PUBLISHED ONJanuary 16, 2025 10:11 AMByYeo Shu HuiIn 2020, after watching the Golden Horse-nominated local drag queen comedy Number 1, Marcus Chin told director Ong Kuo Sin that he wanted to be in the sequel, if there was one.
With that in mind, Kuo Sin and actor-scriptwriter Jaspers Lai wrote a character specially for the 70-year-old actor in the upcoming Number 2 — playing veteran drag queen Monica.
Marcus told AsiaOne at the press conference yesterday (Jan 15) that the costume he wore in the movie was the most exaggerated one he's had so far in his long career, including as a getai performer, and he had no problems playing a drag queen.
"As an actor, I can act in any role. I didn't have any struggles [embracing the character] and felt that it was a rare experience. I haven't cross-dressed for any roles since playing Bao Meili," he said.
His memorable character Meili is a rich woman with hilarious Chinese pronunciation and appeared in Jack Neo's series Comedy Nite in the early 2000s.
While he appreciated getting the role, a real challenge for Marcus during filming was the costume and make-up he wore for filming.
"My make-up took about two to three hours to complete. The emphasis was on the eye makeup, which took about an hour to do. I had to arrive at the make-up room at 7am and we could only start filming at about 2pm after the actors had all done their make-up," he elaborated.
He also had to wear a pair of six-inch heels for his performance and take extra care when walking, especially at the humid performance hall they filmed in.
"There were a lot of stairs and wires around and we were afraid of falling. If we injured ourselves, filming would be delayed." he added.
Number 2 centres on Chow Chee Beng (Mark), who faces a crisis among the drag community after getting into a conflict while working as a property agent. In an attempt to revive his career with the members of The Queens — Money (Jaspers), Pearl (Kiwebaby Chang), Italy (Darius Tan) and Unicorn (Gadrick Chin) — they travel to Thailand with Chee Beng's rebellious son Mason (Estovan Reizo Cheah), participating in a drag competition in an attempt to regain their former glory.
The first movie released in 2020 got Mark a nomination for Best Actor in the Golden Horse awards and the team won Best Makeup and Costume Design.
Marcus also said that going to the toilet in his costume was troublesome.
"We had to wear a few layers and would have to take everything off to go to the toilet. Later, we decided to modify the costume so that it was more convenient. We also didn't dare to drink any water during filming," he shared.
His co-stars shared the same sentiment.
Darius said: "We wore padding, corset and stockings — two to three pairs sometimes — which we had to take all off when going to the toilet. It actually took up a lot of time, sometimes as long as 15 minutes."
"We had no choice, so we would all go together, even if we didn't have to. If not we would waste a lot of time," Mark, 56, added.
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With the killer heels they had to wear, it was inevitable someone would have an accident, and the 'victim' turned out to be Jaspers.
The 37-year-old said: "I slipped down the stairs. It was just before we filmed a dance scene and we were preparing for it. I kept telling myself not to fall but I did in the next instance.
"I felt a searing pain in my right leg and it hurt a lot for about two days. During filming that day, everyone was very patient with me because I had to hold on to Mark or Darius as well as a walking cane for support. Just before the camera rolled, I would throw the cane away and perform. Once filming was done, they all came to help me."
Mark and Darius praised Jaspers for his professionalism and commitment, adding that he had tears in his eyes while performing.
Local actress Gina Tan, who plays Chee Beng's wife Marie, revealed during the press conference that she had pneumothorax (partially collapsed lung) in May 2023, a few months before her filming for Number 2 began in Thailand.
She shared: "I woke up one morning feeling tightness in my chest and breathlessness. I thought I pulled a muscle while sleeping and remembered having to go for filming that night [for long-form English drama Sunny Side Up].
"But that afternoon, I felt worse and told the assistant director that I was going to the hospital's accident and emergency department. I still thought that it might just be inflammation and I would be well after taking an injection. But the doctor told me that my lung 'exploded'. I was shocked."
Gina added that she underwent an emergency surgery and was hospitalised for nine days.
She was still recuperating while filming in Hat Yai and was worried whether she could perform a scene where she had to sing and dance.
Kuo Sin arranged a double for her just in case, but Gina was able to complete the scene on her own in the end, which she felt was an accomplishment.
Number 2 opens in cinemas on Jan 28.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90gsop7pm4Y[/embed]
yeo.shuhui@asiaone.com
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