KUALA LUMPUR, March 12 — For Malaysian-born actor Yong Zheng Xi, appearing in the fourth season of the hit period drama Bridgerton marks the culmination of years of dedication and perseverance.
The London-based performer steps into the lavish world of Regency society as Lord Barnaby in the eighth episode titled “Dance in the Country”, sharing scenes with Isabella Wei, who plays Posy.
While audiences in Malaysia have been celebrating his appearance on the global hit series, Yong said the journey to that moment began long before he stepped onto the set.
In a Zoom interview with Malay Mail, the actor reflected on a path shaped by early artistic curiosity, years of training and a career built gradually through persistence.
A lifelong love for the stage
His interest in performing began early — first through singing.
At eight years old, Yong was already taking part in singing competitions, something he noted was fairly common in Malaysia.
The stage soon became familiar territory. While studying at Sri KDU Secondary School, he began participating in school musical productions, experiences that quietly introduced him to acting.
“I think that was kind of my first introduction to acting,” he said.
“But singing was still my main thing.”
His path, however, did not initially follow a straightforward artistic route.
Yong later moved to London to pursue higher education at King’s College London, where he studied law rather than performing arts.
Even so, the pull of the stage never really faded.
While completing his law degree, he continued taking singing lessons with a teacher connected to the Royal Academy of Music.
It was during this period that his teacher encouraged him to consider musical theatre more seriously.
Living in London also meant frequent trips to the theatre.
“I remember seeing a musical and thinking, ‘Wow, this is really cool.
“You get to act, you get to sing, you get to dance — you get to do everything,’” he recalled.
Not long after completing his law degree, Yong auditioned for the musical theatre programme at the Royal Academy of Music — and was accepted.
While theatre became the foundation of his professional training, he already knew he wanted his career to extend beyond the stage.
“I always knew that I wanted to do all kinds of acting,” he said.
“I wanted to do musical theatre, but I also wanted to do film and TV.”
After graduating nearly a decade ago, he signed with his first acting agent and made it clear that he hoped to pursue opportunities across multiple mediums.
“Even then, I told my agent, ‘Please push me for different productions.
“I want to do film and TV as well.’”
Yong Zheng Xi showcasing his acting talents in a BBC drama. — Picture via zhengxiyong.com
The challenges of building an acting career
After leaving drama school, Yong began navigating the realities of the United Kingdom’s highly competitive entertainment industry.
The field is vast, he said, and rejection is an unavoidable part of the process.
While actors may have clear ambitions, the path forward is often unpredictable.
“You have a goal of where you want to be and what you want to do next, but a lot of the time you can’t really plan,” he said.
“You audition a lot, and then if you book a job, you decide whether you want to do it — and then you think about the next step.”
His first professional job came in musical theatre, touring for 11 months with the acclaimed production Miss Saigon.
A year or two later, he made his first television appearance on the long-running British soap Doctors.
From there, his career developed much like many working actors in the industry — moving from project to project while navigating long stretches of auditions in between.
“It’s a lot of rejection, then you get a job, then more rejection, and then the next job,” he said.
“But I’ve been quite lucky to have been working on and off for the past eight or nine years.”
In recent years, Yong has also appeared in the television series Silo (2023–2025) and the 2023 film Barbie.
That steady progression has now led him to one of television’s most globally recognised series, Bridgerton — a milestone that places Yong on a stage far larger than the school productions where his journey first began.
Looking ahead
Despite reaching this milestone, Yong says his journey is far from over.
He hopes to continue expanding his range as an actor and is eager to explore genres he has yet to experience, including horror and action.
“In the near future, I just want to be in more projects and represent the country,” he said.
Beyond career achievements, Yong hopes his work can connect with audiences and leave a lasting impact.
He believes art has a unique ability to move and inspire people, regardless of when a film or television series was released.
“I think people are very much affected by art, and that’s why I wanted to become an actor in the first place,” he said.
