DIRECT FROM MELBOURNE: A 20-strong team consisting of cast and crew members of Channel 8’s The Dream Makers 2 flew to the land of kangaroos to film certain key scenes in the 32-episode drama series for two weeks in September. And Toggle was part of the entourage from start to finish: we got to breathe the same air, sleep under the same roof, and had equally early call times too – but that’s another story for another day.
For this week’s special ‘Dream Makers 2’ #throwbackthursday series, we have Jeanette Aw, the Snapchat guru who, when not channelling the emotions of Zhao Fei’er before the cameras, can be seen “vlogging” about her travel experiences and the sights and sounds of Melbourne on her mobile phone – all day, every day, like she’s maintaining a “travel diary” of sorts, quipped Ah Jie Zoe Tay.
Indeed. If you follow Jeanette on aforementioned social media platform, you’d have had a firsthand glimpse of on-set happenings – including a candid video she filmed of us, the media, eating on the job (translation: sampling freshly shucked oysters at South Melbourne Market as part of a media tour).
Jeanette indulged in the briny bivalves too (photographic evidence here) after asking us if it tasted good (yes, it did), and contrary to popular belief, this actress eats and has a hearty appetite to boot.
“All this while people think I’m very skinny and that I’m very petite and I don’t eat. But I do!” she chortled in protest, “And I exercise a lot to make up for it.”
Her secret to keeping trim and fit? Hitting the gym – time permitting – after work, or “30- to 45-minute jump rope sessions” in her hotel room, said Jeanette.
Apart from having to be in physically good shape, the actress tells us she has been trying to maintain a healthy emotional equilibrium too because playing a despondent Zhao Fei’er has affected her emotionally and mentally – so much so that she broke down and cried in the middle of filming (in Singapore) one fine day for no rhyme or reason.
“I think I shocked everybody, but it’s something that even I can’t control,” she mused.
On set in Melbourne, her character often had a distant look in her eyes, rarely smiled and appeared subdued and mellow. Before stepping into the shoes of Fei’er again, Jeanette consulted with mental health professionals to prepare for the role. Afraid of sinking in too deep, she wanted to have a safety net and “someone to turn to immediately” if necessary, she confided.
Aware of the emotional changes whirling inside her – especially since it’s evident from her moody captions and posts on social media, Jeanette later added, “Not that good, not that good. I need to pick myself up. (Laughs)”
“I’m actually a very happy girl and I’d say this is very new territory to me. I guess I can feel Fei’er because I played her in part 1 and I think there is continuity in this character and in many ways – I think our paths have crossed, and I’m probably more Fei’er than Ou Xuan (Jeanette) right now,” she laughed.