It is no surprise that local star Rui En gave herself a mere pass for her overall performance this year despite bagging the Most Popular Regional Artiste Award for both Indonesia and Malaysia at Star Awards 2014.
The award-winning actress, who has sky-high expectations for herself, told xinmsn at the imaging session for The Journey: Our Homeland yesterday that she will never be satisfied with her own performance as she always thirsts for improvement.
“I hope to achieve more than what I can, so to be honest, I will never meet the mark,” said Rui En, who will be playing a nurse-turned-gynaecologist in the third and final installment of the trilogy in conjunction with the nation’s 50th birthday.
However, there was an exception this year. The actress took on the role of a baddie in thriller drama Against The Tide, her first villainous role in her showbiz career, and this “small breakthrough was what helped me pass this year”. Despite feedback that Against The Tide was a letdown, Rui En, who saw the drama as a huge challenge for her, was satisfied with her portrayal of the role.
When asked if she would be keen to take up similar dark roles, the thespian unhesitatingly replied, “Definitely! They are really fun to act in and I love it. But there must be a reason behind [these characters] and not being bad for the sake of it.”
Rui En sees no chances of winning at Asian Television Awards
Unfortunately, Rui En does not share the same level of confidence, at least not yet, for her next role as Mei Xue, her character in The Journey: Our Homeland, which is set in 60s.
Though the 33-year-old is not new to period dramas - she was also in Joys of Life (2012) - she foresees an uphill battle as she highlighted previous feedback from audience that she is unsuited for such dramas. “I had doubted myself initially too, but it is a challenge to let them feel comfortable watching me in period dramas. I have learnt a different way of bringing the role across after participating in Joys of Life.”
And we don’t doubt her one bit. After all, over her 12 years in showbiz, Rui En has shown that she has the versatility to take on any role that’s thrown at her and even has numerous awards to show for it, including a Best Actress gong at the 2012 Asian Television Awards for her role as a CID officer in crime drama Unriddle 2.
So what does Rui En, who is nominated for Best Actress for her role in Sudden, think of her chances at the upcoming Asian Television Awards?
“Zero,” she replied.
“Fighting against [fellow nominee Chinese actress] Joan Chen, it should be impossible for me [to win]. But I’m thankful that the judges noticed my performance, I’m elated to be nominated alongside these A-listers,” she said humbly, adding that she will not be attending the upcoming ceremony on Thursday (Dec 11) due to other commitments.
No limits to acting in comedies
But it is surprising when she revealed she has no limits to acting in comedies, especially coming from someone who is known as the “Ice Queen” for her cold demeanour. Veteran actress and her bosom friend Chen Li Ping, who is turning 50 next year, previously let us in on an acting project she hopes can happen then – to star in a comedy with Rui En.
The latter laughed, “I think a chance like this should be given to us! The dramas they let us collaborate in are either dark ones like Unriddle 2, or those where they make us mother and daughter,” before expressing her hopes for a mother and daughter relationship in a comedy with Li Ping as it would be best of both worlds.
But for now, she will be busy with The Journey: Our Homeland before filming for The Dream Makers 2 begins in the second half of 2015. And to fans who hope for her to jump onto the social media bandwagon next year, we’re sorry to disappoint you again as Rui En quipped, “I still think my life is boring and there is nothing much to post about. It’s not my style so I’d better not bore everyone.”
The Journey: Our Homeland debuts 6 July 2015 on weekdays at 9pm on Channel 8.