Precious reward

IT was a proud day when Malaysian-born actress Yeo Yann Yann won for best actress at the 56th Golden Horse Awards in November for her stunning performance in Wet Season.

This was her second Golden Horse award win, after she earned a best supporting actress award for her role in the critically acclaimed Ilo Ilo (2013).

Yeo, who has worked in theatre, television and film, is best known for her performances in films such as Singapore Dreaming, Thunderstorm, 881 and Ilo Ilo. Her career really took off when she played the lead role in The Iron Lady, a drama series produced by ntv7.

She also played Lee Chong Wei’s mother in a 2018 biopic about the badminton legend.

theSun recently spoke to Yeo on the phone when she returned to Singapore after a busy year working on and promoting Wet Season.

Asked to describe how she felt upon hearing her name called out for best actress, she said: “I was happy. Then I got a little emotional. I was trying to stay calm and thank everyone I wanted to thank on stage.

“But the excitement was so overwhelming that I forgot to thank my family. When I got off the stage, I asked my friend if I had thanked my family. He said: ‘No’ and I was like: ‘Oh my god!’.”

Yeo said she feels greatly indebted to her mother and aunt who help care for her young daughter when she has to be away (from home) for filming.

“That was why I wanted to thank them on stage. My mum lives in Johor Baru but she travels to Singapore to take care of my child, and my aunt lets my daughter stay in her house in Singapore.”

Recalling when she first decided that she wanted to be an actress, Yeo said she was about six or seven years old.

“I watched a film where a little girl was crying, grieving for her father who had passed away. I [felt] so sad that I started crying. I didn’t want anyone to see me cry, so I wiped away my tears.

“Then I thought, if I was the little girl [on TV], I wouldn’t have to care if anyone sees me cry.”

Yeo said that what really motivated her was “the thought to be able to express myself freely”.

When asked if now was an exciting time to be an Asian actor, especially with so many avenues to showcase her talent, Yeo said: “It is an exciting time, but it is also a sad time”, referring to the recent round of layoffs in the media industry.

“At the same time there are different new media. We face so many challenges as the world is changing so fast. But Malaysians live in a multi-cultural, multi-lingual country, so we can work anywhere in the world, because of our ability to adapt to changes.”

In Wet Season, Yeo plays Ling, a teacher struggling with a crumbling marriage. She takes a troubled student under her wing but their relationship turns into something inappropriate.

About her character in Wet Season, Yeo said: “When I read the script, I knew she was totally different from me. I’d always been boyish, but she was gentle and soft. The first thing that came to mind was that the gentleness and softness could be very difficult for me.

“Then there was the way she looked. The director insisted that she have long hair, and I [have] had short hair all my life.”

So Yeo sourced for a wig before she met the director.

The ending of Wet Season leaves plenty of room for viewers to draw their own conclusions.

Yeo explained: “In fairytales, there are happily ever afters. In [Ling’s] eyes there are unknown challenges coming. Some people read it as hope and some left the cinema feeling a sense of uncertainty.”

Aside from Yeo, the 56th Golden Horse Awards saw other Malaysians being nominated in both acting and technical categories including for best editing, best cinematography, best make-up and best music.

“I hope we will make more films locally and the audience will support us,” she said.

So where will her career take her in 2020?

“I am on holiday now because we’ve been promoting Wet Season since October. I flew to film festivals in Toronto, China and Taiwan. The last stop was the Macao International Film Festival, the last one for Wet Season. Now I am taking a good rest.

“Sometimes you can’t really plan too far. There have been some film offers but I need time to decide what’s next.”

Yeo will next be seen in HBO Asia Original’s Invisible Stories, which premieres on Jan 5 on HBO GO and HBO, after making the rounds at international film festivals.

Yeo stars in the series’ first episode which is set in a fictional neighbourhood housing estate in multi-cultural Singapore.

To her fans, Yeo said: “Support local films. It’s been a tough journey for filmmakers in Singapore and Malaysia. We are a growing industry. We will try our best to make good films.

“Our budget will never be as big as Hollywood’s, but our passion and determination are no less than theirs.”

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