X
theAsianparent Logo
theAsianparent Logo
Product GuideSign in
  • Awards
    • Parents' Choice Awards 2023
  • Pregnancy
    • Due date calculator
    • I'm pregnant
    • Trying To Conceive
    • Labour
    • After birth
    • Baby loss
  • Parenting
    • Parent's Guide
    • Relationship & Sex
  • Child
    • Newborn
    • Baby
    • Toddler
    • Pre-Schooler
    • Kid
    • Pre-Teen & Teen
  • Feeding & Nutrition
    • Diseases-Injuries
    • Breastfeeding & Formula
    • Meal Planner
    • Health
    • Allergies & Conditions
    • Vaccinations
  • Education
    • Pre-School
    • Primary School
    • Secondary School
    • Primary School Directory
  • Lifestyle
    • Money
    • Travel & Leisure
    • Fashion
    • Home
    • Fitness
    • Contests & promotions
  • News
    • International
    • Health
    • Celebrity
    • Singapore
  • TAP Recommends
  • Shopping
  • Press Releases
  • Project Sidekicks
  • Community
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us
  • Become A Contributor
  • VIP

‘They Purposely Scolded Him Until He Cried’: Cynthia Koh Recalls Child Actor’s Crying Scene in 90S Drama Tofu Street

3 min read
‘They Purposely Scolded Him Until He Cried’: Cynthia Koh Recalls Child Actor’s Crying Scene in 90S Drama Tofu Street

The Reunion sees cast from 90s drama Tofu Street meeting up to talk about their show. From left to right, Samuel Tan, Zheng Geping, Cynthia Koh, Peter Yu, Brandon Wong and Chen Huihui. Mediacorp

Going the extra mile helped to sell the story, but it also meant making a six-year-old child actor cry.

In a recent episode of the new meWATCH talk show The Reunion, Cynthia Koh shared behind-the-scenes information about the 1990s Chinese drama Tofu Street, where the cast and crew had to make a child cry for real in order to shoot certain scenes.

Hosted by Lee Teng, the episode also features other Tofu Street cast, including Zheng Geping, Chen Huihui, Brandon Wong and Peter Yu.

"Sometimes, we needed him to cry," Cynthia, 48, said, later adding: "He couldn't cry easily. They purposely scolded him until he cried."

Samuel Tan, the six-year-old in question who's now a 34-year-old singer, smiled and nodded in understanding as he recalled his sacrifice playing Luo Tou, one of the residents of the iconic Tofu Street (now known as Upper Chin Swee Road).

Curious about how they went about scolding Samuel, Huihui asked him if his mother was on set watching him act and being admonished to the point of tears.

Surprisingly, she wasn't. Instead, Geping, 58, stated that his mother had left him in the care of the crew.

While they were on the topic of revelations, Geping then cheekily joked: "Come, let's spill the tea! Did the director secretly beat you?"

Thankfully, there wasn't any such occurrence, and the scolding was purely meant to prepare him for the scenes where he had to cry, as Samuel elaborated during the talk show.

Additionally, he was never scolded for bad acting, he recalled.

Geping also shared an anecdote: "There was one time I saw (actress) Chen Anna intentionally scolding him until he cried. She told his mum, 'Sorry, it's for the filming.'"

Too successful? Brandon Wong's 1st role was already antagonistic

In Tofu Street, Brandon played Luo Tou's villainous father who doesn't pull punches, even towards a pregnant woman.

Despite the 51-year-old being a fresh entry into showbiz at the time, his acting earned him praise from Peter, now 54.

"I felt the pressure [of the role I played] but I have Peter to thank," Brandon began. "He may not know it, but I remember once the drama aired, he gave me a lot of encouragement.

"He might have said it only in passing, but he very casually told me, 'Brandon, you're a newcomer but your acting is so solid.'"

To Brandon, this was a "huge encouragement" — but perhaps his acting was a little too good.

When asked by Lee Teng if any of the public had expressed anger towards him after his convincingly villainous portrayal, Brandon immediately confirmed that they did.

He shared: "There was once I went to get chicken rice… [the stall owners] criticised me to my face!

"They said to me, 'You're awful! You beat your wife on Tofu Street!' They kept pointing at me, I felt very awkward. 

"I wondered to myself, 'Should I buy this chicken rice or not?'"

Ultimately Brandon did end up buying the food but had his doubts about eating it because he didn't know if the chef had spat in the dish.

