By Jocelyn Lee, The Straits Times
With The Little Nyonya becoming the most-watched Chinese drama serial in eight years, many viewers are predicting that Jeanette Aw, 29, who plays the lead character, will pick up the Best Actress Award in the Star Awards next year.
The actress plays a long-suffering Peranakan woman Yue Niang and her deaf and mute mother Ju Xiang in the 34-episode drama serial, which ends tonight.
The serial achieved a viewership rating of 26.3 per cent last week, beating the 22.5 per cent rating for the closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.
Aw, who won the Best Newcomer award in 2002 and was among the Top Ten Most Popular Female Artistes from 2003 to 2006, says she is trying not to let the attention go to her head.
‘I want to thank the people who have encouraged me but I try not to think too much about winning the award as it gives me unnecessary stress.’
But the actress, who got into showbusiness in 2001 after winning a talent search competition organised by the now-defunct television network MediaWorks, adds: ‘Any actress will want to get such an award because it means she has graduated to the next level. It will be a plus point for my acting career.’
She is the youngest of three children of an accountant father and a real estate agent mother. The theatre studies and psychology major graduated from the National University of Singapore in 2000.
1. How do you feel about getting the lead role in The Little Nyonya?
It has been a decade since MediaCorp did a drama set in the 1930s and it is a new and refreshing topic to embark on. I am very appreciative of this chance and I put in my best effort during the four to five months of filming.
2. How did you prepare for the role?
I went to the Peranakan Museum, borrowed books on Peranakan culture and watched dramas set during the period to master the tempo and mannerisms, which are very different from contemporary dramas.
I also went for two half-day beading and cooking classes organised by the production team and was taught by experts of Peranakan culture.
3. Why do you think people like the show so much?
I think it is because we have never done anything on Peranakan culture before. Even though Singaporeans know there is such a culture here, they do not know the details.
4. How do you deal with public feedback about your acting skills?
I feel good when I receive positive comments because they are a form of encouragement. As for negative comments, I try not to take them too hard. I also pick out those comments which I think are good criticisms and try and improve.
5. How is this role different from the other roles you have done before?
Ju Xiang is both mute and deaf. I have never played such a character before and it was a little challenging as I had many emotional scenes and I had to convey my feelings through my facial expressions and body language.
6. What problems did you face while filming the show and how did you overcome them?
The long working hours made me very tired as I woke up at 6.30am and slept at 2am every day. I slept only about two to three hours each day. It was very draining both mentally and physically. I just kept pushing myself.
7. What kind of roles would you like to play next?
I enjoy period dramas and I prefer them to contemporary shows, so I want to try more of that. I also do not want to play a damsel in distress anymore. Instead, I will love to play a strong and less passive character.
8. Complete this sentence: If I could live my life all over again…
I would be a dancer. I learnt ballet when I was young and dreamt of performing on stage. I never thought that I would become a television actress.
This post was tagged with the following: Drama > The Little Nyonya 小娘惹, Media > The Straits Times
