Jeanette Aw returns after six years to lead a new Mediacorp drama Highway to Somewhere, where she reunited with Romeo Tan to play a troubled married couple on a road trip in Malaysia to save their relationship.
Speaking to AsiaOne recently while promoting the series, the 46-year-old local actress recounted filming an intense scene with Romeo, 40.
She shared: “He was more stressed [than me] filming the scene, because he had to literally drag me out of the car and fling me to the ground. I think there was one time he didn’t get the timing right… and used brute force on me. I almost fell backwards, but I held my head forward, so I didn’t hit [the ground].
“When he saw it, he froze and he looked really scared after that. But we worked out [the pacing for the scene], and it was fine… When he held me [in the scene], his hands were icy cold.”
Romeo told us in a separate interview that he had a shock when he threw Jeanette to the ground for the scene.
“I felt very guilty, but thank god there was nothing serious, although she said she had a neck ache. So, over the next few days, I gave her a massage [on set] to make it up to her,” he said, adding he could have judged his timing better during filming.
Highway to Somewhere centres on the strained relationship between Nick Zhang (Romeo) and Jane Liu (Jeanette) after 15 years of marriage, where they find themselves clashing frequently due to their demanding careers and rebellious daughter.
To save their crumbling marriage, they embark on a road trip to Malaysia upon the advice of their friend, marriage counsellor Apple (Sora Ma), but the trip soon takes a sinister turn when Jane’s acquaintance York (Nick Teo) stalks them. While Jane tries to keep York’s obsession with her a secret from Nick, the latter is hiding his own secrets from her as well.
Bringing intensity of a worried parent to life on screen
Jeanette told us she was attracted to Jane’s emotional depth.
She elaborated: “This drama focuses on a young married couple who have been married for 15 years with a child going through Primary School Leaving Examinations (PSLE). This whole journey for me is interesting because it’s something we rarely touch on [in dramas]…
“It’s also very different from those that I have taken on so far. This is very focused on just the husband and wife because it’s just Nick and Jane throughout the road trip, which is also rare… I felt that this is a refreshing take on a relationship.”
In the show, Jane is worried about her rebellious teenage daughter Xiaoyun and monitors the latter’s homework and whereabouts closely even during her road trip with Nick, which often results in heated conversations between the three of them.
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On capturing the intensity of a worried parent, Jeanette shared that the script was “on point” in helping her to portray the role well and she also spoke to her friends who are parents to understand their concerns, especially towards their children’s education.
The drama also marks her first collaboration with Romeo in 10 years, since The Dream Makers II in 2015, and Jeanette shared she saw his maturity as an actor.
“He is a funny guy and has a lot of unexpected responses off-camera, so it’s actually very fun working with him on set,” she added.
These interactions made Jeanette feel very comfortable working with him, which helped in their chemistry onscreen.
Stalker fans booked hotel room next door in China
We also asked Jeanette if she had experienced being stalked, and she shared an incident that happened while driving out of the Mediacorp’s former office at Caldecott Hill.
It was her manager, seated with her in the car, who noticed a vehicle was following closely behind.
“We stopped by a patrol station to just see what they would do, but they just drove away,” she added.
She also recounted stalker fans booking the hotel room next to hers when she filmed the drama Precious in China in 2011.
“I was scared, so I asked the production team if they could send someone to pick me up from my room before driving me to the film set. The driver would come to my door and escort me before and after filming every day,” she said.
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While the fans didn’t harass her, she was spooked and wondered how they found out where she was staying. Some fans also waited for her at the hotel lobby.
Jeanette recalled: “We saw them at the lobby and my personal assistant was with me. She went up to ask them if they wanted a photo with me, but they just went off.
“To me, I feel that if they want a photo, I would be more relieved but just running off like that [was puzzling].”
Highway to Somewhere, which also stars Herman Keh, Bonnie Loo, Jasmine Sim, Seow Sin Nee and Gladys Bay, is now available on demand for free on Mewatch and premieres on Channel 8 today (March 11), airing weekdays at 9pm.
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