“I finally understand why people are so into Korean dramas,” quipped Elvin Ng, “I think its plus points are the men are handsome – even if they are less expressive (chuckles) and the girls are cute and a little silly. Their love stories and chemistry are well-developed too.”
The actor was compelled to watch his first and only Korean drama, You Who Came From The Stars, to prepare for his role in Channel 8 drama Sealed With A Kiss (SWAK). And he eventually got “hooked” and was even “fangirl-ing” the characters - a surprising confession we never thought we’d hear from the actor, who despite his sentimental and sensitive front, is not a fan of such dramas.
Playing Zhu Jian Nan, a homebody who avoids human contact because his bad luck would rub off on anyone within a 3-metre radius, Elvin shared that his character is a recluse and K-drama fan who enjoys imagining himself in the shoes of the male leads (like Do Min Joon from aforementioned K-drama).
“That is he relies on his fantasies, especially after he meets his goddess (Du Jun Ning played by Rebecca Lim) because he has no chance to fall in love or date because of his bad luck,” he chuckled, in an interview with Toggle at the drama’s press conference on Tuesday.
These fantasies are based on parodies of a few iconic scenes in You Who Came From The Stars and both Elvin and Becks were even outfitted to resemble the characters (Professor Do Min Joon and Cheon Song Yi) – from his wig to their fashionable ‘winter’ wardrobes.
One such scene required our male lead to stop a moving vehicle from crashing into the love of his life with his superpowers while dramatically saving said damsel with a grand dash. Sounds romantic, but not when you have to twirl non-stop for about 12 times (he’s referring to Becks) and be decked out in winter coats while filming on the streets of hot and humid Singapore, said Elvin.
“Coincidentally Rebecca got bitten by a mosquito and her eyelid was a bit swollen too. But I still had to pull her in and pretend I’m about to plant a kiss on her lips. It was really more comedic than anything else.
“And I was actually hoping we’d get to film the scene where I stop time and everyone around me freezes!” the fangirl in him let on.
While no expense was spared in looking the part of Do Min Joon, Elvin shared that he filmed the drama for one month without a trace of makeup on his face – “no powder, no concealor, nothing,” he quipped, which is something he has never done before. Part of the reason he decided to film with a bare mien was to live up to his character’s unkempt appearance, another reason was based on the feedback he got from the drama’s writer and producer who told him that he’s too vain and image conscious, at one of their first meetings for the show.
However, his decision to go bare-faced backfired when the production team realised how “shiny” his facial features appeared on the monitor when they were filming. “The director told me ‘it won’t work out’. At first I thought it was because I had bad skin,” he laughed, “But it was really because of the T-zone area.”
Contrary to his character who is a walking magnet for bad luck in the drama, Elvin’s had a “pretty smooth-sailing life” so far. However, if there’s one aspect of it he absolutely has no luck in – it would be in the money department, said Elvin. “I really have no luck in that area!”
“If I were to gamble, 12 out of 10 times I’d be on the losing end. You should always bet the opposite of what I placed my bets on and you are bound to win,” he chuckled.
No thanks to his lack of luck, the actor shared that he’d never fail to be the banker when he plays card games with his little cousins during Chinese New Year. “I see it as a form of repaying society and they’d all be happy.
“I may not have much luck with money,” he mused, “But I think I’m very blessed in other aspects of my life.”