In upcoming Channel U’s drama, Scrum!, there's lots to look forward to, including Felicia Chin's 'comeback' role since she left school, Jae Liew's first ever drama, and Jeffrey Xu's lending his voice to the drama's theme song!
Expect lots of screaming and shouting coming from Felicia Chin in the drama, who plays Huang Zhao Nan whom she describes as a ‘coach from hell’, invited to help a team of rugby players (Dark Rhino) gain recognition.
“It was a little taxing on me for the first few times and I even lost a certain fraction of my voice, but thereafter I got used to it”, said Chin during a press conference held at Sheraton Towers last Friday.
(View more photos from Scrum! press conference at our Facebook!)
The 28-year-old actress who is no stranger to sports, having played softball for 9 years agreed that her days as a softball player did help in understanding her role better. “I think it’s easier because I roughly know how a competition is like, how team spirit feels like, what is needed as a team to win something.”
“I’ve always been on the receiving end so after playing this role (as a coach), I now know how my coach felt then”, she chuckled.
This series is Chin’s first ‘comeback drama’, following her return to showbiz in June. “I think this show is pretty perfect for a comeback role, I just hope to portray a more confident and matured side of me, and being a better actress as well.”
This show also marks upcoming starlet Jae Liew’s first drama since she made her acting debut in Michelle Chong’s 3 Peas In A Pod where she starred alongside Alexander Lee Eusebio and Calvin Chen.
(Read our press conference coverage of 3 Peas In A Pod!)
In Scrum!, Liew plays a cheerleader in Greenwood Polytechnic, the well-liked school girl among the Dark Rhino rugby boys, which is a 180o change from what we last saw her. “That was a real challenge for me. Whatever I do on a normal basis, I would have to multiply it by six, or even 10!”, she explained.
“Watching Mean Girls really helped me. The queen bee of film? Yeah, I took a lot of inspiration from her!”
As to other roles she would like to try in the future, Liew describes the role as “a very mentally unstable, disturbed person”. “A lot of people don’t really understand and are not sympathetic to it, it would take a lot out of me if I can bring that good character across”, the 23-year-old actress continued.
For Jeffrey Xu, changing his image to suit his character is only the first step. Besides bleaching his hair and getting a tan (which we think it really suits him), Xu revealed that he hit the gym everyday for at least two hours each time, to get into shape.
“Because this show is essentially about rugby, I have to have an image of a rugby player so that people are convinced that I am worthy of being the leader of the team”, he quipped. And because of this this drama, he has gained interest in working out, so much so that this has become a regular routine for the actor.
Xu also lend his voice to sing the theme song of the drama, something he enjoys from young. He said, :“I personally enjoy singing and am glad to have the opportunity at last. I’ll give myself a 8 out of 10.”
Scrum! stars Felicia Chin, Chris Lee, Allen Chen, Jeffrey Xu, Jae Liew and Carrie Wong, premiering 26 February 2014, 8pm on Channel U!