PUBLISHED ONJuly 03, 2024 9:35 AMByYeo Shu HuiFor the past three months, local actress Tay Ying had been living in the shoes of Kira, a member of a plus-sized dance girl group from the new Mediacorp drama The Blockbusters.
She gained 10kg for the role and after the series wrapped up filming recently, she was commonly asked if she was going to slim down "as fast as possible".
In an Instagram post today (July 3), the 28-year-old responded: "I'm really just taking all the time I need, as I am choosing to prioritise my physical and mental health."
Tay Ying shared that her diet the last five months had been "pretty extreme"; her lifestyle included having four meals a day and mass gainers, strength training and very minimal cardio workouts.
She is now slowly adjusting to having two meals a day and getting back to her cardio regime.
"In the midst of this new routine, my body is also taking her time to heal," she added.
She also reflected on playing Kira in her post.
"I have been filming and dancing pretty much non-stop for almost 15 to 16 hours daily. But no complaints because it was genuinely a very enjoyable journey, and I love working… One day I shall look back at my 20s and thank myself and my body for this experience," Tay Ying added.
The Blockbusters centres around four students from Why Dance Studio — Bree (Xixi Lim), Kira (Tay Ying), Izzy (Ng Meeki) and Nana (Kayly Loh) — who unexpectedly become viral sensations after a video they posted online and debut as the first local plus-size girl group Team BB.
As they navigate being in the limelight together, the girls also experience ups and downs as a team, gaining support and pressures from fans and anti-fans, confronting mental health struggles and overcoming scandals.
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In an interview with AsiaOne this April, Tay Ying shared that her challenge during the filming period was to maintain the weight gain. While her family — including her parents, veteran actors Zheng Geping and Hong Huifang, and her chef boyfriend Wu Sihan — were worried at first, they became supportive of her decision.
She added then that her decision to play Kira sparked from her realisation that many women struggle with their body image and was upset by that.
"Everyone knows me as being lean and rather fit and of a smaller build. I went through this change to kind of prove the point that at the end of the day, I'm still me, that's more important.
"It's not about what size you are. Everyone should be respected at any size, whether you're tall, short, skinny, or on the bigger side… your personality and values are way more important than your appearance."
The Blockbusters also stars James Seah, Jeffrey Xu and Priscelia Chan and is set to premiere in November.
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