Acting in a TV drama is a way to earn money, but who knew it was also a chance to spend it? In a recent press conference for the new Mediacorp drama Strike Gold, local actor Yao Wenlong spoke to AsiaOne about feasting and friends.
When asked whether the cast and crew feasted a lot when filming the series, Wenlong responded: “We ate a lot, it was very scary. Yvonne organised buffets for us.
Most of us just buy takeaway and bring food for the cast and crew but she ordered buffets. She is not here to earn money, she is here to spend money.
“Everybody would buy something at some point of time. But because everybody keeps buying food for the rest, we got along really well. Ultimately, I feel like the credit goes to Yvonne. She organised many parties.”
Even a guest to the film set brought along goodies for the cast and crew.
Taiwanese singer-actress Vivian Hsu visited the cast in October last year, bearing drinks and snacks for the cast and crew.
In Strike Gold, Wenlong plays Mei Youyong, a washed-up and dejected muay thai boxer and instructor, who struggles to stay sober and motivated. He lives with two daughters, played by He Ying Ying and Kiki Lim.
He accidentally causes an accident involving Lisa Fang (Yvonne Lim), allowing her to escape her creditors by feigning insanity.
While Yvonne, 46, spent money on the set, Wenlong, 52, expended a lot of energy.
He explained: “I needed a lot of stamina as there were fight scenes and I also had to act drunk. I had to look big and perform different actions so I got hungry very quickly. My arms would tremble if I didn’t have energy to fight.
“But in the show I’m filming now, I’m just a father so it’s ok even if I don’t eat.”
Wenlong also talked about his good chemistry with Yvonne, a longtime colleague and friend.
He recalled a memorable scene where Youyong and Lisa sit at a HDB staircase and drink from night to morning. Youyong takes off his shirt to perform muay thai and Lisa lies on his stomach and falls asleep.
“Yvonne joked that when she lay down on my stomach, she felt a sense of familiarity because my build is similar to her husband’s.
“But thankfully we have known each other for a long time, so it didn’t feel too awkward. We have good chemistry. At the same time, she was also away from Singapore for a long time, so it takes a lot of effort for her to get into character for that particular scene. We helped each other out,” he shared.
Learning muay thai was a new challenge for Wenlong and he also said he would like to challenge himself to play more complex characters.
“I would like to try playing someone who looks great on the surface, but who actually does many despicable things. But I have not come across such a role yet. I feel that normally the roles (I come across) are very obviously bad or good.”
Strike Gold also stars Desmond Tan, Jin Yinji, Edwin Goh, Benjamin Tan, Tyler Ten, Jeffrey Xu and Ayden Sng. The show is telecast on weekdays at 9pm on Channel 8 and also on demand for free on meWATCH.