The nation’s largest broadcaster severed ties today with actor Shane Pow following his latest run-in with the law.
Mediacorp announced that it had fired the 30-year-old actor after he was charged with drink-driving for a second time, seven years after his first violation. Mediacorp said that Pow never notified the company about his criminal trouble.
“We do not condone any behaviour that runs afoul of the law. We constantly remind our artistes that their fans and members of the public look to them as role models, and they are expected to behave as such,” Mediacorp said in today’s statement which also highlighted Pow’s breach of COVID-19 safety measures for his October birthday party.
“Taking into account all the above issues, Mediacorp has decided to part ways with Shane,” the statement added, noting that his contractual commitments would end May 4.
Pow on Thursday was charged with drink-driving stemming from an incident that took place in September. Reports said that he was driving along Java Road, towards Nicoll Highway, when a police test found he had a .094% blood alcohol level, over the legal limit of .08%. Mediacorp said it only learned about this in the news. Pow, who was previously busted for drink-driving in 2014, did not immediately respond to messages from Coconuts seeking comment.
If found guilty again, Pow could be banned from driving for at least five years, sentenced to two years in jail and fined up to S$20,000 (US$15,000). The most recent incident came one month before Pow was fined for throwing an illegal birthday bash attended by 13 people including Mediacorp actors Terence Cao, Jeffrey Xu and radio host Sonia Chew.
Once hailed as one of the “8 Dukes of Caldecott Hill,” the actor has two upcoming Chinese-language dramas – Soul Old Yet So Young and The Heartland Hero – expected to air in June and July, respectively. Production for both shows is nearing completion, Mediacorp said.
Pow’s acting career took off after he was discovered in 2011. He later became famous for starring in dramas It Takes Two and Love At Risk.
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