# Megan Lai

Megan Lai (Chinese: 賴雅妍; pinyin: Lài Yǎyán; born 5 December 1979) is a Taiwanese actress and singer who is best known for Bromance, Miss Rose, Meteor Garden II and Mars.

## Life and career
### Early life and education

Lai was born on 5 December 1979 in Yonghe, Taipei County. She is the younger of two daughters. Her father operates a Chinese medicinal herb shop, and her older sister is a teacher.
Lai is left-handed, and is able to produce handwritten mirror text, in addition to normal writing with her right hand. As a result, she often has difficulty distinguishing left from right.
Lai graduated from Taipei Municipal Datong High School, where she was the president of her school's pop dance club. Lai completed her bachelor's degree in Information Communications at Shih Hsin University. In 2008, she enrolled as a part-time learner in Ming Chuan University. She graduated in 2011 with a Master of Arts in design management.
Lai is also licensed barista, having attained her barista certificate in 2016.

### Career
#### Career beginnings

In 1999, Lai made her first television appearance on the Taiwanese variety show Guess in the segment "Do not judge a book by its cover", where she was a contestant along with Hebe Tien of girl group S.H.E, amongst others. She was later scouted by a modelling agency, where she started her career modelling for magazine pictorials, television advertisements, music video productions and fashion shows.
In 2002, Lai was scouted by notable television producer Angie Chai after appearing in Vic Chou's music video.
In December 2004, Lai released her first studio album, Love, which featured soundtracks from the television series' Mars and Starry Night, in which Lai also starred in.

#### Transition into leading roles

In 2010, Lai appeared alongside Baron Chen, Lego Lee and Chie Tanaka in the drama Because of You.
Upon graduating with a Master of Arts in January 2011, Lai was cast in the police crime drama Next Heroes. Filming began in the same month, and only commenced its broadcast run in October of the same year. Concurrently in 2011, Lai played the role of Su Hai-er in the period drama The Invaluable Treasure 1949. The role earned her a Best Actress nomination at the 46th Golden Bell Awards.
In 2012, Lai was cast in the SETTV romantic comedy Miss Rose in which she played the titular character opposite Roy Chiu.

#### Rising popularity

In 2014, Lai was cast in the role of A Bu-si, a lesbian barista in the highly anticipated movie adaptation of Café. Waiting. Love, penned by well-known Taiwanese novelist Giddens Ko. Lai started taking barista lessons and shed her long hair in preparation for the role, even going to the extent of not attending any public event to maintain the secrecy of her participation in the movie before her casting was announced to the public.
Lai was also cast as an ultramarathon coach in Jay Chou's first movie as an executive producer, 10,000 Miles, starring opposite Sean Huang and Darren Wang. To prepare for the role of an ultramarathon coach, Lai underwent training for three months under ultramarathon runner and executive producer, Kevin Lin. The movie was released in December 2016 to poor critical reception.
In September 2015, Lai received her fourth nomination for the Golden Bell Award for Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film for her role in the film The End of Love. The same month, Lai commenced filming for the romantic comedy Bromance, in which she played the role Pi Ya-nuo, a girl who has to pretend to be a boy until her 26th birthday to be safeguarded a smooth-sailing life. The drama ended its broadcast run to massive domestic and international success, and Lai received tremendous support for her portrayal in the drama.
In 2016, Lai joined the cast of the musical More Than Words, which celebrated the life and works of musical artist Chang Yu-sheng.
In 2018, after a short hiatus from acting, Lai returned to the small screen in the television series Meet Me @ 1006 in a guest appearance. Lai was then cast alongside Sammi Cheng, Kenny Bee and Richie Jen in the movie Fagara, the silver screen adaptation of Amy Cheung's novel Wo De Ai Ru Ci Ma La. The role earned her a Best Actress nomination for the Hong Kong Film Critics Society Award.
Lai also starred in the blockchain corporate warfare movie The Last Thieves opposite Yen Tsao, Joanne Tseng, and Eric Tsang, which was released in fall 2019.

