By Han Wei Chou
Cooking, cleaning and acting, oh my!: Rui En is a little nervous about her role in “Joys of Life”.
On the outside, she was calm, relaxed and all smiles, during the commencement ceremony for the upcoming 60s period drama “Joys of Life” on Monday.
On the inside, Singapore actress Rui En said she is “really nervous” about playing Han Yong Yong in the show, a woman resigned to being mistreated by her foster father Han Jian Ren (Huang Wen Yong), and made to do all the cooking and housework in the household.
“This role is very not me, very unfamiliar and very strange,” said Rui En of her character.
“I have done some research. I have asked my grandma and my dad.
“The women of previous eras were actually very accepting of whatever life throws at them, not like now, where we try to change whatever we can change,” observed the actress.
“It’s so interesting, the way women then and women now are so different. It’s been a huge leap.”
“I feel it is very refreshing, but I am also quite nervous to do it because she is a character who is very good at housework and cooking, which are the two things that I am like the worst at! ”
“I am actually very stressed out!”
Cooking, cleaning and acting
Calling Rui En a kitchen novice would be an understatement.
“I can do instant noodles. I can add a fried egg. That’s it. I don’t even know how to cook rice!” she continued.
“When the EP (executive producer) was explaining [the character], I went ‘You have to know that I can’t cook’, then she just stared at me. She was quite shocked you know.”
“I said ‘I can’t even cook white rice’. She was like ‘You can at least boil water right?’ Then I said, ‘Ya, ya, I can boil water.’,” said Rui En with a chuckle.
“It was quite funny actually!”
Though she is not very handy around the kitchen, Rui En declared that she is doing everything in her power, to make sure she looks convincing as Han Yong Yong.
“I have been spending the last few weeks doing cooking crash courses, housework crash courses.
“I’ve had people teach me how people of the 60s would do the housework.
“It’s not like mop and broom you know, it’s like get down on your knees with a towel and wipe the floor that kind of thing,” said Rui En with a grimace.
“Housework is foreign to me. Housework of the 60s is even more foreign to me!”
Just who has been doing all the housework around her house all this time? And who cooks for her?
“So far, it has been taken care of. My whole life, I have been lucky enough to have it taken care of.
“I think I am quite representative of my generation,” said Rui En sheepishly, before revealing that she has a hired helper who does most of the housework for her nowadays.
“I think I will be a lot more ‘advanced’ in doing housework and cooking after this!”
Rui En (left) all dressed up for the 60s, at the commencement ceremony for “Joys of Life”.
Rui En (right) poses for a photo with her co-stars.
Joys of Life èŠ±æ ·äººé—´ debuts 26 June 2012 9pm on Channel 8.
Source: Channelnewsasia
Categorised in channelnewsasia.com, EN, Joys of Life èŠ±æ ·äººé—´.
