Chantalle Ng had to cry in new drama, and all she needed to get emotional was mum Lin Meijiao saying this

Mum is always there when you need her, and this is true for young local actress Chantalle Ng, especially for her new drama My Star Bride, which she stars with her mother, veteran actress Lin Meijiao.

In the virtual press conference yesterday for the new Chinese drama, the 25-year-old recalled one particular scene that she aced, with help from mum.

Chantalle plays the female lead Fangcao, a bride from Vietnam who comes to Singapore to raise money for her mother's medical bills and to look for her younger sister, who was abducted to Singapore when she was a child. Meijiao stars as Fangcao's mother-in-law Xiuqin who often picks on her.

In the aforementioned scene, Fangcao calls her mother in Vietnam and misses her so much that she gets teary. But because she didn't have any lines, Chantalle said she had trouble emoting.

"So I called my real mum on the phone and I got emotional right after hearing her voice," she added.

In a phone interview with AsiaOne, Meijiao told us what she had said in the phone conversation.

"I was supposed to say a lot, but I only managed to say, 'Hello', and the crew told me it was okay already," the 53-year-old laughed.

Chantalle added: "I remember she said more than that. She told me, 'I know it has been a tough time for you filming this drama, jiayou!' I started crying, and the crew took her phone away."

She explained the words were especially poignant to her as she was very busy and tired from filming My Star Bride at that time and couldn't spend much time with her mother.

"I think I was especially touched to hear those words of consolation from my mother during such a hectic period," Chantalle said.

The two are especially close as Meijiao single-handedly raised her daughter after divorcing former actor Huang Yiliang when Chantalle was just a few years old.

"If she's overseas, she would miss me after just one day," Meijiao explained.

For the experienced actress, one scene that stood out was when Fangcao had to do a lot of household chores for Xiuqin, such as washing the dishes and wiping them dry.

"I thought to myself, how wonderful it would be if Chantalle really helps me with so many chores at home," Meijiao deadpanned.

The 20-episode My Star Bride is available on demand for free on meWATCH from Jan 25 and from Jan 28 at 9pm on Channel 8.

ALSO READ: How are 2nd-gen celebs Chantalle Ng, Chen Yixi and Calvert Tay coping with being around their parents 24/7?

kwokkarpeng@asiaone.com