Carrie Wong was 'very confused' when her Met Gala afterparty invite first arrived

She may not have been the first local artiste to rub shoulders with Michelle Yeoh (Malaysia-born, Singapore-based Yeo Yann Yann probably holds that honour) but Carrie Wong is the first local artiste to attend one of the exclusive Met Gala afterparties.

According to her manager, at least.

And yes, she met Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh at the party.

However, the invite to fashion brand Karl Lagerfeld’s party came unexpectedly, Wong told Yahoo Southeast Asia in an exclusive interview.

The 29-year-old said, “I was very confused myself as well, because I was supposed to be in New York for the Tiffany and Co. flagship store opening. And then my manager told me like, 'Hey, we received an invitation for the Met afterparty.'”

Wong was very excited to attend and said the schedule lined up perfectly as well. She had intended to extend her trip and the afterparty happened “at the period of time I extended”.

Aside from Yeoh (who co-hosted the Karl Lagerfeld afterparty), Wong also met actor-singer Jared Leto and Olympic gold medallist freestyle skier Eileen Gu.

Never meet your heroes? Not for Carrie Wong

Meeting these celebrities involved a bit of luck, though.

While it’s easy to know which celebrities attended the Met Gala itself, Wong explained that you won’t know which afterparties they will be at because there are so many.

We’ve heard the old adage “Never meet your heroes”, but fortunately, it was a good experience for Wong.

She shared, “I think they are very, very, very friendly, and they engage in conversations with you. But because it is so crowded, and everybody wants to take a photo with them so I didn't really have time to sit down, grab a tea and chat with them.

“I basically just told them, ‘I love your movies and I'm really, really happy to see you in person.’”

The celebrity she was most excited to see though? Chinese actress Angelababy, who incidentally, stayed at the same hotel as Wong.

Both of them also met at the Tiffany and Co. flagship store opening event.

Wong has been a fan of Angelababy for years and has watched a lot of her variety shows. The actress also admired how she is pretty with beautiful features, but is also sporty and “looks manly when she plays games”.

Shy and introverted

When asked if she had a chance to connect with these stars (perhaps via email) to get some pointers about acting, Wong laughed and said she’s really introverted and shy.

“Even if I had the opportunity to, I think I wouldn't do it, because I'll be too shy for it,” she said, adding that she told Yeoh that her mum is from Penang.

“She spoke to me in Chinese, [she’s like], ‘Oh, your mum is also Malaysian?’ I was like yes. I think she is a very, very friendly person.”

Wong even admitted feeling shy to approach Angelababy for photos.

She confessed: “I’m a very awkward person when I’m going to a big party with people I don’t know. I don't really know how to engage in conversation and talk to people so this is something I'm still trying to learn for myself.”

So, she considers it a “great achievement” that she worked up the courage to approach Angelababy to tell her how much she loves her and her work and to ask for a photo.

New York: Concrete jungle where dreams are made of

Though she had been to New York City once before, she didn’t have the time to tour the place as it was for work.

This time, though, Wong was determined to live out her “New York dreams”.

“The first time I went there, I didn't have time to walk around. I didn't have time to visit museums, shop, try different foods. So this time around, I was very, very persistent that I needed to stay back for a while,” she shared.

She added sheepishly, “There’s like a bucket list for me. Like I just wanted to grab coffee, walk on the street, walk to Central Park, bring your book, then sit down at the park and read your book, and then I made it happen.”

But that’s not all, Wong also admitted that she got some hotdogs from the hotdog stands.

“I was like, ‘Okay, I need to do that,’” she said with a laugh.

“So recently, I have been rewatching Suits. So I need to live my New York dream. I was very happy.”

Expanding career overseas

With her New York trip being such a dream and having had the chance to meet Hollywood stars, is Wong thinking about expanding her career horizons?

Well, it could be in the cards, as Wong revealed she’s one of the artistes who is represented by a global talent management agency as part of the partnership that Mediacorp announced in 2021.

She said: “If there are opportunities, yes, definitely I am down. But I usually don't overthink in this kind of thing. So I always believe that you just do your best in whatever that's given to you right now.

“Just continue to be better, improve yourself, and then at least when the opportunity comes, you're ready for it.”

And there are two actors who she wishes to work with - Zhou Xun and Tony Leung Chiu-wai.

“This is like a dream [scenario], of course. Like, it’ll be a dream to meet them in person already, not to say working with them. I’ve been a fan of them for a very long time.”

Wong will star in the upcoming local drama Shero. It premieres 12 June and airs on weekdays at 9pm on Channel 8.

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