Name: 莫子儀
Born: July 23, 1981
Place of Birth: Taipei, Taiwan
Did You Know?
Mo Tzu-yi (莫子儀) has garnered substantial attention only in recent years, though he has been part of the entertainment scene for more than 20 years, appearing in theater, film and television. To make a living as a theater actor with irregular income, Mo said that sometimes he needed to take moonlighting jobs as kitchen assistant, dishwasher and waiter to make ends meet.
In his youthful years, Mo went through a rebellious phase. Being wide and undisciplined, he was labeled a "bad student with no future" and almost expelled. Just as he was about to completely give up on himself, he joined the school's drama club and performance on stage became his salvation.
To continue pursuing his newfound passion, he enrolled in the School of Theatre Arts (戲劇學院) of Taipei National University of the Arts (台北藝術大學, TNUA) and was able to approach literature and study of film and theater scripts. A dedicated undergraduate student, Mo earned nearly 220 credits in five years, which was record-breaking at the school. What he learned in those years has become a sort of nourishment for him and has supported him to interpret his roles with diversity and maturity.
After graduating from TNUA, Mo dedicated his energies to building a theater career. However, stage performances could hardly provide a stable income, and sometimes his income was below the threshold limit specified by the tax authority. Mo's parents constantly suggested that he should give up on acting. Nevertheless, he stuck to it, determined to walk the path he has chosen for himself. To make ends meet, he would take up moonlighting jobs, working as a kitchen assistant, dishwasher, and waiter. This continued to be the case until he was 35 years old. Although his financial situation was not great, he was more than willing to grit his teeth, in order to pursue his dreams. In interviews, Mo has said that an unstable income isn’t the worst thing in life. On the contrary, a truly painful life is that one cannot find fulfillment and joy, or one is constrained by desires. To him, performing is a source of joy and freedom.
Through performing arts, Mo has been able to experience freedom. "Freedom," he believes, is not only about having one's own convictions and not being bound or oppressed by others, but also about being able to reject certain standards and break down certain frameworks.
As an actor, Mo has realized that there are many different facets to people and many different values a person can hold. He believes that the most important things for an actor to have are the ability to observe and understand different kinds of people and the ability to empathize with them.
Since starting his career in performance in 1996, he has never turned back. His passion for performance is beyond ordinary imagining, resulting in works spanning the stage, the small screen, to the big screen. His profound acting skills in interpreting diverse roles have won over many audiences, and directors.
In addition to acting, he has also tried writing, including scripts and essays, in 2017 a collection of his writings entitled "Insomniac (失眠的人)" was published. He began writing essays and poems in college years. He had inspirations mostly in the middle of the night. Appropriately entitled, the collection is about Mo's life, and his mixed feelings of anger, sadness, helplessness, and also healing.
Over his two decades of toiling away in the world of acting, Mo Tzu-yi has had brushes with awards on a number of occasions. At the age of 19, he received his first Best Supporting Actor nomination at the Golden Bell Awards for his role in the television film "The Pact of Choshui River (濁水溪的契約)." Between 2002 and 2018, he went on to receive Best Lead Actor nominations for his roles in the series "An Innocent Mistake (罪美麗)," "Roseki (台北歌手)," and "Kill for Love (追兇500天)," as well as further Best Supporting Actor nods for the television films "Artemisia (艾草)" and "Watan's Bottle (瓦旦的酒瓶)."
In his 40s, Mo finally won his first award, winning a Taipei Film Award for the 2020 film "Dear Tenant (親愛的房客)," as well as taking the Best Leading Actor prize for the same role at the 57th Golden Horse Awards.
At his acceptance speech, Mo thanked all the film crew members for making the film possible. He also thanked cinema workers who have passed away. He added, most importantly, he wanted to salute to freedom, to equality, to human rights, to film, to creativity, and to life.