Whenever a blockbuster gets a sequel, comparisons to the original hit are inevitable.
Mediacorp drama Emerald Hill, the spinoff of 2008 classic The Little Nyonya, is no exception.
In a recent episode of The Hot Seat, a short video series on Mediacorp’s Instagram page, Tasha Low, 31, and Ferlyn G, 33, — the stars of the 30-episode drama, which is currently airing on Ch 8 — were asked about hate comments they might receive.
In Emerald Hill, Tasha plays the lead role, Zhang Xin Niang, a young beggar who was taken in by the wealthy Zhang family.
She’s believed to be the long-lost daughter of the Zhang family’s second son Zhang Jin He (Xiu Jie Kai) and his wife (Jesseca Liu).
Meanwhile, Ferlyn stars as Zhou Hongyu, an infamous prostitute with a tragic backstory.
When you talk about The Little Nyonya, you can’t not mention Jeanette Aw‘s iconic performance as Yamamoto Yueniang in the original series.
Would the stars of the new series be concerned about others comparing their acting with Jeanette’s?
Well, Ferlyn isn’t bothered.
“My role is very different from Jeanette’s, so I wouldn’t care. If I were playing [Tasha’s character], maybe I would,” she laughed, glancing at Tasha, who raised her eyebrows in slight confusion.
Ferlyn also remains indifferent to others questioning why she was cast instead of “better actresses” or criticising her Chinese language proficiency.
“Only if people said that the show is a flop because of me, then maybe I’d feel bad,” she revealed.
As for Tasha? She’s unfazed.
“Actually, I’ve seen all sorts of comments, but I don’t care about them,” she said.
She reckoned they are both more resilient as they have both endured many hardships during their K-pop days.
Both Tasha and Ferlyn made their showbiz debut in 2012 as members of now-defunct South Korean girl group Skarf. They returned to Singapore to continue their showbiz careers after the group disbanded in 2014.
“Now that we’re back in Singapore, I feel that everything is [okay],” averred Tasha, adding that she simply laughs off hate comments now.
So what was the harshest comment they have received in showbiz?
“Looking back, this is quite funny. When we were in Korea, my manager told me that my face looks like a monkey,” Tasha recalled with a sneer.
Though she was deeply hurt at the time, Tasha explained that in Korean culture, artistes were expected to “just listen” and never retaliate.
Ferlyn similarly had a not-so-pleasant experience with the same manager.
She recounted an incident where she maintained eye contact while being scolded, only to be reprimanded for it.
“They told me, ‘What right do you have to look me in the eyes when we’re speaking? Look at the ground,’” she revealed.
Like Tasha, Ferlyn complied, but admitted she was cussing them out in her head.
No wonder they’re so unfazed by online hate now that they’re back.