It was a teary affair at MediaCorp’s Studio 6 on Wednesday, as the cast members of Channel 8 popular long-form drama 118 bade farewell to the set that they have come to call home.
Carrie, who didn’t think that she would cry, could not hold back her tears when she saw her male co-stars Chew Chor Meng and Xu Bin breaking down. However, the optimistic starlet believes that even though the set is no more, the feelings between the strongly bonded cast members will not change.
Stepping into the near-empty studio that morning, Carrie still vividly remembered where all the furniture were placed. “One year has passed in the blink of an eye. Words cannot express my love for 118. Being able to meet this bunch of people is the biggest blessing to me. All the little things that happened during this past year will stay with me forever,” she shared.
When asked on the co-star that she would miss the most, Carrie earnestly said that the relationship between everyone is really close-knitted. “When we weren’t filming, we would hang out for drinks and dinner. Unknowingly, this group of people has become my best friends,” explained the actress.
But if she had to pick one of them, it would be Taiwanese actor Charles Lee, who will return to his hometown in September. “I don’t know what I should do. How am I going to say goodbye?” Carrie cried.
According to the budding thespian, Charles had planned to leave quietly on his own which infuriated Carrie. “I told him that if he dares to fly off without saying a word, I will immediately book a ticket to Taiwan to beat him up!”
Not only is Carrie planning to send him off at the airport, the 21-year-old promises to keep in touch with her newfound buddy. In fact, the actress has already applied for leave from the new long-form series Life – Fear Not production team to visit Charles in Taiwan this December.
As for her most memorable scene in 118, Carrie recalled the one time that she got into a conflict with Xu Bin on set. In her own words, Xu Bin was unable to “get the right emotions” which in turn affected her performance. “I was angry and we quarreled for a bit. The team had to halt filming because of us, so that scene actually didn’t turn out very well,” she let on.
However, Carrie texted Xu Bin on the same night to let him know what her issue was. In response, the actor shared his thoughts and the two resolved their differences the next day. “We are so close that we can openly talk things through without hiding anything. Even when we give our honest opinions, it wouldn’t affect our relationship. This is very precious,” reiterated Carrie.
Xu Bin: This is the first time I don’t feel any pressure
After shooting most of his scenes outdoors, Xu Bin felt “tightness in his chest” when he returned to a barren studio.
“Realising that the house is gone, I feel like I couldn’t breathe. I kept telling myself not to cry, but when I saw Ah Pa (Chor Meng) and Ah Ma (Pan Lingling) bawling, the tears just couldn’t stop flowing,” he sighed.
From the first day that he entered showbiz, Xu Bin has always thought that it is tough to be an artiste. Besides having to work hard in different areas, the 26-year-old also had to bear with a lot of stress. It was only until he started filming 118 that he did not face any pressure for once. Like all the other cast members, the actor is crossing fingers for a second season of 118.