## Filmography
### Television

| Year | English title | Original title | Role | Notes |
| 2002 | Meteor Garden II | 流星花園II | Mimi | |
| 2003 | Spicy High-School Pupils | 麻辣高校生 | Chen Hui-min | Guest appearance |
| 2003 | Hi Working Girl | Hi 上班女郎 | Tseng Ai-lin | |
| 2003 | Love Storm | 狂愛龍捲風 | Tina | Guest appearance |
| 2004 | Mars | 戰神 | Lai Ching-mei | |
| 2004 | Starry Night | 愛在星光燦爛時 | Megan | |
| 2005 | Good Beautiful Clinic 2 | 好美麗診所II嘿哈 | Chen Ruo-nan | |
| 2006 | Silence | 深情密碼 | Mi Hsiao-kuang | |
| 2006 | White Robe of Love | 白袍之戀 | Sun Qian | |
| 2007 | Sweet Relationship | 美味關係 | Jen Ko-hsin | |
| 2007–2008 | Wish to See You Again | 這裡發現愛 | One half of a couple | Episode 5 |
| 2008–2009 | Time Story | 光陰的故事 | Wang Chien-chien | |
| 2010 | Because of You | 星光下的童話 | Yu You-tung | |
| 2010 | Rice Family | 飯糰之家 | Yen Hsin-ya | |
| 2011 | The Invaluable Treasure 1949 | 瑰寶1949 | Su Hai-er | |
| 2011 | Next Heroes | 真的漢子 | Hai Qiao | |
| 2012 | Miss Rose | 螺絲小姐要出嫁 | Luo Sze-yi | |
| 2013 | Two Fathers | 兩個爸爸 | Fang Ching-chu | |
| 2013 | Jiu Jiu Nu Er Hong | 九九女兒紅 | Tao Jiudan | |
| 2014 | High Heels and a Scalpel | 白袍下的高跟鞋 | Wu Ya-fan | |
| 2015–2016 | Bromance | 愛上哥們 | Pi Ya-nuo / Pi Ya-chi | |
| 2018 | Meet Me @ 1006 | 1006的房客 | Chen Yu-fang | Guest appearance |
| 2021 | Piggy's Counterattack | 三隻小豬的逆襲 | Chu Hsiao-tung | |
| 2023 | Love Yourself | 沒有你依然燦爛 | Sun Min-min | |

### Film

| Year | English title | Original title | Role | Notes |
| 2004 | Free as Love | 浮生若夢 | Ah Pin | |
| 2005 | How's Life | 生命狂想曲 | Lai Hsin-yi | Television |
| 2005 | Ashia's Dream | 愛絲希雅的夢中夢 | Nurse | Guest appearance |
| 2005 | Chocolate Rap | 巧克力重擊 | Ally Lin | |
| 2006 | Auctioning Off A Corner of the World | 拍賣世界的角落 | Fran | Television |
| 2007 | Motorbike on Fire! | 燃燒吧！機車 | Wu Ke-wei | Short film |
| 2008 | Clinic | 黑道診所 | Ai Hsiao-hui | Television |
| 2009 | Taipei 24H | 台北異想 | Megan Lai | Segment "Share the Morning" |
| 2009 | L-O-V-E | 愛到底 | Yen | Segment "San sheng you xing" |
| 2011 | Will You Still Love Me | 妳是否依然愛我 | Peggy Tien | |
| 2011 | You Are the Apple of My Eye | 那些年，我們一起追的女孩 | One half of a couple | Guest appearance |
| 2012 | Jumping Boy | 不倒翁的奇幻旅程 | A-yun | |
| 2014 | Proposal | 家事提案 | Lee Hsiao-tung | Television |
| 2014 | Café. Waiting. Love | 等一個人咖啡 | A Bu-si | |
| 2015 | The End of Love | 愛情的盡頭 | Li Yi-lun | Television |
| 2016 | 10,000 Miles | 一萬公里的約定 | Ellie | |
| 2019 | Fagara | 花椒之味 | Branch Au-yeung | |
| 2019 | The Last Thieves | 聖人大盜 | Hsu Ching | |
| 2020 | Get the Hell Out | 逃出立法院 | Hsiung Ying-ying | |
| 2023 | Cyber Heist | 斷網 | Sandy To Wing-shan | |

