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It has been more than two hours since the media interviews began at the Emerald Hill press conference and Mediacorp actress Chantalle Ng is still going strong.
In fact, despite the buzzy atmosphere with interviews happening at every nook and cranny of the Peranakan Museum, we could always distinctly hear the 29-year-old’s voice through the crowd.
When 8days.sg finally meets Chantalle, she greets us with an excited burst of energy as she towed her black trolly bag in which she stows a water bottle and an extra pair of shoes.
Yes, she is that bubbly.
It lies in sharp contrast to her Wednesday Addams-inspired-look – a black Ferragamo outfit paired with dark make-up.
“This look was entirely my team’s intention,” she laughs when we ask if there was a deeper message.
Are we that surprised though? Chantalle is after all playing Zhang An Na, the main villain in the blockbuster.
Despite her excitement (who can forget the reaction video clip she posted to IG, when she was informed that she scored the role), Chantalle says playing such a dark character took quite the toll on her mental health.
“At first it was very fresh and exciting, but it started to wear me down each time after I took a break and needed to get myself back into the character,” she explains.
“An Na is very negative and always plotting something evil that at some point, I just wanted to stay being my happy and carefree self again,” she adds.
It got so bad that she saw the need to reach out to the drama’s executive producer Loh Woon Woon.
“She basically counselled me from a perspective of a friend, especially since I’ve been holding on to this role for so long,” says Chantalle.
Emerald Hill filmed for about six months across Singapore and Malaysia.
Chantalle also admits that even though she hasn’t caught a full episode, she finds it hard to even watch clips of the show.
That could also explain why we saw her pursing her lips whenever her character appears across the multiple screens at the press conference.
“It puts me in such a dark place that I probably need to mentally prepare, especially when I watch it with family,” she says.
“I am readying myself for viewers to hate and scold me because An Na is so evil,” she laughs.
Speaking of watching Emerald Hill with family, Chantalle says it is time to get back at her mum, semi-retired actress Lin Meijiao, when they watch the drama together.
It is no secret that a then 12-year-old Chantalle used to hit her mum as they watched the original The Little Nyonya, in which Meijiao played the villain.
“It is my turn to scar her!” Chantalle laughs.
Or… is there a chance Meijiao will be pulled out of retirement after seeing Chantalle’s performance?
“I doubt it,” she laughs. Her mum, she says, is having way more fun with her time and is now holidaying with friends in Malaysia.
“I think she loves the time she spends with our dogs and chickens too much to want to work again,” says Chantalle.
After Emerald Hill, will Chantalle hesitate to take on villainous roles in the future?
“I’m ready right now!” she chirps. Despite the emotional weight she felt with Ah Na, she thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
“It is all about how much I can stretch myself as an actress and know there is still growth for me there,” she says.
Speaking of growth, we had to pry about her personal life. In 2022, Chantalle told 8days.sg that she was “talking to someone” but was tight-lipped to say more.
“Is it the same person?” she jokes, before assuring us that it was.
Chantalle was all set to dish with 8days.sg until she glances at her manager and goes, “Can share, right? I think it’s okay to say lah.”
Chantalle says she would prefer the relationship to be a little more public but because he is very low-key, she hasn’t had “a chance to introduce him to everyone yet.”
And yes, her mum has met him, and according to Chantalle, “she really likes him”.
Even with her hectic schedule, she dismisses concerns about the challenges of maintaining a relationship.
“I really like the time we spend apart and there is this new love language called “space” that I really value,” says Chantalle
Hey, it’s a start. Maybe the next time Chantalle speaks to 8days.sg, we’ll be able to put a name and face to her mystery man.