Latest news with #TheSpiritHunter
AsiaOne
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- AsiaOne
'This is torture': Elvin Ng details gruelling experience with prosthetic makeup for new drama, Entertainment News
Before the cameras rolled on the set of new drama The Spirit Hunter, local actor Elvin Ng would usually be found in a chair having his makeup done. On top of a wig, heavy eyeliner and coloured contacts lenses, at times the 44-year-old would also have dried glue stuck to his skin. Elvin's first villain role Ah Lin Ta is an all-powerful monk who stays young by transforming during solar eclipses, and he told AsiaOne in a recent interview that his character could even be an 80-year-old man who looks young. He added: "(To appear old) I had to puff up my face and put glue, a lot of glue, and cool it so it becomes wrinkled, then I have to do it again." The makeup team applied multiple layers of glue to enhance the wrinkles and this was done eight to 10 times. In The Spirit Hunter, Hong Ling plays protagonist Tian Nana, a 20-year-old girl burdened to carry a toy sword infused with the spirit of Jian Ling (Richie Koh), which curses her to see supernatural entities, like Ah Lin Ta, that she must defeat. For his first shoot with prosthetic makeup, the application process took two to three hours and he had to arrive on set earlier than most of his co-stars. "I was like, 'This is torture'," he recalled. "We were doing overnight filming, and the weather forecast said there would be a thunderstorm throughout. I arrived at 3pm to do makeup for three hours, and I felt like I wasn't going to be able to film anything," he added. Elvin's situation continued to worsen. "When I went on set and it was raining, I ate noodles and because of the glue, I couldn't move my mouth very big," he said. "So I was in quite low morale because of the makeup." Luckily, the rain stopped and Elvin managed to film some scenes. "At least I didn't spend three hours doing makeup and then shoot nothing, that would be very demoralising," he said. [[nid:719451]] He also noticed the heavy makeup and glue affected his skin. He shared: "There were also fighting scenes and a lot of sweat. So the glue would come off and (the makeup team) would have to add more glue with all the sweat. When I went back home that day from the first day of filming, there were six big pimples on my forehead. "I never really had this problem before. Then I was like, 'Along the way how?' But then after that, my skin sort of got used to that glue." Still, Elvin shared he always looked forward to removing the prosthetic makeup. Once it was confirmed he would have no more scenes to film that day, he would immediately peel it off. "It was both a bit painful and pleasurable at the same time, a bit sadistic like this character." Despite his dislike for the application process, the look played a huge part in one of his most memorable scenes. "While I'm recuperating and getting young, I get attacked by Tyler Ten's character. So I'm super angry because I'm also vain. Like, 'What the heck, now I look like that. I'm going to kill you.'" The Spirit Hunter, also starring Ferlyn Wong, is available on demand for free on Mewatch and on Channel 8 on weekdays at 9pm. [[nid:719716]] No part of this article can be reproduced without permission from AsiaOne.