### Variety show

| Year | English title | Original title | Notes |
| 2005 | Super Deal | 超級好康A | Host |
| 2007–2010 | GoGo Japan | — | Host |

### Music video

| Year | Artist | Song title |
| 2000 | Shino Lin | "This is" |
| 2001 | Chiang Yu-heng | "Deny" |
| 2001 | Stefanie Sun | "Kite" |
| 2001 | Sammi Cheng | "Future" |
| 2001 | Tiger Huang | "Firework Live" |
| 2001 | Shunza | "There's No Ugly Woman" |
| 2002 | Vic Chou | "Hotline for Help" |
| 2002 | Eason Chan | "Men's Fault" |
| 2002 | Yang Kun and Chen Lin | "World of Us" |
| 2004 | Faith Yang | "Queen" |
| 2010 | Huang Pin-yuan | "Pisces Love" |
| 2010 | A-Lin | "Give Me A Reason To Forget" |
| 2011 | Cindy Yen | "Let Go" |
| 2012 | Princess Ai | "Love Forever" |
| 2017 | Wu Bai & China Blue | "Ai Ni Wu Mu Di" |
| 2017 | Bii | "Think Of You" |
| 2020 | JJ Lin | "Drifters" |

## Discography
### Studio albums

| Title | Album details | Track listing |
| Love | Released: 28 December 2004 Label: Black Mustard Formats: CD, digital download | Track listing 影子情人 愛死了 感覺你 掙脫 The Hardest Note 試著忘了 有病 愛的決定權 熱吻 愛可以燦爛很久 |
| FACE | Released: 27 March 2015 Label: More Entertainment Formats: CD, digital download | Track listing 臉 I'm OK Stray Dog 是我 孤單的決定 Flow 剛才 獨來獨往 女孩 未完待續 |

### Soundtrack appearances

| Year | Song title | Album | Notes |
| 2004 | "The Hardest Note" | Mars OST | |
| 2004 | "感覺你" | Starry Night OST | |
| 2004 | "愛可以燦爛很久" | Starry Night OST | |
| 2006 | "轉身的時候" | Silence OST | |
| 2007 | "愛的勇氣" | Corner with Love OST | |
| 2007 | "有你有我" | Sweet Relationship OST | |
| 2007 | "直覺" | Sweet Relationship OST | |
| 2010 | "小雨心事" | Because of You OST | |
| 2010 | "團團愛" | Rice Family OST | |
| 2010 | "冬末之戀" | Rice Family OST | |
| 2011 | "行行好" | Rainbow Sweetheart OST | |
| 2011 | "如果不是你" | Rainbow Sweetheart OST | |
| 2012 | "快樂不倒翁" | Jumping Boy OST | |
| 2012 | Track listing 1. "遇見對的人" 2. "我愛誰" 3. "肥皂劇之偶像連成戲" 4. "多災多難的愛情" 5. "我也想當女主角" 6. "上床？床上！" 7. "心動" 8. "醋" 9. "忘掉" 10. "愛．旋轉" | Crazy Idol Soap OST | Musical |
| 2013 | "如果沒有你" | Two Fathers OST | |
| 2014 | "未完待續" | High Heels and a Scalpel OST | |
| 2015 | "Flow" | Future Mr. Right OST | |
| 2016 | Track listing 1. "天天想你" 2. "水藍色眼淚" 3. "我是一顆秋天的樹" 4. "當我開始偷偷地想你" | More Than Words OST | Musical |
| 2017 | "依然是你" | Art in Love OST | |
| 2018 | "舞魅娘" | Wuda's Girls OST | |

