Zhu Zeliang reveals he got a role in The Little Nyonya spinoff despite appearing at audition in 'plain T-shirt and shorts'

He's a familiar voice on Chinese radio station Yes 933, but Zhu Zeliang will soon be gracing our screens as well.

The 27-year-old local radio DJ is set to act in The Little Nyonya spinoff Emerald Hill, playing the grandson to Peranakan matriarch Liu Xiuniang (Zoe Tay) and the child of her third son Zhang Jinquan (Romeo Tan). 

"I play the role of Zhang Yaoliang who is indecisive and blindly follows the orders of his older brother, Zhang Yaoguang (played by Herman Keh), which is the complete opposite of who I really am," Zeliang told AsiaOne in a recent interview. 

His other sibling in the show is the antagonist Zhang Anna played by Chantalle Ng, following in the footsteps of her real-life mother Lin Meijiao who played the villain in the original 2008 drama.

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Zeliang told us that, despite being a radio DJ since winning The Sound Makers 2016, he has "always had the passion for acting", having participated in Chinese Drama Clubs from primary school to polytechnic.

He also shared how he snagged the role: "I went through an audition, just like everyone else. I was given a few paragraphs of dialogue to prepare beforehand, but I honestly did not know how to prepare for a proper audition.

"As a result, I was one of the very few people who went for the audition in plain T-shirt and shorts, while the more experienced artistes were dressed for their roles already for the audition (e.g. in suit and tie, cheongsam)." 

They took turns to act out the roles they were auditioning for and Zeliang said that "the whole process went by in a flash".

"But I have to admit that it was rather nerve-wracking to be in a room filled with writers and more experienced actors," he added.

Despite getting a role in a major drama, Zeliang is determined not to let "the expectations and nerves get to" him.

Instead, he'll "treat it as any other character that I’d need to prepare for and just enjoy this learning opportunity."

Cultivating new actors

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Zeliang was in Taiwan on an acting exchange alongside other young actors when he was informed that he got the role for Emerald Hill.

Accompanying them was veteran actor Chan Hanwei, who considers it his "task and responsibility" as a senior to "cultivate new actors".

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When asked about who stood out to him, the 54-year-old told AsiaOne in a separate interview: "Every new actor has his or her own inherent potential. There is no way to teach acting, but one can slowly tap into their latent talents and undiscovered creative potential step by step!"

Hanwei was primarily an observer this time, saying that the acting class was meant for "young actors to communicate and learn from each other", so he didn't have "much classroom interaction with them".

But the veteran actor is keen on developing his own acting skills, with a post from Jan 1 showing Hanwei at the Beijing People's Art Theatre and Beijing International Theatre Centre in China.

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"I was in Beijing for 3 months, going to various major theatre and drama academies, including the Beijing People's Art Theatre, to observe Beijing's stage plays, operas, movies and TV series.

"I experienced Beijing culture, saw and learnt the quality and techniques of Chinese actors. They had great spirit!" 

Looking back at his 35 years as an actor in Mediacorp, Hanwei said that he is "still learning and making progress". 

The acting course in Taiwan took place from Jan 31 to Jan 31, a representative from The Celebrity Agency told AsiaOne. Actors were chosen based on the audition tapes, monologues, self-introduction videos, showreels and questionnaires they sent for assessment by trainers at Studio Q in Taipei.

"The classes were very much theatre-based, with both theoretical and practical approaches that are not commonly introduced to actors in Singapore," Zeliang explained.

"One of my biggest takeaways was learning how to understand the motives of characters before attempting to portray them."

Among his fellow classmates, Zeliang said that Fang Rong, Bonnie Loo and Tay Ying impressed him the most but "the entire class was shining in their own ways".

"Perhaps it was their ability to make their characters relatable that stood out a bit more to me," he added.

"Juin Teh’s ability to cry on command was definitely something extraordinary too."

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drimac@asiaone.com

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