It's her first English production since Hong Kong TVB actress Selena Li entered showbiz in 2003 and the bubbly actress tells InCinemas in an interview why she loves it here in Singapore!
Li who plays the lead actress in upcoming Channel 5 sitcom Spouse For House sat down with InCinemas for a short chat about her role as Jessica and her working experience here in Singapore!
Watch the trailer for Spouse For House, premiering 11 Feb 2014!
InCinemas: Hi Selena, tell us more about your character in Spouse For House.
Selena: I play Jessica who is kind of a perfectionist. Everything has to be organised. She colour-codes her stuff, makes charts and all. She dates this guy, John by Alaric Tay at a young age, who is very family-oriented, very messy, and basically the total opposite of Jessica.
InCinemas: How similar are you to your character, Jessica?
Selena: Funny enough, there are a lot of similarities! I colour-make my wardrobe so it’s in a way quite similar. (*laughs) I’m very organised as well and in school I used to have different colour pens so I can totally relate to Jessica. The main difference is that I will not get married just for an apartment, that’s for sure!
InCinemas: How was the working relationship like with Irene Ang and Alaric Tay?
Selena: With Alaric, I didn’t know him before but he is very experienced and had done a lot of comedies in the past. We have a lot of chemistry right from the start! The first day, we got to know each other and then after it was bam! We hit off really well even the crew commented that we have good chemistry with each other. It’s really fun and cool working with him.
For Irene as well, though my chemistry with her is a little different (from Tay) but it’s really fun working with this group of cast.
InCinemas: Spouse For House is your first English production, how was the experience like - Reading lines in English instead of Cantonese?
Selena: First of all, at least I don’t have to ask people like ‘what’s this word?’ Actually there were a few words I had to ask the cast, like ‘I chope’? Stuff like that I would need to ask but it’s good because when I read the script and take down notes, I don’t need someone to explain.
It’s funny because I’m so used to acting in Cantonese so when I’m acting in English, I feel a little funny, such as my tone of voice. I enjoy watching a lot of the Hollywood movies and drama so it’s nice that I can finally use some of the stuff or what I see on the big screen or TV and bring it to this sitcom!
InCinemas: And how was the Singlish for you?
Selena: Just the other day when Alaric, Irene, Rebecca, Desmond and I were out having a meal, they were talking about coming up with a Singlish dictionary! They taught me a few but I can’t remember anything because there’s too many. (*Chuckles) But, but I’m slowly getting used to it.
Initially I wasn’t used to the language but now I am and do speak like that sometimes? I’ll go ‘no lah, it’s okay lah’. (*laughs) I feel like I’m blending into the culture more and more each time. Actually adding the ‘lah’ makes the words softer, it doesn’t seem that harsh.
InCinemas: What was your first reaction when you heard that you’ll be acting in an English sitcom?
Selena: Initially, I wasn’t suppose to be in this sitcom because I was scheduled to film another series in TVB but somehow there was a last minute change in the story. This other actor and I were pulled out from the drama so I was able to take this job! It kind of feels like everything just worked out.
I was hoping I could do this (Spouse For House) because I have never acted in English and I really love Singapore, so I would love to come here and spend a month or two. Going into a new place and working with a bunch of people whom I never met or seen before is very exciting for me and I’m doing this in English so yah, it’s pretty cool!
InCinemas: TVB is known for the long working hours and tight schedules, do you prefer the acting life here in Singapore?
Selena: I love it here actually! I love the fact that we get off work at 6pm or 7pm except for special cases and I can plan dinner with friends. In Hong Kong it’s very hectic! To be honest, the pace is very fast and because it’s so hectic, we finish a 20-episode drama in a month-and-a-half sometimes? It’s very, very fast.
Some people like it because you get to do more projects in a year but for me, maybe back when I was younger I would prefer that kind of lifestyle but now I feel like there’s so many years of not sleeping well, so resting is really important to me. Every hour of sleep is so precious I really appreciate that I can get enough sleep here, feel refreshed to start work, go to dinner thereafter and enjoy Singapore, then go to work again!
InCinemas: Wow, so what was the longest duration you went without sleep?
Selena: Oh the longest for me was in the beginning when I first entered the industry. I was involved in an ancient drama and it was really hectic. I didn’t go home for three days so it’s just like 6am all the way to 4am, and then a 6am call-time again. The rest period were only 2 to 3 hours in between but after the third day I was just like a walking zombie I couldn’t even remember my lines!
InCinemas: You’ve been actively posting photos of your food in Singapore like Chilli Crab and Laksa, so what are some of your favourite local delicacies?
Selena: I had a lot of Chilli Crab! It is one of my favourite food in Singapore but I had it so many times it's now a little too much for me. I also like the laksa and chicken rice. Oh! there’s the turtle soup place that I love as well. The prawn mee is really good too.
InCinemas: Lastly, why should we catch Spouse For House?
Selena: It’s really fun to watch and has a really, really good script. All of the cast agreed on that as well. When I was reading the script I would already start laughing. And the actors! Think about it, there’s Alaric, there’s En lai, Irene, Richard who are all really funny people, then you add a Hong Kong actress, so it’s a chemically-produced sitcom.
We laughed a lot during filming I actually think it will bring a lot of fun and laughter to the audience and I hope the people can actually enjoy it!
Spouse For House stars Selena Li, Alaric Tay, Irene Ang, Richard Low, Desmond Tan and Rebecca Spykerman, on Channel 5 every Tuesday 8pm!