### Songwriting credits

| Year | Album | Artist | Song title | Lyrics | Lyrics | Music | Music | Notes |
| Year | Album | Artist | Song title | Credited | With | Credited | With | |
| 2004 | Love | Megan Lai | "The Hardest Note" | Yes | 林尚德 | No | N/A | from Mars OST |
| 2004 | Love | Megan Lai | "感覺你" | Yes | N/A | No | N/A | from Starry Night OST |
| 2011 | 2 be different | Cindy Yen | "釋懷" | Yes | Alang Huang 黃俊郎 | No | N/A | |
| 2012 | Crazy Idol Soap OST | Megan Lai | "忘掉" | Yes | N/A | No | N/A | |
| 2014 | Bring Me Home Charity Event Theme Song | Mickey Huang Fang Wen-lin Landy Wen Xiu Jie Kai Lin Yu-pin Jay Shih Steven Sun Lyla Lin | "帶我回家" | Yes | Ian Chen (F.I.R.) | No | N/A | |
| 2014 | FACE | Megan Lai | "未完待續" | Yes | N/A | No | N/A | from High Heels and a Scalpel OST |
| 2015 | FACE | Megan Lai | "臉" | Yes | N/A | No | N/A | |
| 2015 | FACE | Megan Lai | "Stray Dog" | Yes | Real Huang (F.I.R.) | No | N/A | |
| 2015 | FACE | Megan Lai | "Flow" | Yes | N/A | Yes | N/A | from Future Mr. Right OST |
| 2015 | FACE | Megan Lai | "剛才" | Yes | Deepwhite 深白色 | No | N/A | |
| 2015 | FACE | Megan Lai | "女孩" | Yes | N/A | Yes | N/A | |
| 2018 | Art in Love OST | Megan Lai | "依然是你" | Yes | Chris Yen 顏維霆 | No | N/A | |

## Theater

| Year | English title | Original title | Role |
| 2009 | Fools | 傻瓜村 | Su Wan-tung |
| 2010 | Seventeen Year Itch | 17年之癢 | Misa |
| 2011 | By the End of the Flora Season | 花季未了 | Chiang Yen-ping |
| 2012 | Crazy Idol Soap | 瘋狂偶像劇 | An-chi |
| 2012 | The Goodbye Girl | 再見女郎 | Bao-chi |
| 2012–2013 | The Goodbye Girl | 再見女郎 | Bao-chi |
| 2014 | Crazy Idol Soap | 瘋狂偶像劇 | An-chi |
| 2015 | Crazy Television 3 | 瘋狂電視台3-來自地球的你 | An-chi |
| 2016 | More Than Words | 天天想你 | Hsu Man |
| 2017 | Crazy Idol Soap | 瘋狂偶像劇 | An-chi |
| 2019 | Crazy Idol Soap | 瘋狂偶像劇 | An-chi |

## Published works

* Lai, Megan (2005). 台灣大長今美容寶典：賴雅妍漢方美容. Taipei. ISBN 9578035136.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
* Lai, Megan (2015). FACE. More Entertainment. (e-book)
* 柯, 映安 (2019). 死了一個娛樂女記者之後 (Audiobook). 鏡文學股份有限公司. ISBN 9789869695060.

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 2005 | 40th Golden Bell Awards | Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film | How's Life | Nominated |
| 2005 | 42nd Golden Horse Awards | Best New Performer | How's Life | Nominated |
| 2006 | 51st Asia-Pacific Film Festival | Best Actress | How's Life | Nominated |
| 2006 | 51st Asia-Pacific Film Festival | Best Actress | Chocolate Rap | Nominated |
| 2011 | 46th Golden Bell Awards | Best Actress | Invaluable Treasure 1949 | Nominated |
| 2013 | Sanlih Drama Awards | Best Actress | Two Fathers | Nominated |
| 2013 | Sanlih Drama Awards | Best Kiss (with Weber Yang) | Two Fathers | Nominated |
| 2014 | 49th Golden Bell Awards | Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film | Proposal | Nominated |
| 2015 | 50th Golden Bell Awards | Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film | The End of Love | Nominated |
| 2015 | Sanlih Drama Awards | Best Actress | Bromance | Won |
| 2020 | 26th Hong Kong Film Critics Society Award | Best Actress | Fagara | Nominated |
| 2020 | 39th Hong Kong Film Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Fagara | Nominated |