Taiwanese actress Joey Wong has opened up about the decision to walk away from the entertainment industry at the height of her career, revealing that she never felt comfortable living under the spotlight and had already made up her mind before telling the people closest to her.
The 59-year-old former actress discussed her career and personal life on Chinese talk show Follow Each Other, released on Sept. 23. Wong debuted in 1983 and became one of the most recognisable stars in Asian cinema after her breakthrough role as Nie Xiaoqian in the 1987 supernatural classic A Chinese Ghost Story.
Wong said performing had never truly been something she wanted for herself. She explained that her mother had encouraged her to enter showbiz and build a name for herself, but after several years in the industry, she began feeling exhausted and questioning what else life might offer.
As she became increasingly certain about leaving, Wong gradually accepted fewer projects. She said she felt she had accomplished what her mother had wanted and no longer felt the need to pursue the same career indefinitely.
Her departure was also remarkably private.
Wong said she had already reached her decision internally and deliberately did not discuss it with filmmaker Tsui Hark or producer Shi Nansheng, whom she regarded as important figures in her career. She explained that involving others in the decision could have made the choice more difficult.
After leaving the entertainment industry, Wong moved to Canada. She later established a moxibustion centre in Vancouver in 2024 and opened another outlet in Silicon Valley, California, in 2026.
Wong also reflected on two Hong Kong stars who had a lasting influence on her career: Leslie Cheung and Chow Yun Fat.
She worked with Cheung in A Chinese Ghost Story and its 1990 sequel, recalling how nervous she was as a young Taiwanese actress working in Hong Kong and struggling with Cantonese. Cheung, who spoke Mandarin, helped her feel more comfortable on set and treated her with kindness, she said.
Wong also recalled working with Chow Yun Fat on God of Gamblers in 1989. She said she noticed that the actor would help crew members carry equipment and perform tasks that celebrities might normally leave to others.
Those experiences shaped her view of what a celebrity could be, Wong said, adding that she wanted to carry the same sense of humility into her own career.
Her comments add another perspective to her decision to retire, which has long attracted speculation because of her high-profile past relationships, including her long relationship with Taiwanese singer-songwriter Chyi Chin.
Earlier this year, Wong also spoke publicly about the emotional difficulties she experienced after leaving showbiz. She said she struggled to find answers about her identity and purpose after years of being widely recognised, and described eventually finding greater peace through religion and traditional Chinese medicine.
Today, Wong appears to view her former career with a sense of acceptance rather than regret. She said the entertainment industry now feels foreign to her and that she does not dwell on whether she misses it.
For one of Asia’s most recognisable actresses of the late 1980s and 1990s, the decision to disappear from the spotlight was not driven by a single public announcement or dramatic farewell. Instead, Wong said it was a personal decision she had already settled in her heart.
Nearly two decades after walking away, Joey Wong is finally giving audiences a clearer glimpse into why she chose a quieter life after becoming one of the region’s biggest movie stars.
