Lai Guanlin talks about idol pressure and self-certification: he doesn’t want to be recorded and questions his acting talent

2026/09/15 07:50

[Entertainment Channel/Comprehensive Report] Taiwanese actor Lai Kuanlin, who once became popular in Asia as a member of the limited boy band Wanna One, recently appeared on Tang Guoqiang's podcast "The Prime Minister is Quite Busy" and talked about the reason why he left the spotlight. He said, "I didn't want to be recorded, and I would feel very pressured invisibly." This allowed fans to re-understand his choice.

Lai Guanlin admitted that being watched by the camera for a long time and being asked to maintain the status of a "perfect idol" once made him feel almost desperate. He also admitted that he had never truly found his identity in singing, dancing or acting.

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Lai Guanlin admitted that there were times when he was hesitant in the entertainment industry. (Photo taken from Weibo)

In fact, he revealed in another interview earlier this year that certain values in the industry made it very difficult for him to adapt. The most shocking thing was that the staff told him when he was still very young: "I would rather you go out on a date than fall in love seriously." This shocked his outlook on life and caused him to suffer from insomnia for several months.

Lai Guanlin once revealed that as a leading actor, he was considered to be equipped with an RV. Even if he wanted to fly on a low-cost airline or economy class, he was considered "sick" by those around him. For him, these benefits did not bring a sense of accomplishment, but instead created an uneasiness of "Am I really worthy of it?"

During the public welfare short film "Winter and Spring Fight" directed by Lai Guanlin in Liangshan, Sichuan, a 12-year-old girl who was not a professional actress performed a crying scene and showed natural emotions that made him stunned on the spot. He later confessed that it was the first time at that moment that he felt the gap in acting talent so directly, and even asked himself: "Is acting really something I can do well?" The answer he gave himself in the end was not optimistic.

Before and after announcing his retirement in 2024, Lai Kuanlin turned his focus to directing, and in 2025 he joined the film and television company Wanhe Tianyi as a director; he was once so poor that he could not bear to buy a 17 yuan (approximately NT$80) hamburger, but he regarded those days as the beginning of his true separation from "actor Lai Guanlin".

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