Sora Ma went to Busan with two goals and returned after achieving three.

In an interview with Lianhe Zaobao on Oct 8, the 38-year-old Singapore-based Malaysian actress revealed that she had only two intentions when she attended the Asia Content Awards (ACA) held in Busan, South Korea, on Oct 8. 

She flew over because she wanted to meet fellow local actress Hong Huifang and Extraordinary Attorney Woo's actress Park Eun-bin — even though Sora was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Mediacorp's English drama This Land Is Mine.

Huifang was also in Busan because her movie Ajoomma held its world premiere on Oct 7 at the Busan International Film Festival.

"Truthfully, I don't have high hopes. I'm here with thoughts of having a holiday and an eye-opening trip for me to learn from," Sora also said in an episode of #JustSwipeLah recorded before the ceremony. 

Ultimately, however, Sora was announced the winner.

She was understandably surprised and was stunned when her name was called.

"Pierre, who was sitting in front of me, told me with a smile that it was real and asked me to go on stage to receive the award," Sora recalled.

She then took the stage together with Park Hae-soo, who won the award for Best Supporting Actor in Squid Game.

Remembering the moment, she told reporters: "At the time, I was so surprised that I couldn't even cry if I wanted to… I asked Hae-soo to give his speech first. I needed some time to take a few breaths and calm down."

Local actors Pierre Png and Richie Koh were also at ACA because Pierre was nominated for Best Actor for This Land Is Mine and Richie represented Mediacorp's Chinese drama Your World In Mine, which was nominated for Best Content.

In her speech, Sora thanked Mediacorp as well as the producer and director of the post-war series for the opportunity to play Helen, which also happens to be her first time acting in an English-language show.

Expressing gratitude to the crew, Sora also thanked Pierre for being an amazing co-star to work with, adding that she "could not ask for a better partner for Helen".

'Now I can really believe that this is not a dream'

Sora shared her thoughts a day later in the #JustSwipeLah episode.

"I'm back at the red carpet that I walked down yesterday, trying to feel the emotions again," she said as she closed her eyes and paused.

"Okay, it's real — now I can really believe that this is not a dream… I've been acknowledged on this global stage."

She also explained that her performance in the drama wasn't difficult, barring the obstacle of having to speak in English.

Said Sora: "The moment I received the script, I read and memorised it like a maniac — when filming started, I was already well-prepared.

"The production team was very thoughtful and looked after me well, but most importantly, my co-actor was Pierre, who is well-known for being very considerate and caring."

Because of the support she received, Sora confidently stated that acting in This Land is Mine wasn't tough at all.

"No matter what, it was all worth it," she added.

ALSO READ: Singapore enters 2023 Oscars race with Ajoomma

khooyihang@asiaone.com

No part of this story or photos can be reproduced without permission from AsiaOne.

For more original AsiaOne articles, visit here.