Fann Wong on her infamous quote 'We're colleagues, not friends' about Zoe Tay

Remember how you had your own little clique in school? Or how you were not really friend-friend with that person sitting two rows from you at the third table from the right?

It's like that, too, even for celebrities. But when Fann Wong — bless her honest, unfiltered mind — said something to that effect, what a storm it raised.

Back in 1995, just one year after she joined showbiz, Fann told the media during an interview that she and Ah Jie Zoe Tay were not friends but colleagues. Speculations then arose that there was intense rivalry between the two models-turned-actresses.

In the latest episode of the meWATCH talkshow The Inner Circle, 50-year-old Fann and host Guo Liang talked about it.

"There's actually nothing wrong with that statement. But why do you think it became problematic?" Guo Liang, 52, asked.

"The showbiz industry was too dull at that time," Fann blurted, laughing. Guo Liang, on the other hand, thought she shouldn't have said it in a public setting like in an interview.

"Do you mean the people in the showbiz industry are all colleagues and not your friends?" he probed.

"I really don't have many friends," Fann said. "I placed my focus on work. I was so busy that being able to have a good night's rest was a heavenly blessing."

A local drama executive producer, who had worked with Fann before, said in a video clip telecast during the episode that in the past, local actors worked very long hours and some would even work continuously from the day shift to the night shift until dawn the next day.

During those early days, Fann added, people thought she would be the next Ah Jie and so she was often compared to Zoe, to the point that she was expected to be similar to Zoe right down to her dressing.

"Now when I look back on it, of course it seemed natural that we would be compared to each other. In fact, I was quite lucky. When I entered showbiz, Zoe was already an Ah Jie and it was a good thing for me to be compared to her. But back then, the comparison was extremely stressful for me," Fann said.

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