Good food brings people together.
When Taiwanese actor Hsiu Chieh-kai comes to Singapore in early June to film The Little Nyonya spinoff drama Emerald Hill, he hopes local delicacies will bring him and his on-screen wife Jesseca Liu closer.
Speaking to AsiaOne in an interview yesterday (May 20), the 41-year-old was asked how he would be developing chemistry with the 45-year-old actress during filming.
He shared: “Let’s see whether she would bring me to eat good food, I look forward to it.”
Chieh-kai added that he would do the same to form better relationships with his co-stars if they were visiting Taipei for filming.
In Emerald Hill, Chieh-kai plays Jinhe, the second son of the wealthy Zhang family, who manages the family business Yongli diligently in hopes of continuing their family’s legacy.
Amid the seemingly harmonious family, Jinhe is burdened with caring for his elderly mother and matriarch of the family Liu Xiuniang (Zoe Tay), managing disputes and disagreements with his brothers, including Jinquan (Romeo Tan) who plots to take over his place, and developing a relationship with his long-lost daughter Xinniang (Tasha Low).
Chieh-kai said that what attracts him to the role is the depth of his character.
“He has many layers of suppression… I also like how this character has many sorrowful aspects which can be a huge challenge for an actor. I am very touched by the script,” he said.
Besides that, he also appreciates the relationship between Jesseca’s character Shuqin and Jinhe.
“I am also drawn to the profound love between them. Both of them speak the same language when they make a lot of decisions together,” Chieh-kai added.
On filming a Singapore production for the first time and performing alongside Zoe and Jesseca, he shared that he is looking forward to it although he hasn’t met them yet.
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“I am taking this as an opportunity for adventure and exploration. I also know that there are many good actors in Singapore. Although I am not familiar with them yet, I believe that being able to act together as a family will allow us to develop sparks together,” he said, adding that he would be filming here for about three to four months.
Emerald Hill centres heavily on the Peranakan culture and Chieh-kai said that while he has seen Nyonya kueh in Taiwan before, he looks forward to learning more about the culture after hearing about it from the scriptwriter.
“I believe I would be able to understand more during filming and maybe even learn some Malay language,” he said.
Emerald Hill, which starts filming in May, also stars Chen Liping, Aileen Tan, Shaun Chen, Dawn Yeoh, Chantalle Ng, Ferlyn Wong, Elvin Ng, Zhang Yaodong and Priscelia Chan, with Jeanette Aw reprising her role as Yamamoto Yueniang from The Little Nyonya.
It is expected to premiere in the first half of 2025.
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