If you’ve watched the most recent season of period romance series Bridgerton, Star Wars spin-off series Andor or the musical fantasy film Wicked: For Good, there’s a chance a Singaporean has passed through your screen without you even realising.
London-based Eugene Lin, 43, has built a career as a background actor, racking up more than 60 appearances across major film and television productions.
He has taken up roles from The Batman and Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness to Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore. He is also often seen in sharp uniforms, whether as a royal footman, police officer or soldier.
In an Instagram post, he wrote in the caption about his role in Wicked: For Good, where he played a Gale Force guard: “Being ex-military and getting frequently cast in uniformed roles, I’ve had the privilege of wearing many beautiful costumes over seven years.” But the costume for this film “took [his] breath away even at the fitting”.
The three-day shoot was no small feat either, with 3.30am call times stretching until 6.30pm, meaning he “didn’t sleep for over 35 hours on some days”.
Even with many appearances, speaking roles don't easily come by. In 2025’s action thriller Wildcat, Lin landed his first line on screen – he screamed “I need back-up!” – a moment that took years to arrive.
“In an industry that favours American / British RP accents and Caucasian faces, it has taken seven years to be given the chance to audition and book my first speaking role,” he shared.
Still, it’s not just about screen time. On Bridgerton, where he has appeared across multiple episodes and served as the “longest-serving Royal footman and of East Asian descent”, Lin spoke about the significance of simply being seen.
“Unlike some big-budget productions where I have been booked solely to fill diversity tick boxes or worse still – just to wear a challenging masked costume, Bridgerton has consistently chosen me to serve in Queen Charlotte’s court because I am Asian, not despite it,” he wrote, calling the experience “a true joy and privilege”.
His time on Andor – where he played an Imperial officer – was one of the roles he actively fought to return to. Lin revealed he once turned down a £1,300 (approximately S$2,200) job just to stay on the production, calling it an experience “worth more than just money”.
The role also highlighted the realities of representation. Despite a casting brief that specified “Caucasian, ideally Italian”, Lin found himself the only East Asian Imperial officer in many scenes. “Being right at the front of the barricades, I faced a literal sea of white faces,” he shared.
This job was a path Lin didn’t originally plan for. He moved to London in 2003 to study fashion design, eventually spending a decade in the industry before making the switch to acting in 2017.
In the span of the last six years, Lin has made over 60 appearances in films and TV shows.
Continue reading...
London-based Eugene Lin, 43, has built a career as a background actor, racking up more than 60 appearances across major film and television productions.
He has taken up roles from The Batman and Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness to Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore. He is also often seen in sharp uniforms, whether as a royal footman, police officer or soldier.
In an Instagram post, he wrote in the caption about his role in Wicked: For Good, where he played a Gale Force guard: “Being ex-military and getting frequently cast in uniformed roles, I’ve had the privilege of wearing many beautiful costumes over seven years.” But the costume for this film “took [his] breath away even at the fitting”.
The three-day shoot was no small feat either, with 3.30am call times stretching until 6.30pm, meaning he “didn’t sleep for over 35 hours on some days”.
Even with many appearances, speaking roles don't easily come by. In 2025’s action thriller Wildcat, Lin landed his first line on screen – he screamed “I need back-up!” – a moment that took years to arrive.
“In an industry that favours American / British RP accents and Caucasian faces, it has taken seven years to be given the chance to audition and book my first speaking role,” he shared.
Still, it’s not just about screen time. On Bridgerton, where he has appeared across multiple episodes and served as the “longest-serving Royal footman and of East Asian descent”, Lin spoke about the significance of simply being seen.
“Unlike some big-budget productions where I have been booked solely to fill diversity tick boxes or worse still – just to wear a challenging masked costume, Bridgerton has consistently chosen me to serve in Queen Charlotte’s court because I am Asian, not despite it,” he wrote, calling the experience “a true joy and privilege”.
His time on Andor – where he played an Imperial officer – was one of the roles he actively fought to return to. Lin revealed he once turned down a £1,300 (approximately S$2,200) job just to stay on the production, calling it an experience “worth more than just money”.
The role also highlighted the realities of representation. Despite a casting brief that specified “Caucasian, ideally Italian”, Lin found himself the only East Asian Imperial officer in many scenes. “Being right at the front of the barricades, I faced a literal sea of white faces,” he shared.
This job was a path Lin didn’t originally plan for. He moved to London in 2003 to study fashion design, eventually spending a decade in the industry before making the switch to acting in 2017.
In the span of the last six years, Lin has made over 60 appearances in films and TV shows.
Continue reading...