And even Brandon himself felt that his character was far too cruel.

As the cast in the talk show rewatched a scene where Brandon's character used a bat to beat up his pregnant wife (played by Anna), the actor himself looked visibly disturbed.

He said: "So awful — even I feel he's too deplorable!"

Part one of The Reunion's episode with the Tofu Street cast is available for streaming on meWATCH.

This article was first published on AsiaOne and republished on theAsianparent with permission.

Partner Stories
When developmental delays happen to your child: what you can do
When developmental delays happen to your child: what you can do
The Tale of Two Digestive Systems – Young Children Vs. Adults – and What It Means for Mums
The Tale of Two Digestive Systems – Young Children Vs. Adults – and What It Means for Mums
Is Your Child Unusually Short?
Is Your Child Unusually Short?
If play is the key to learning, the playground is your child’s best classroom
If play is the key to learning, the playground is your child’s best classroom

Got a parenting concern? Read articles or ask away and get instant answers on our app. Download theAsianparent Community on iOS or Android now!

img
Written by

asiaone

  • Home
  • /
  • Celebrity
  • /
  • ‘They Purposely Scolded Him Until He Cried’: Cynthia Koh Recalls Child Actor’s Crying Scene in 90S Drama Tofu Street
Share:
  • ‘I Have My Ways’: Tony Leung on Overcoming His Social Anxiety

    ‘I Have My Ways’: Tony Leung on Overcoming His Social Anxiety

  • ‘Old Colleagues Reunite, Still Calling Each Other by Old Nicknames’: Florence Tan Back in Singapore, Meets Jeff Wang, Vincent Ng, Christopher Lee

    ‘Old Colleagues Reunite, Still Calling Each Other by Old Nicknames’: Florence Tan Back in Singapore, Meets Jeff Wang, Vincent Ng, Christopher Lee

  • How Did Zoe Tay and Pan Lingling Become Friends? ‘Beautiful’ Wedding Rings

    How Did Zoe Tay and Pan Lingling Become Friends? ‘Beautiful’ Wedding Rings

  • ‘I Have My Ways’: Tony Leung on Overcoming His Social Anxiety

    ‘I Have My Ways’: Tony Leung on Overcoming His Social Anxiety

  • ‘Old Colleagues Reunite, Still Calling Each Other by Old Nicknames’: Florence Tan Back in Singapore, Meets Jeff Wang, Vincent Ng, Christopher Lee

    ‘Old Colleagues Reunite, Still Calling Each Other by Old Nicknames’: Florence Tan Back in Singapore, Meets Jeff Wang, Vincent Ng, Christopher Lee

  • How Did Zoe Tay and Pan Lingling Become Friends? ‘Beautiful’ Wedding Rings

    How Did Zoe Tay and Pan Lingling Become Friends? ‘Beautiful’ Wedding Rings

Get advice on your pregnancy and growing baby. Sign up for our newsletter
  • Pregnancy
    • Baby
    • Education
    • Events
    • Allergies & Conditions
  • Family Occasions
    • Breastfeeding & Formula
    • Child Safety
    • Health
    • Diseases-Injuries
  • Lifestyle
    • Home
    • Money
    • Feeding & Nutrition
    • Diet & Weightloss
  • Normal Delivery
    • Cesarean Delivery
    • Behaviour
    • Secondary School
    • Formula Feeding
  • Ages & Stages
    • Latching & Concerns
    • Festivals & Holidays
    • Education
    • Pre-teen & Teen
  • More
    • TAP Community
    • Advertise With Us
    • Contact Us
    • Become a Contributor


  • Singapore flag Singapore
  • Thailand flag Thailand
  • Indonesia flag Indonesia
  • Philippines flag Philippines
  • Malaysia flag Malaysia
  • Sri-Lanka flag Sri Lanka
  • India flag India
  • Vietnam flag Vietnam
  • Australia flag Australia
  • Japan flag Japan
  • Nigeria flag Nigeria
  • Kenya flag Kenya
© Copyright theAsianparent 2023. All rights reserved
About Us|Team|Privacy Policy|Terms of Use |Sitemap HTML
  • Tools
  • Articles
  • Feed
  • Poll

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience. Learn MoreOk, Got it

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience. Learn MoreOk, Got it

theAsianparent heart icon
We’d like to send you notifications for the latest news and updates on baby care and health.