'Come back to do reservist!' Jeanette Aw on why she's acting in The Little Nyonya spinoff
Jeanette Aw said that her character in The Little Nyonya Yamamoto Yueniang is unforgettable.
PHOTO: Lianhe Zaobao
PUBLISHED ONMarch 19, 2024 4:55 AMByYeo Shu HuiWhen Jeanette Aw bid farewell to her Little Nyonya character Yamamoto Yueniang in 2008, she never expected to reprise the role some 16 years later.
"My first thought when I received the invitation was, 'What was the reason to look for me to perform? What is Yueniang's purpose in this drama?' Because I've never thought about playing her again," the 44-year-old told Lianhe Zaobao about her inclusion in The Little Nyonya spinoff Emerald Hill in a report on March 16.
In the original series, Yueniang is a young orphan who goes to live with her mother's Peranakan family, the Huangs, and is mistreated by them. Jeanette also played Yueniang's mother Huang Juxiang during flashbacks.
Mediacorp announced in January that Emerald Hill is set to air in the first half of 2025.
Besides Jeanette, the drama will feature a new star-studded cast, including Jesseca Liu, Chen Liping, Zoe Tay, Shaun Chen, Romeo Tan, Sheila Sim, Dawn Yeoh, Chantalle Ng, Nick Teo, Zhang Zetong and Tasha Low, who will be playing the protagonist Zhang Xinniang.
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Jeanette told the Chinese daily that she was approached by The Little Nyonya and Emerald Hill's screenwriter Ang Eng Tee and producer Loh Woon Woon, but was unsure about playing Yueniang again at first.
However, she was convinced eventually because of Eng Tee's trust in her playing several of his memorable characters in the past, such as Mo Jingjing in Holland V (2003) and Yang Nianqing and Ye Ziqing in Breakout (2010).
"Eng Tee told me, 'Jeanette, you must come back to do reservist!''' she shared, adding that she agreed to return after he promised to write a good story for Yueniang.
Jeanette said that, after playing Yueniang every day for five months in the original series, she is not concerned about getting back into the character now.
"Yueniang is more or less in my body, we have experienced a lot together, I won't forget her easily," she added.
Jeanette, who shared that her filming schedule for Emerald Hill is not settled at the moment, was at a kebaya fitting session for the drama while speaking to Zaobao.
She said: "I feel that it's a special experience to put on a kebaya again because few actors can play the same character after 16 years."