AsiaOne
02-07-2025
- AsiaOne
Daily roundup: Hong Kong's Michelin Bib Gourmand Mak Man Kee Wonton Noodles to debut in Singapore — and other top stories today, World News
Stay in the know with a recap of our top stories today. 1. Hong Kong's Michelin Bib Gourmand Mak Man Kee Wonton Noodles to debut in Singapore It seems more food and beverage brands from Hong Kong are coming to Singapore lately. Hot on the heels of Mon Kee cafe's opening announcement, Mak Man Kee Wonton Noodles — another famous name in Hong Kong — revealed that it will open its first overseas venture in Singapore... » READ MORE 2. Certis to cease tracking live location of officers on sick leave, says union Security company Certis has agreed to roll back its latest mandate that required employees on sick leave to share their live location if they are not at home, following discussions with the Union of Security Employees (USE). "Certis, which is unionised under USE, has agreed to do so, and there will be no location tracking of officers on medical leave," it said in a statement on Tuesday (July 1).... » READ MORE 3. 'It was a brand new world': Ferlyn Wong recounts first foray into stunts and fight scenes in new fantasy drama Local actress Ferlyn Wong jumped into new territory with The Spirit Hunter, a local fantasy drama series that required her to be suspended in mid-air, fight with swords and use martial arts. In a recent interview with AsiaOne, the 33-year-old shared her experience preparing for her role as Hua Cheng Feng, a swordswoman with a life purpose — to give back to her god-uncle after he saved her life... » READ MORE 4. 20 persons arrested in multi-agency anti-crime blitz in Geylang and Joo Chiat Eight men and 12 women, aged between 24 and 55, were arrested for various offences during a multi-agency enforcement operation in Geylang and Joo Chiat on Friday (June 27). The offences include drink driving, driving without a valid licence and insurance, non-maintenance of fire safety provisions, providing massage services without a valid licence, suspected drug-related offences, and working without a valid work permit... » READ MORE
AsiaOne
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- AsiaOne
'It was a brand new world': Ferlyn Wong recounts first foray into stunts and fight scenes in new fantasy drama , Entertainment News
Local actress Ferlyn Wong jumped into new territory with The Spirit Hunter, a local fantasy drama series that required her to be suspended in mid-air, fight with swords and use martial arts. In a recent interview with AsiaOne, the 33-year-old shared her experience preparing for her role as Hua Cheng Feng, a swordswoman with a life purpose — to give back to her god-uncle after he saved her life. Ferlyn said: "It was a brand new world for me, learning how to handle a sword and look cool doing it. Training gave me a space to focus, to make the sword feel like an extension of myself. It is definitely not as easy as it looks." The drama also stars Hong Ling as Tian Nana, a 20-year-old girl burdened to carry a toy sword infused with the spirit of Jian Ling (Richie Koh), which curses her to see supernatural entities that she must defeat. She told us she spent two months undergoing stunt training in Singapore two to three times a week, while also filming Emerald Hill — The Little Nyonya Story in Johor. Initially, she thought juggling both characters would be difficult since her roles in Emerald Hill and The Spirit Hunter were "vastly different". In the former, she plays Zhou Hongyu, who works in a brothel until she discovers she was born Anya, a member of the wealthy Zhang family. However, once it became her routine, she realised training for two hours after shooting the drama became a "therapy session" for her. She elaborated: "It actually became an avenue for me to escape the environment and mental state of my character in Emerald Hill. It gave me the space to recalibrate and return to the Emerald Hill set with a clearer, healthier mindset." 'Strangle me, just strangle' Once she began filming The Spirit Hunter, Ferlyn sustained a fair share of bruises but they became her badge of honour: "Since I'm usually fighting against men, I often end up with bruises. They hurt for days, but secretly, I'm proud of them, especially when the fight scenes turn out really well." Many of her action scenes were with Tyler Ten, who plays Zhou Jie. She told us she was "quite relieved" she would be acting opposite the 29-year-old, as they have worked together on two other dramas, Emerald Hill and I Do, Do I?. "(We have) an unspoken relationship because we grew up together. So when I knew it was with Tyler, I knew that our chemistry was going to be there." Ferlyn added that in one particular scene by the poolside, she gave Tyler "permission to go full force". "We had already built a strong level of trust, and we knew our fight choreography would sync perfectly. Of course, I ended up with the most bruises after that scene. Hitting him is like hitting a huge rock." In another scene, Tyler had to act like he was choking Ferlyn. She didn't want it to look like he was withholding his strength so she told him to "just go for it, strangle me, just strangle". Due to his strength, Ferlyn did have to remind him to let go while they were doing the scene. Although a dance background from her time in the now disbanded K-pop group Skarf helped her memorise the choreography and execute the moves, fight choreography requires a little more control, she said. "You have to exert the force, but right before you reach them, you have to stop a little bit, just so the impact is not as big as the real move," she explained. [[nid:719279]] Ferlyn's first fight scene was with supporting actor