For Andie Chen, Star Awards 2026 ended the same way many of his past ceremonies have.

When 8days.sg spoke to Chen at the awards last year, this writer could already sense the feeling of dejection from going home empty-handed. He'd lost out to Christopher Lee in the Best Actor category.

A year on, the drought continues after he missed out on the Best Supporting Actor award, which went to Emerald Hill’s Tyler Ten for his role as popular gangster Bai Ah Li.

The 40-year-old was also in the running for MyPick! The Most Hated Villain award for his role as the antagonistic Inspector Hong Dashi on Fixing Fate, but it went to another Emerald Hill star, Chantalle Ng, who played Zhang An Na.

When we caught up with Chen on the phone after this year's ceremony, he was waiting for his flight back to Taiwan, where he is based with actress Kate Pang, and their two kids, Aden, 11 and Avery, nine.

He didn't try to sugarcoat how he felt.

“I think… there's a deep-set disappointment. More than anything else I was a bit emotional yesterday. Today is just more...  I don’t know…” he said, trailing off.

He told us that he had left immediately when the awards ended, but ended up driving back to Mediacorp Theatre.

“I just wanted some space. But then I got a call from the owners of Nightjar Films (the production house behind drama Fixing Fate), so I turned back,” he said. "I could tell they wanted to accompany me as they kind of guessed I was feeling down.”

Perhaps the disappointment cut deeper as he admitted he thought he had a relatively good shot this year.

“I thought my role was also very, very full, very complex, very dynamic, supporting character. It basically fulfilled what a supporting character should and can do for a story,” he added.

"For [Fixing Fate], I felt like I gave it everything I had. I mean, I always do, but this time, the production house was very trusting, and open with the creative process, and there was a lot of communication and collaboration,” he explained.

In the early hours after Star Awards 2026, Chen posted a reflective message on Instagram, hinting at a shift in how he views his career after decades in the industry.

"I've always believed that an actor's sole job is to give their best performance possible. Now that I'm [about to turn] 41, shouldn't I learn that the world isn't that simple? Thank you friends for your companionship, thank you to my colleagues for the hugs, and thank you to my fans for the tears. Thank you all,” he wrote.

Declining to directly comment on what he wrote, he instead reflected about his career thus far, and the emotional weight tied to it.

“Ninety per cent of all the work I have done in my life is with the company. So, in a way, it is a little painful in that sense. When the message seems so loud and clear… I mean, I guess I get it… I get it,” he told us.

So, when we asked if there might come a time when he chooses to skip the ceremony altogether, even if nominated, his answer came fast.

“I won’t attend next year. I need a break lah. I think I have to start taking care of myself,” he said.

Chen has been acting since 11, and has been working with Mediacorp since he was 19, and joined Star Search in 2007.

However, he has never bagged a Star Awards trophy, despite being nominated 11 times in acting categories – seven times for Best Supporting Actor, and four for Best Actor. He has also been nominated for the Top 10 Most Popular Male Artiste six times.

When asked if he feels any sense of envy seeing his peers, such as Desmond Tan, who was in the same Star Search 2007 batch as him, winning Best Actor, and scoring his 10th Top 10 award, Chen waves it off, saying he is actually very happy for him.

“You know, I've really gotten to this point, where I'm very happy for people receiving awards. It's a happy thing, and everybody is working hard and trying to do their best,” he said.

He also gave a shoutout to Ya Hui, who, like Tan, will move on to the All-Time Favourite Artiste after winning her 10th Top 10 award.

And before we could even bring up about how he feels about losing to Ten at this year’s awards, Chen beat us to the punch, addressing it himself.

And he had nothing but positive things to say about him.

“I actually know Tyler, and I like him. I think he is a great guy,” he said, before pausing.

“I just… it has nothing to do with him. It's just... I get it, I get it. I get it. I totally get it,” he laughed dryly.

So, are Chen's kids in on his unfiltered feelings from this year’s Star Awards?

“My daughter was asking, and she was comforting me. But I don’t think I need to put the weight and complexity of the whole situation on both my kids. I’m just glad that I will be able to spend time with them soon,” he said.

This story was originally published in 8Days.

For more 8Days stories, visit https://www.8days.sg/