’s just a regular Jane at heart. But to the outside world, the talented actress is an awe-inspiring figure and a role model. At 38, she has accomplished things that most people can only dream of – a cameo role in a Hong Kong film (Gorgeous) alongside Jackie Chan and Shu Qi, acting gigs in the Philippines that earned her international recognition, and the Most Promising Actress award at the 2006 Malaysian Film Festival for her breakthrough role in The 3rd Generation. These are only some of the pivotal moments in Carmen’s successful career.
The model turned actress recently entered another phase in life: marriage. Last October, Carmen and Benson Tan tied the knot in Bali, Indonesia. Singer Nicholas Teo, Carmen’s good friend, officiated the wedding. The newlywed reveals that she’s planning to expand her family in the near future. How else has marriage changed her? “To be honest, it’s the same as before. Just that I’m a bit more careful about taking (acting) roles that might take up too much time away from home, because the priority has shifted,” she answers.
“Back when I was younger, all I could think about was work, work and work. But now things have changed. I don’t just want to work, I want to be involved in good projects and that means turning down lots of not-so-desirable roles. I don’t mean to sound cocky, but I’ve been working for more than 20 years now and I’ve spent the past decade just trying things out. It’s time to focus on things that actually make me happy,” she says.
Giving back to society
This story is from the December 2016 edition of Her World Malaysia.
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This story is from the December 2016 edition of Her World Malaysia.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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