Mark Valentino, and it got off to an intense start. "In my first few fighting scenes, I literally punched him in the face, but we just continued the scene," she recalled. When the director yelled "cut", Ferlyn asked Mark if he was okay and thanked him for not stopping the scene. To her surprise, he replied: "No, thank you for continuing." Wired scenes Ferlyn was suspended in the air for some of her action scenes, assisted by a professional team from Hong Kong. "There weren't any moments when I felt scared or unsure. I believe that in every action scene, trust is crucial. Trust between the stunt team, your scene partner, the crew, and yourself," she told us. "Once that level of trust is established, you know everyone is looking out for each other's safety. That's why I never had any doubts and I would usually just go for it." Ferlyn said she had no problems doing wired scenes alone. However, when it came to doing them with other actors, like Elvin Ng, she admitted there were some difficulties. "There were times when his speed was faster than mine because of the weight difference, and it took a few more takes to get the perfect take. But he's very professional," she said, adding that he would often tweak his movements and acting after checking the result. "So that's why I said the cast is very important. When I saw the cast list, I was very confident that we won't waste time. All very intelligent actors and actresses." The Spirit Hunter is available on demand for free on Mewatch. It will also premiere on Channel 8 on July 3, airing weekdays at 9pm. [[nid:719451]] No part of this article can be reproduced without permission from AsiaOne.
AsiaOne
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- AsiaOne
'I don't really go for fame': Richie Koh on what his Star Awards nominations mean to him, Entertainment News
In a career under the spotlight, it's natural to bask in fame. But for local actor Richie Koh, it's his passion for his work that comes before stardom. In a recent interview with AsiaOne, the 32-year-old spoke to us about what matters most to him in this year's 30th edition of Star Awards. A nominee in four awards — two performance-based and two popularity-based — he shared that it's the craft of acting he values above all. "I don't really go for the fame route, but I want to go for performance — that's number one. If you're a singer, you definitely want your music to be listened to. If you're a dancer, you want to dance forever in your life." 'I want to tell people's stories' For his role as Xiaoming in Coded Love, Richie has been nominated for Best Actor and The Show Stealer in this year's Star Awards Performance categories. The character is also in the running for BYD Favourite Male Character, and Richie for Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes, which he was also nominated for but didn't win last year. Regarding popularity awards, he remarked: "I always think that if you're known for something you do, it's great. But if you're known for something that you do particularly fantastically, I would be very honoured to be seen for that — this is something I've always hoped for. I want to tell people's stories, right?" He previously received acclaim for his lead role as the intellectually disabled Zheng Tiancai in Your World in Mine (2023), which earned him two performance awards at Star Awards 2023: Best Actor and Favourite Male Show Stealer. His portrayal also landed him a nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role at the 2022 Asian Television Awards. Richie, then 29, was the youngest Best Actor in 26 years since Christopher Lee's win at age 26 in 1997. [[nid:719279]] The Spirit Hunter and A Good Child Richie was speaking to us at the press conference for his new fantasy drama The Spirit Hunter and talked about his dual roles as Gouli Ge and Jian Ling. In the drama, Jian Ling's soul is infused into a toy sword wielded by the jaded Gouli Ge. When the latter dies, 20-year-old Tian Nana (Hong Ling) becomes the next swordbearer, which curses her to see supernatural entities she must defeat. Every time Jian Ling is summoned by Nana, his clothing would change and so Richie was given close to 20 different outfits. "When I'm in costume, I'll try to imitate the way [my costume's archetype] speaks, so sometimes people on set won't understand me and they'll be like, 'Hahahaha...' "So in one scene I was wearing a full British suit. And you know Peaky Blinders? I tried to speak like Tommy Shelby for that scene and I wanted to light a cigarette, then Nana made me disappear," he laughed. "So it's little things like that which I put into different scenes [to make Jian Ling more fun]." Another interesting role he will be playing is transgender drag queen Jia Hao in the film A Good Child, which will premiere in December. He shared that the film's director Ong Kuo Sin had personally approached him to take on the role. [[nid:683358]] "The director and I had been talking about A Good Child since 2023. He had the script and asked me if I would be interested to explore this and I said, 'Yes, of course.' "He told me that this whole story is based on a real person's life — it speaks her story, about dementia, about the LGBTQ+ community, but in a good way when you reflect on parent-child relationships. "Then, I met up with this person and followed her to work. So [performing] is all about that — the hard work you put in, understanding people and characters, and telling their stories." The Spirit Hunter will be available on demand for free on Mewatch from June 30. It will also premiere on Channel 8 on July 3, airing weekdays at 9pm. [[nid:719451]] No part of this article can be reproduced without permission from AsiaOne.
