February 27, 2001

Not 'afraid to die' (kiasi), Chinese-speaking Chew Chor Meng takes on a new challenge: playing the English-speaking Mr Kiasu in Channel 5's new sitcom?

By Peng Wan Joo

(Click on pictures for larger image)

"Of course I am not confident about the language, lah, " says Chor Meng matter-of-factly when asked about his latest foray into an English-speaking role as true-blue Singaporean comic hero, Mr Kiasu.

Confidence Is The Key

"I have always been acting and hosting in Chinese and I don't feel all that comfortable when speaking in English," he explains.

Still, this former Star Search and Star Awards champion is not one to call it quits. "I am speaking English more often to build up my confidence," he says.

"If you try to speak the language with confidence, people will accept you. If you hide behind your fears, you will never learn to speak a language well."

Thankfully, overcoming this daunting challenge is not as difficult as it looks since this diploma-holder is a product of our 'English as first language' education system.

After all, according to Chor Meng, Mr Kiasu speaks with the typical Singaporean accent and not the "philly phalleh"(his way of describing the Queen's English) version.

Ah Bee Vs Mr Kiasu?

However, the star has not always been confident about himself.

"Back in 1993, 1994, I hit a low point in my career when I felt that I could not achieve a breakthrough with the characters I was playing and the image I was portraying," he says, suddenly turning serious.

This eventually led to a decision to drop his successful portrayal of Ah Bee in Don't Worry, Be Happy.

An older and wiser Chor Meng now has a different view.

"If you look at great actors like Tony Leung and Chow Yun Fatt, they always have the same style and expressions, too. But still they are very well-loved," says the actor-turned-host, who has since come to understand that it is not what role one plays that makes the difference, but how much effort one puts in.

This is why he has decided to turn his focus on hosting after signing a long-term contract with MediaCorp last year, a decision, which he candidly tells us is a "selfish" move on his part to plan for his future in long run.

"I want to look forward and see what other experiences I can gain to allow me to grow as an artiste. I can't always depend on the script or a few standard expressions.

"Hosting allows me to gain new experiences and new ideas and it gives me a chance to prove that I am not just a comedic actor but a multi-faceted one as well."

It is with this kind of newfound confidence and insight that he makes a change in his stand.

"I now find the similarity between Mr Kiasu and Ah Bee is challenging and stimulating. It would be exciting to find a way to play Mr Kiasu well and still be very different from Ah Bee," he says animatedly.

Look out for Mr Kiasu the series later this year.

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Chew Chor Meng will make a good host. What do you think?

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