'I was most afraid of falling backwards': Chantalle Ng on her struggles using wheelchair in new drama

When asked how she felt after overcoming difficulties she might have experienced filming her drama Hope Afloat, local actress Chantalle Ng joked that she didn't.

"I didn't overcome them," she laughed.

In the series, the 29-year-old plays para swimmer Tianqing, who was born with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a condition that affects the nerves and results in smaller and weaker muscles.

In a recent interview with AsiaOne, she shared that she struggled to navigate a wheelchair and never fully got the hang of it.

"I'm not a natural… wheeling around is easy but when I have to lift myself to a higher position, like sitting on the wheelchair handle to get something at the grocery store, I struggled a bit," she said.

"I was most afraid of falling backwards, but actually that fear is completely unfounded because we have a stopper at the back of a wheelchair. It's just that rush of adrenaline when you think you might fall."

Chantalle's biggest worry before filming though, was portraying para athletes accurately.

"I've always looked up to our Paralympian Yip Pin Xiu and my character is kind of referenced from her so I think it was a lot of pressure. I was scared that I wouldn't do a good job at depicting her," she shared, adding that she met Pin Xiu for a meal.

"She very generously answered whatever questions I had. I asked about her life, routine and whether she'd cross her legs in a wheelchair… I would see her pushing her leg up to do so. It's just things like that to really let me be exposed to her world."

Despite her worries and struggles, Chantalle said she has "no regrets".

"Could I have done it better? Yes, but I tried my best."

'It's all written on my face'

Hope Afloat follows Xilin (played by Tasha Low) a dancer who becomes paralysed waist-down after a jetski accident. She meets Tianqing and regains the courage to embark on her new journey in life.

While Tianqing later grapples with maintaining a strong front in the face of obstacles, Xilin eventually portrays a cheerful demeanour despite her struggles.

We asked Chantalle whether she's able to hide her emotions well.

"I don't hide my emotions. It's all on my face, that's my problem and I haven't been able to overcome that. It's all written on my face," she said.

"I'm more like Tianqing in real life. I'm like the sunshine with a chance of thunderstorms."

She added that both in the drama and real life, she feels like she always has to be "strong" to protect the people around her.

"I don't know why but I always find soft people in my life. Like my mum is quite similar to Tasha. They will not stand up for themselves and over the years I became somebody who would, because I don't want to see people take advantage of the ones I love," she said.

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However, unlike Tianqing, she hasn't personally faced prejudice.

"Fortunately, I've never experienced discrimination, but to all the people out there who are being discriminated against, I think you just gotta stand up for yourself. If I were to face that, I would not just sit down," she said.

"It shouldn't be happening in this time and age… It's something I remind myself of as well, sometimes I forget that we need to be kind and we need to have love for one another. I think ultimately that's the point of living, if not, then for what?"

Hope Afloat, which also stars Desmond Ng, Grace Teo, Zhang Zetong, Guo Liang, Cynthia Koh and Kym Ng, premieres July 30 and airs weekdays 9pm on Channel 8. It will also be available on demand for free on Mewatch from July 29.

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syarifahsn@asiaone.com

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