AsiaOne
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- AsiaOne
'I finally get to be a psycho': Elvin Ng's unconventional role in new fantasy drama shows his different side, Entertainment News
Local actor Elvin Ng got to tap into a crazy and more rebellious side of himself for his latest character, a flirtatious and witchcraft-using psycho monk. After being cast mostly as a "boy-next-door" for the past 20 years, he told AsiaOne in a recent interview: "I felt like I've been in prison." Elvin acknowledged he's in a transitional phase where he's no longer cast in the youthful roles he once played, but not yet stepping into older characters either. While he described it as an "awkward situation", he also saw it as a welcomed shift that brings more balance to his career after years of intense, non-stop work. So when he got his first-ever villain role Ah Lin Ta in the new drama The Spirit Hunter, he felt his "other side came out". "There's actually a very dark side to me that I wanted to bring up, a bit crazy, a bit more rebellious," he said. "I love the anti-hero more than the hero." The 44-year-old shared that he auditioned for other roles in the drama but was looking forward to Ah Lin Ta the most. "I felt like it was more fun, more complicated and just more fluid," he said. In The Spirit Hunter, Hong Ling plays protagonist Tian Nana, a 20-year-old girl burdened to carry a toy sword infused with the spirit of Jian Ling (Richie Koh), which curses her to see supernatural entities that she must defeat. Ah Lin Ta is an all-powerful monk who stays young by transforming during solar eclipses. He's also an escaped magician who creates illusions in battle, making many people — including Nana — question reality. "I finally get to be a psycho," Elvin said. "I was super excited." He revealed the scriptwriter and producer summed up his character in two words: "Flirtatious" and a "killer". Elvin imagined his character being entertained through the chaos he creates, explaining: "Because if not, what entertainment is there for him, if he's already so powerful?" He added: "The more confused people are, the more fun he has." Inspiration Elvin shared he was inspired to play his character in a "crazy" and "I don't care anymore" manner thanks to the Joker from The Dark Knight, adding he loved the chaos and anarchy that the latter brings. Eventually, he told the producer he wanted his character to be bigger, louder and crazier, more than just the "crazy monster" that the character was initially described as. "To only label him as a crazy monster is very one-dimensional, and too loyal to one definition," he explained. Elvin added that it was tougher for him to prepare for Ah Lin Ta. In his previous roles, he just needed to "continue with the flow" according to the character's emotion at that point. However, because Ah Lin Ta's personality shifts so drastically and unpredictably, Elvin initially didn't know how to approach the role. His late theatre teacher Jonathan Lim helped in the process. "When I worked with Jonathan, we started with how he walks. He's a bit serpent-like." He also chose a song for the character — in this case, Titanium by David Guetta — and listened to it for around three months. "I chose that song because it feels like it takes me out there somewhere very far away," Elvin said. "When I started, it wasn't acting anymore. It was just me, being him, playing him, and having fun. So I think it changed me." When asked whether he would consider playing another similar role, Elvin said: "I'm in that period, that era, where I just want to be fluid and fun and I can't care too much anymore. For a while, I've been caring a bit too much." The Spirit Hunter, which also stars Ferlyn Wong and Tyler Ten, will be available on demand for free on Mewatch from June 30. It will also premiere on Channel 8 on July 3, airing weekdays at 9pm. [[nid:719279]] No part of this article can be reproduced without permission from AsiaOne.
