The double R (our nickname for them) traipsed to picturesque Tasmania to film several romantic scenes for Ch8’s upcoming drama, Sudden

Text: Joanna Goh
Photos: Channel 8

Ch8’s Sudden is set out to be a legal drama glazed with heart wrenching love lines and intense courtroom scenes. But that’s not all there is to it, says lead actors Rui En and Romeo Tan, during their separate phone interviews with xinmsn.

The two just got back from Tasmania, Australia, where they filmed intensively for a period of 10 days to capture as many romantic ‘flashback’ scenes between their two characters. On top of the scenic background of lakes, mountains and farms, they have been filming with a new camera that would add more depth and cinematic feel to the entire show. “The whole output felt like a Korean drama,” said Romeo.

“As long as you have romantic scenes and you go to a place like Tasmania, immediately it adds bonus points – as compared to doing it at East Coast beach,” quipped Rui En, as she added with a chuckle, “Which is where we have done a lot of scenes too, and kenna a lot of bad sand fly bites. (Laughs)”

Favourite scene filmed in Tasmania
Rui En: There were so many! (Thinks for a moment) Probably this scene in Mount Nelson – it’s not really that high but it overlooked the sea. It was very peaceful and for some reason, it just felt very touching. When we finished the scene, it started to snow and my tour guide said that it never ever snows here. IT was miraculous.

Romeo: The one with the sheep. In that scene, I had to ask her to be my girlfriend and my character had to coordinate with the farmer for it to work. The both of us were standing in the middle of a big field and about 500 sheep came running in towards us and surrounded the both of us; I walked towards her and asked her to be my girlfriend. It’s a very beautiful field and a very memorable scene.

Biggest challenge in Tasmania
Rui En: When the temperatures dipped below zero! That day, we learned how to use the heatpack (chuckles). Our tour guide taught us the best brands in everything so now, we’re all very seasoned. The toughest is really just dealing with the cold, I’m a person who’s quite adverse to heat and cold but I rather be hot (referring to a warmer climate) lah. Nothing’s too tough [in Tasmania] and everything was just very pretty.

The funniest thing that happened
Rui En: I’m someone who feels cold easily, so one day, our guide told us that it was going to be cold and I wore up to seven layers. I think our guide overstated the coldness because when we began hiking up to the place, I started to perspire, and I started peeling off the layers of clothes one by one (chuckles). All of them thought it was the funniest thing ever.

Tasmania was a good break from their intense schedule in Singapore
Rui En: The trip was something to look forward to – it was like a break for everyone (the crew included) since we were filming intensively before it, with only three or four hours of sleep a night.

Their growing chemistry
Rui En: (Laughs) I think it has [improved]. At least he’s a bit more comfortable with me now – I did try to make him open up. Hopefully it translates [to the show].

Romeo: She has been helping me since day one and towards the middle of filming; we cracked all sorts of jokes and would go crazy on set. Towards the end when we were in Tasmania, it felt more comfortable since it was just the two of us.

In real-life, Romeo is…
Rui En: He’s like a little brother, sort of a younger brother (laughs). You know, it’s his first time going to such a cold place and first time filming at such a cold place, so we had to tell him a lot of things to buy. He ended up more like somebody everyone else took care of (laughs).

Romeo’s response to what Rui En said: She always thinks that i’m a little kid (laughs). Maybe because of my age and since I’m one of the youngest there. When I arrived at Tasmania, I went ‘Wow, wow, wow, wow,’ and she went ‘Er, excuse me, what’s that to be excited about?’ (laughs).

In real-life, Rui En is…
Romeo: I don’t feel that she’s very ‘dao’ or arrogant. She’s a very nice girl, but her image makes her look different. She’s very down to earth too. I learned about how to be professional from Rui En. She’s very professional and knows what to do. She’s a very firm person who knows what she wants – she’s not a follower – and it’s important for an actor to stand by their character. I want to be like her in this sense.

Rui En meets a fan, Patricia, in Australia
We were told by RBKD (Rui En’s official fanclub) that Patricia, who is a fan of Rui En, went around searching for the production team in hopes of meeting the actress. Patricia said, ‘I have been living in Australia for almost 10 years and I still love watching Singapore dramas… I started liking Rui En from Unriddle because she was so cool as Hu Xiao Man. That was the first time I saw her on a drama. Now, I am watching Joys of Life and I love her role as Han Yong Yong too. I wish I can watch The Dream Makers now, but I’ll have to wait for the DVD to be released.’

Rui En with Patricia’s young daughter, Anastasia Le Xuan.

Sudden 骤变 debuts 2 September 2013 9pm on Channel 8.

Source: Xinmsn

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