BEIJING: Singer-actor Jackson Wang is well-known for his bubbly on-screen persona, but there was a time when his teachers considered him a “problematic” student.
The 31-year-old Hong Kong-born pop star opened up about his past in an article published by GQ China on Jan 16.
He recounted how his parents—his father a fencer and his mother a gymnast—moved to Hong Kong to settle down after retiring from the Chinese national team.
They took on several jobs to provide for Jackson and his elder brother.
Recalling his time in a public school from Primary 1 to 3, Jackson said: “The school claimed I had psychological problems and made me stand still as a punishment. They said I was too chatty in class and constantly drinking soy milk.”
He added that the school principal eventually called a meeting with his parents and teachers to reprimand him.
Upon hearing the school’s assessment, his mother insisted on transferring him to an international school, despite the family being unable to afford the fees at the time.
Even after the move, he struggled to fit in and transferred to a different international school a few months later.
It was there that he finally settled in and even managed to skip a grade.
“Maybe my classmates were all a bit crazy like me, so we got along well,” Jackson joked.
Witnessing the sacrifices his parents made for the family has driven his desire to care for them and make them proud today.
During the interview, Jackson also spoke about the importance of being genuine.
“If you act like someone you are not, there will come a day when you give yourself away,” he said.
“Of course, I have my secrets, but I am comfortable talking about over 90 per cent of myself.”
He added that those who are not true to themselves are often the ones who suffer the most.
Jackson is currently on his Magic Man 2 World Tour, with performances scheduled for North America and Latin America in April.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
