After the film wrapped, Peng and Xin apparently developed such a close bond that the actor decided to give a forever home to the Jack Russell greyhound cross, per AP. At the festival, the actor went on record to say that Xin gave him a fresh perspective on acting – and even on life.

While Peng might not be a regular at the French film festival, he has been a household name in his native Taiwan and across Asia for two decades. The Taiwan-born actor grew up in Canada and reportedly scored his first on-screen role in 2002 when he returned to Taipei for a summer holiday.

After starring in his first role in the television series Tomorrow, an adaptation of anime Asunaro Hakusho, Peng, 42, nabbed a part in romance series Scent of Love, cementing his place along with actors like Ethan Juan and Joseph Chang as up-and-coming Taiwanese heartthrobs in the 2000s.

Peng followed up with a role in 2017 in war film Our Time Will Come, which tells the story of the resistance during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong in 1941. Peng plays Liu Heizai, a resistance leader, starring alongside renowned Chinese actress Zhou Xun.

In 2020, he worked with Our Time Will Come director Ann Hui again in the film Love After Love, an adaptation of Aloeswood Incense: The First Brazier, a 1943 romance by novelist Eileen Chang.

While he’s not working on films, he’s seen at events and in advertising campaigns, modelling for the likes of luxury brands such as Berluti and Longines.

The actor often shares snippets from his work such as images from magazine shoots or stills from his films with his close to 5 million instagram followers. Beyond that, the actor reveals little about himself to the public. What he does choose to share with fans reveal that he’s an adventure seeker – Peng loves to stay active and regularly goes on adventures from skiing to cycling.

He seems to love the outdoors, be it hiking with his pups or embracing the elements on camping trips.

Peng is a bit of a jet-setter too, with his mother as his favourite travel buddy. In an interview with Yahoo! News, he revealed that he decided to explore the world with his mum and two sisters every chance he gets, as it was one of his mum’s greatest regrets that she wasn’t able to do so with her own mother when she had the chance.