Sheila Sim drinks before movie Geylang's kiss scene 'to boost her courage'

Even for a seasoned actress like Sheila Sim, a little bit of liquid courage can help.

In a recent interview with Lianhe Zaobao, local director Boi Kwong revealed that Sheila Sim had to down some alcohol before she could gather enough nerves to film her first onscreen kiss.

Sheila, 37, was feeling a little uncomfortable before the shoot so the crew bought some alcohol for her, Boi said.

"She said that she hadn't drank alcohol since she had a child," he recalled. "She drank before filming to boost her courage — the alcohol worked like a hallucinogenic and allowed her to perform easily and naturally."

Boi added: "Because we were filming in a remote area, we didn't have to clear the set (to protect Sheila's privacy), since all the crew members were quite far away from the actors."

In the upcoming local Geylang, Sheila plays Celine, a social worker who attempts to help those disadvantaged in life, inclusive of sex workers.

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But there's more at work in Geylang as the story also revolves around foul-mouthed pimp Fatty (Mark Lee) and prostitute Shangri-la (Patricia Lin), among other characters, whose lives become intertwined.

Celine also gets pulled in via her personal relationship with Shangri-la.

Speaking to Zaobao towards the end of last year, Sheila had revealed that this kiss scene would be her first onscreen one but didn't reveal who it was with at the time.

Sheila added in the interview: "I have already told my husband about this. He replied saying that when he watches this film in the future, he would make sure to avoid watching this scene."

Geylang will be screened in The Projector's Redrum Room at Golden Mile Tower next Saturday (Nov 26) at 7.30pm for the Singapore International Film Festival.

The movie is expected to be released in local theatres next year.

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khooyihang@asiaone.com