It was a ‘no Zoe, no show’ for director Eric Khoo in his latest telemovie Recipe <回味>. During a media interview on Tuesday held at Goodwood Park hotel, Khoo mentioned that he was determined to have Zoe Tay onboard this project.
“I’ve always wanted to work with Zoe. I said if we can’t get Zoe, I’m not going to work on it, so you’re going to get me Zoe.”
Recipe is a telemovie commissioned by the Health Promotion Board (HPB) that centres on the topic of dementia. Recipe features a stellar cast, including Zoe Tay, Li Ying Zhu, Jayley Woo, Desmond Shen and Moses Lim.
Recipe <回味> premieres 29 September (Sunday), 9pm on MediaCorp Channel 8!
Tay was as excited to establish a new working relationship with Khoo and hopes to star in his future films. She said, “I have heard so much about him (Khoo) but never had the chance to work with him.”
“When I first heard that Eric will be helming this project, I was very happy... and then when I learned that Eric will be directing the film too, I was really looking forward to it and kept asking my manager for the script,” she added.
Khoo, the acclaimed local director would usually cast amateur actors for his film projects, but this time, he chose to work with a group professional actors and felt that the process was ‘very easy and very happy’.
“I got everything I wanted without doing anything. They are so intuitive, I just had to talk to them about the character and once they know the scene, I’ll let them deliver it how they want to do it. It’s almost like one take and that’s it!” he continued.
Upcoming actress Jayley Woo plays the filial granddaughter who helps her pull the mother-daughter relationship closer together. When asked about her thoughts acting alongside experienced actors, she said there were mixed feelings that overwhelmed her.
“I’ll be lying to you if I said I wasn’t pressured. When my company first told me about the film, I didn’t expect to be acting as Ah Jie (Zoe Tay) and Ying Zhu Jie’s daughter and granddaughter. I was happy, nervous and excited at the same time,” the 22-year-old actress said.
Woo also mentioned that the topic of this film was somewhat close to her heart due to experiences with her own grandmother. “Participating in this project is a meaningful thing for me and I hope to bring this message to people of my generation. We have to cherish every moment with our loved ones as we wouldn’t know what happens next.”
Following its broadcast on MediaCorp Channel 8, Recipe will be screened at various community centres.