'I'd skip a few buses until my crush came': Andie Chen and Rebecca Lim recall childhood memories of taking public transport

We've all got little stories to tell when it comes to our childhood.

In a recent interview with AsiaOne, local actors Andie Chen and Rebecca Lim shared some precious memories of taking public transport in their youth.

"From the age of 13 to 17, I had one major crush — one girl," Andie, now 37, revealed. "She was the world.

"I found out what bus she was taking and I could sort of take the same bus, although it's not as close [to my way home]."

Rebecca, 36, expressed doubt at this — the fact that it was "sort of" the same bus already implied it wasn't, she teased.

"Yes but it was the same direction, you'd just take a longer route," Andie bargained.

The two of them are co-stars in the new Mediacorp English drama the Third Rail, which follows an underground train hijacking situation.

Andie plays John, one of the hijackers who, despite the atrocious deed, is described by him as a "kind soul".

Rebecca plays Geri, a hostage in the tense train hijack and also the "heroine of the entire cabin". For Geri, the pressure is on as she tries to help as many injured people as she can, making use of her skills as a trained nurse — but not everyone can be saved.

[[nid:599411]]

Continuing his puppy love anecdote, Andie explained that he "tried as much as possible" to catch the same bus as this mystery girl every day.

There were even times when he would go to the bus stop early and skip a few buses until his crush arrived just so he could ride the same bus as her. 

Rebecca then quietly asked him if the relationship between him and his crush ever worked out.

Andie shook his head with a defeated smile and said: "There was one moment where it looked like it almost could have happened, but then she got a boyfriend."

As he jokingly threw a small object at the ground, he added: "It was not meant to be."

Looking back now, however, Andie thought his experience was quite interesting.

"It was very sweet — that puppy love period — you just want to spend time with her, just taking the same bus. Even though it took me another hour to get home, it was so worth it."

Rebecca's favourite MRT station

Rebecca also shared some of her memories of taking public transport, thankfully not quite as bittersweet.

"My parents were very strict growing up so we (Rebecca and her sister) didn't have much time to go out or hang out together after school," Rebecca, 36, reminisced.

"Our only sort of 'hang out' would be if we took a bus and then a train to Bishan MRT, and we'd just take our time to get home."

To this day, Rebecca's favourite MRT station is still Bishan for the fond childhood memories.

Additionally, it's also "easy to navigate", Rebecca said.

"I don't like those with a lot of interchanges and all that — I always get lost."

The Third Rail also features prominent local actors like Nurul Aini, Gerald Chew and Benjamin Heng.

The drama will be available on meWATCH from Oct 17 with two episodes released every Monday, and on Channel 5 on Mondays at 9.30pm beginning Oct 31. It will also be available on the Mediacorp Entertainment YouTube channel from Oct 25 with new episodes every Tuesday.

Watch our video for the full interview with Andie and Rebecca and a tour of the set, guided by Rebecca herself.

ALSO READ: 'I was so angry I collapsed on the floor': Kate Pang and Andie Chen didn't talk to each other for a month after quarrels

khooyihang@asiaone.com