PUBLISHED ONFebruary 28, 2024 4:42 AMByYeo Shu HuiTrue friendships withstand the test of time and continue even after they have not seen each other for a long time.
For Lina Ng, Carole Lin and Joy Yak, their decades-long friendship is one to be envied as there was a period of 10 years where they didn't contact each other.
"I was from Star Search 1995, Lina debuted from Star Search 1993, and Joy was a variety show host, so she would interview us frequently. That was how we became familiar with each other," Carole shared with Shin Min Daily News in an interview published on Monday (Feb 26).
The 51-year-old, who married a Korean-American chiropractor in 2014 and shares a daughter together, said that she and Lina bonded while filming dramas, such as pulling all-nighters and getting scolded by directors, and protected and supported each other through those periods.
Carole's last drama was The Journey: A Voyage (2013). When asked if she had been invited to act in any series over the years, she said: "Actually, I continue to receive offers, sometimes for leading roles where I have to film for a few months, and also cameo appearances.
"I hope to participate in them but unfortunately my schedule does not allow it, so I can only decline them."
Speaking about her friendship with Lina and Joy, Carole added that there was a period of time when the three of them left the entertainment industry for different paths — Lina got married and started a family while Carole was not in Singapore — and they did not contact each other.
Lina later returned to acting, and has been in series such as Lion Mums season two and three (2017 and 2018), Last Madame (2019) and Your World in Mine (2022).
The 49-year-old shared to the Chinese daily that she and Carole did not contact each other for a decade.
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Despite that, once the three of them met, they started chatting comfortably.
"We have never become estranged from each other because we met less. This kind of friendship is very gratifying. Among us, Joy is the most patient, the most accommodating, accepting and tolerant. She is so good that sometimes it makes us embarrassed," Lina laughed.
Joy, who recently appeared in Mediacorp drama Till the End (2023), believes that their friendship was forged through fate.
She told Shin Min: "When Lina and Carole had to film night scenes, we would wait for each other to finish work and meet up for supper. We would often chat until dawn, and then go to the TV station again to start work."
She is also grateful for Lina's and Carole's friendships and companionship throughout their 20s, 30s and 40s.
"During the Covid-19 pandemic, we would encourage and ask after whoever is diagnosed. We would also meet up to exercise and go for walks. Life is unpredictable, which makes us cherish each other more.
"I am very grateful to them for their tolerance and love for me, allowing me to be my truest self," Joy added.
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