Jacelyn goes from swan to sooty!
October 15, 2004
Kwok Kar Peng
“Wait till you see Jacelyn Tay’s new look… she looks like a Filipino maid!” Someone whispered conspiratorially to me yesterday.
If you think thatÂ’s impossible, think again. Or better yet, look at the photos we have here.
So plain and unrecognizable has Jacelyn become that the production crew member asked his colleague who that man was whilst pointing at her!
Lest you think Jacelyn is going through a beauty backlash, the dark skin and drab oversized clothes are just part of her image for her new drama You Are The One (Er Fen Zhi Yi Yuan Fen), a lighthearted drama on love and relationships.
To complete the overall look, Jacelyn also cut her hair shorter, hunched her back, wore a sports bra to make her bust flatter and spoke in a deeper voice.
The clothes make a person and the usually feminine Jacelyn also started fidgeting uncharacteristically.
Because nobody believed that she could look so ugly, Jacelyn had to ask for the role of Hao Meili and convince the producers. This is the same girl who once said that she doesnÂ’t want to look ugly onscreen?
“I’ve done characters who are very pretty, but this is perhaps a once in a lifetime chance! Since I’ve done many dramas over the years, I long for something different. Itchy lah,” she laughed heartily at the prayer ceremony held this morning to kickstart the filming of this 25-parter.
Her highly infectious enthusiasm bubbles over at the realization that she can return to her nondescript pre-acting life. “Chew Chor Meng didn’t recognize me! If my colleagues can’t recognize me, then the public won’t too! And if then public won’t, then I’m going out to eat looking like this, I don’t care! I’ll have total freedom in the next 3 months!” She rattled and laughed excitedly.
Perhaps the next person as excited as Jacelyn is Patricia Mok, who portrays Meili’s best friend Lü Hui.
“Finally! So exhilarating,” Patricia declared at the delicious thought that she can at last be the prettier one next to her female co-star.
“When passersby see me and Jacelyn together, they’ll tell me how beautiful I am, and they’ll ignore Jacelyn!” she laughed gleefully.
Story Synopsis
Jacelyn stars as Hao Meili (ironically sounding like Very Beautiful), a producer in a TV station. A sensitive and loving person at heart, Meili is unfortunately rather boorish in mannerism and average in looks. She longs to start a family of her own but she remains single and unattached after 37 matchmaking sessions.
Her younger sister Meide (Rui En) on the flip side, is a very pretty babe. Spoilt by her family since young, the university graduate also knows how to make full use of the men who attempt to win her over. The Gen Y lady believes that an independent woman should not rely on any man at all.
Eldest sister Meiman (Nadia Chen Songling) is a shrewd and capable lady who holds a high-profile position in an advertising company. Often at loggerheads with her at work is Ray (Chew Chor Meng).
Meili finally meets her Prince Charming, a Korean entrepreneur An Zhengxi (Terence Cao). He lets her experience for the first time the joy of being pampered by a man. Just when she builds her hopes about Zhengxi, she finds out that Meide is also smitten with him. Knowing Zhengxi only treats herself as an ordinary friend, she backs off and wishes them well.
In her moment of loneliness, Meili discovers that Simon (Christopher Lee), a chef, is devastated after losing Meide to Zhengxi. In an initial friendship without any expectations, a beautiful relationship is born.
MeideÂ’s fairytale romance with Zhengxi is disrupted when the independent and modern girl clashes with ZhengxiÂ’s traditional mother Jin Qin (Jin Yinji). Zhengxi is caught in the crossfire. At the same time, he is unable to forget his deceased first love. Can this fairytale continue despite all these hurdles?
Filming for the drama has begun today and will continue right up till January 2005. Bookmark www.channel8.com.sg for more updates and interviews with the cast
when i cut last few wks