'I turned to drinking every day': Jeffrey Xu got intense for new role

Last November, local actor Jeffrey Xu was blindfolded with his hands tied behind his back and made to squat in a corner, while some actors questioned him.

This wasn't a case of workplace bullying, but an acting workshop that was conducted for the cast of upcoming local drama Coded Love, where the 36-year-old plays Lu Han, a man with a tortured soul.

Speaking to AsiaOne on Wednesday (Oct 9) while promoting the drama, he shared: "When I first got the role and the script, I was very excited because I felt that I would be facing a huge challenge. This is one of the toughest characters I have played till date."

"I wasn't able to feel and understand the character's background at first because his life circumstances are too pitiful. There is a saying which goes, 'A poor person must have their own guilt' and I think this is reflected very clearly in this role."

Jeffrey shared that while he was squatting in front of the other actors, the screenwriter — who conducted the workshop — told him that the way he responded to their questions would be how his character felt.

"As I took off my blindfold, everyone saw Lu Han in me. That was when I realised how terrible he must have felt and how challenging it would be to play him. As the screenwriter poured water over my head, I understood Lu Han's experiences from the time he was young and my heart ached for him," Jefrrey said, adding that it was a memorable experience.

In Coded Love, Lu Han grows up in an orphanage with a harsh environment and he learns to be tough and fight his way through difficulties, suffering both physically and mentally. Life becomes hopeful when he meets Lin Siyu (Carrie Wong), who understands his loneliness and accompanies him throughout his difficulties. Growing up together, their friendship eventually turns into love.

However, Siyu dies in a road accident and Lu Han, overwhelmed by grief, disappears, leaving their young son with his grandmother.

Years later, their son Xiaoming (Richie Koh), who grew up without the memories of his past, creates an AI hologram of the late Siyu, which allows them to make up for lost time. Lu Han, who is estranged from Xiaoming, finds out about it and long buried memories eventually surface.

'I did feel that my body was affected by it'

Jeffrey, who plays Lu Han from ages 18 to 45, shared that the drama was filmed mostly in Kuala Lumpur and Kelantan between last December and this February, and to get into character, he turned to method acting.

"There was a period where I turned to drinking every day. I also requested the props team to prepare a hip flask which I would fill with whiskey. I wanted the character to be such that he is never sober and always lost in his imagination. And after a few months, I did feel that my body was affected by it," he said candidly.

He also felt that he became short-tempered, which was different from his even-tempered nature and his actress wife Felicia Chin, 39, reminded him not to bring those negative emotions home.

"I wouldn't throw my temper at her. She is also an actress and understands the emotions that we have to face every day," he added.

Jeffrey believed that this helps him to portray Lu Han with more depth: "I am not as good a drinker as him, but I was able to find his feelings, his body movements, such as walking with a limp, and also the speed and tone of his voice, whether low or high… I had to portray these carefully at his different ages, if not, the audiences wouldn't be able to see the difference."

'I was really scared that I would die!'

That wasn't all of Jeffrey's dedication to the role, as he also recounted having a medical emergency while filming his last scene in an abandoned building in Kuala Lumpur.

"There were a lot of chasing and fighting scenes and in the end, I had to lie down as I couldn't breathe. I had no choice but to apologise to the director and the staff that I was unable to continue filming. They were very scared and called an ambulance for me," he recounted.

"It was the first time something like that happened to me and I was afraid that I would die suddenly."

He underwent medical checks and was told there was nothing wrong with him. When he returned to his hotel room that night, the first thing he did was to call Felicia, telling her that he "hopes to wake up" the next day.

"I was really scared that I would die! That was quite a scary experience for me, but it was also a good reminder that I shouldn't risk my life like this," he laughed.

Coded Love will be available on demand for free on Mewatch from Oct 14 onwards. It will also premiere on Channel 8 on Oct 18, airing weekdays at 9pm.

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yeo.shuhui@asiaone.com

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