Caldecott Hill’s ice princess will be ditching her cold and frosty persona to embrace all things girlish and fluffy for A Tale of Two Cities
Text & Photos: Joanna Goh
Video: Fiona Lin & Tay Yixuan
Last seen as the crime-busting, ass-kicking tough cookie in the police and thief drama series, Unriddle, Caldecott Hill’s ice princess will be trading her revolver and holster for high heels and frilly dresses in her upcoming role for Ch 8 rom-com series, A Tale of Two Cities.
Think Elle Woods in Legally Blonde with her pet Chihuahua, Bruce. Rui En will make a 360-degree change and embrace all things pretty and kawaii for her willful heiress character, Zhang Ya Le.
To complete the overall getup, the 29-year-old went the extra mile and “for the first time in my life”, purchased a Hello Kitty pouch, dubbing it “a little bag” for her cellphone in the show.
At the trailer shoot for the upcoming drama, we were shell shocked — in a good way — by Rui En’s radical makeover. Sporting beautifully curled tresses, the tomboyish one who swears by “shorts and slippers” was dressed in a flouncy bejeweled frock, three-inch heels, donned a diamante headband and had acrylic nails to top it off.
On the set of the trailer shoot with Pierre Png
Talking about her new role, the cool chick suffered an “anxiety attack” when she first received the show’s script and likened it to having a curveball thrown in her face, during an interview with xinmsn. To get in-tune with her inner city chick, Rui En religiously pored through series like Sex and the City and Gossip Girl.
“Whenever I do a show, I’ll have the mannerisms for awhile and it’s very embarrassing! She’s very expressive and very drama [on her character’s antics]!” she gushed in mortification and chuckled.
Sharing on the crew’s impression of her makeover, she said, “The first time one of them saw me, his reaction was like that (mimicking a jaw-dropped look).”
Citing her tolerance level for bling, dresses, and heels to be worn only at press conferences, events or the annual Star Awards, the un-girly girl even sought tips from her fellow co-star, Joanne Peh, whom she calls a “girly bubbly princess girl” and a “really good reference”.
“I told myself when this show broadcasts, I might not watch it ‘cos I feel so embarrassed,” laughed Rui En.
Despite her cool exterior, this actress was given a wide berth of opportunities to play a myriad of characters in her acting career and had to “work very hard” to earn it.
“People were like ‘she can only do certain cool roles’ and I had to work two times harder,” she said.
Rui En in her towering heels
Choosing to play her character with a “larger than life” drama queen personality, the Nanyang Technology University business graduate is open to “anything challenging” and will not veer from feminine roles.
Setting the record straight, she quips “There are only certain scenes that I will not do.”
Unconsciously flicking her hair demurely from time to time during the interview and trailer shoot, Rui En was clearly immersed in character.
“Beyond the very embarrassing mannerisms influence, I actually realize that skirts are quite comfortable,” she chuckled and adds, “I guess I might be more open to skirts after this.”
Catch Rui En in A Tale of Two Cities when it debuts on Valentine’s Day next year.
Source: Xinmsn
Categorised in A Tale of 2 Cities ä¹åœ¨åŒåŸŽ, EN, xinmsn.
