Art mirrors life in The Dream Makers

By Mervin Tay

Local actress Rui En (seated second from left) sharing a jovial moment with fellow actress Chen Liping as actors Qi Yiwu, Chen Hanwei, Zoe Tay and Jeanette Aw look on during the press conference for their upcoming television drama, titled The Dream Makers.

Reel life mirrored real life on the set of Channel 8’s new blockbuster drama The Dream Makers.

And it surprised MediaCorp actress Chen Liping with how blurred the line between make-believe and reality can be.

In the showbiz-theme drama, which premieres today at 9pm, she plays a senior executive heading the drama division of a television station.

The drama also stars Zoe Tay, Rui En, Jeanette Aw, Qi Yuwu and Shaun Chen.

Chen, 47, recently mentioned two scenes in the 30-episode drama that were uncannily real.

In one, a memorial service is held for one of the characters who died.

“One week after filming that scene, we were observing a moment’s silence for Huang Wenyong at Star Awards Show 1,” she said, referring to the veteran MediaCorp actor who died in late April.

Chen then launched into an anecdote about China-born MediaCorp actor Qi, who plays a director in The Dream Makers.

“In it, Yuwu is romantically involved with Jeanette and Rui En”, she said.

“In real life, he fell in love with (MediaCorp actress) Joanne Peh. We only have three princesses left and he romanced all of them!”

Chen was referring to the term “seven princesses”, coined by the local Chinese media around 2006.

It was used to describe seven young and popular MediaCorp actresses – Dawn Yeoh, Felicia Chin, Fiona Xie, Jesseca Liu, Aw, Peh and Rui En.

Today, only Aw, Peh and Rui En remained as full-time actresses.

But Chen said the parallels between fiction and reality did not stop there.

Aw and Qi play a couple in the drama, and after they break up, Rui En’s character falls in love with Qi’s character.

“As we all know, in reality, Joanne got together with Yuwu after breaking up with her ex-boyfriend,” said Chen with a laugh.

The Dream Makers 志在四方 is now airing at 9pm on Channel 8.

Source: The New Paper, Lollipop, The Straits Times Communities

Categorised in EN, Lollipop, The Dream Makers 志在四方, The New Paper, The Straits Times, The Straits Times Communities.