SINGAPORE — She’s the bilingual Mediacorp actress who charmed her way into Singaporean audiences’ hearts when she won First Runner Up and Miss Photogenic at the first Star Search back in 1988. Now, 27 years later, she is still one of the most consistent actors around, a bonafide Best Actress award winner both locally and regionally.

He is the hard-edged, fast-talking, and quick-witted funnyman, whose skill in comedy has established him as a household name whether it’s in acting in television or movies, or hosting a variety show. His talent lies in finding the possibility of pathos in his characters.

Put Aileen Tan and Mark Lee together in a movie, and you can watch sparks fly and floodgates open. They play a long-suffering sister and obnoxious brother duo in Jack Neo’s Long Long Time Ago: A two-part period film that looks at Singapore’s post-independence struggle of racial riots, social unrest and gang activities through the trials and tribulations of a Chinese family living in a kampung. 

Through spending many an overnight shoot together and filming challenging scenes, such as the one where they had to wade through water and mud (to recreate the floods of 1960s Singapore), we’re pretty sure they have manage to learn a thing or two about each other.

So we put them in a room to have a no holds barred interview where they grilled each other about their work, the entertainment industry in Singapore and their personal challenges. Here’s what happened. 

MARK: So when did you start your entertainment career?

AILEEN: How can you not know, when you are such good friends with Zoe Tay?

MARK: I know she was in the first ever star search.

AILEEN: She was the winner that year for the star search and I was the runner up, lah!

MARK: You started your careers at the same time, the very first drama was My Fair Ladies. But Zoe Tay zoomed into superstardom first. Did you feel uneasy at that time?

AILEEN: Not really, that’s because during that time, that was the first ever Star Search, and the three of us - Zoe, myself and Jazreel Low - were the first, second and third runner up. It was also the first time Mediacorp tailored a drama specially for us Star Search winners and newbies. Thereafter, all other star seach top three winners did not have this same opportunity to participate in dramas like that.

MARK: That’s because it wasn’t good! (laughs) And that’s why Mediacorp doesn’t dare to do another one like that!

AILEEN: That’s not true! Actually My Fair Ladies was actually very popular in China ... anyway, Zoe is the Ah Jie and she will forever be the Ah Jie of Mediacorp - and we know that her status is irreplaceable.

MARK: True True. But we all know that the first ever Miss Popular is Xiang Yun. She’s considered the very first Ah Jie right ...

AILEEN: Well, Xiang Yun cannot really be counted not because back then her batch of artistes were the very first batch. And back then, there wasn’t so much of a celebrity culture or even celebrity system. It was only when our generation joined, then all these “celebrity” started.

MARK: That’s when there is the Ah jie, er jie (second sister), san jie (third sister), liu jie (sixth)… until all that is left is yi jie.

AILEEN: Because those who needed to leave have all already left.

MARK: And those they didn’t need, also left! So why are you still here? After all this time?

AILEEN: I love acting and this is the only TV station we have in Singapore, where else can I go?

MARK: What about MediaWorks?

AILEEN: I signed my contract with (Mediacorp) when (MediaWorks) first started, but you know what ... I probably will not have won the Best Actress award in my entire career (if that wasn’t the case).

MARK: Yeah. When MediaWorks first started, many emcees went over.

AILEEN: Were you guys the one who had a contract with them but backed out in the end?

MARK: That was not us. It’s because Jack and my ideas were streamlined and we discussed it. we thought if the band of us (from the long-running comedy variety programme Comedy Nite) stayed in the same company, we will have a larger share of the pie. Which was true, and we feel lucky that we stayed. Otherwise, we probably will not have the status we have today.

AILEEN: So why did you quarrel with Jack then?

MARK: Since when?

AILEEN: No? Then why did you guys not work together for such a long time? This time you guys are working together again after four years of hiatus - and four years is a long time. What happened in between then?

MARK: Aiyoh, there were rumours going on that we had a tiff during that time, but that was not true. It was mainly because I think Jack made no improvement in his directing so when he asked me for films, I turned them down. (laughs) Now I think he made vast improvements and hence I decided, okay, I will take up a role in Long Long Time Ago.

AILEEN: I guess I’m much luckier than you because when I took up a role in Ah Boys To Men 3: Frogmen, I already knew that he had improved. (laughs)

MARK: After I worked together with him for Being Human he embarked on We Not Naughty movie and he never asked me for that movie. Then it was Ah Boys To Men with all the teens. The Ah Boys series is definitely not for me as I’m simply too old for it. But this time, the movie is titled Long Long Time Ago, where it’s obviously an “old person” movie. So he got me involved.

AILEEN: Are you trying to hint that I’m very old?

MARK: I thought you are four years older than I am?

AILEEN: No, I’m same age as you!

MARK: (Laughs) Actually both Jack and I are still and have always been on good terms. Sure, there was a little misunderstanding along the way, but we’ve worked it out. We are all good now. It came out at a friend’s party one day that indeed there was an underlying misunderstanding between us, so we arranged to have dinner together to hash it out and clarify everything. From there, we realised that there will always be people that will try and stir trouble between us. We concluded that it’s because we are too strong a duo together and hence people are easily jealous of us. We’re so good together we’ve become the enemy of the people! (laughs)

AILEEN: Wow, you can film a drama series based on this!

MARK: Jack realised this movie industry still has to rely on me, so he invited me to be part of the movie (laughs)! Speaking seriously though, once we worked it out, everything was alright. Oh well, in this entertainment circle, there’s bound to be colourful stories - all types of gossip and rumours!

AILEEN: That’s so true! It’s just like how you asked me about how I got along with Zoe and all the other people in our batch, and what we’ve all went through. We all go through things together. We’ve grown up in the industry together.

MARK: It’s a case of a few people talking “extra” loudly and then everyone listens and then we all end up believing (what they say). Even if it might not be true ... A very good example is that Zoe and Fann (Wong) - we all know that they are nemeses. Just kidding! (laughs)

AILEEN: Or like Jeanette Aw and Rui En? Just kidding too! But aren’t we all one big happy family now?

MARK: Speaking seriously, no matter what industry we are talking about, and not just confined to the entertainment circle, there will always be problems and competition. So what have we have learnt about each other after filming together all these months?

AILEEN: Well, this is the first time we’ve ever worked together.

MARK: I took up the role because of you! I heard your name and decided to accept the role.

AILEEN: Like real!

MARK: It’s true! I don’t just work with anybody okay? Actually, I’ve worked with many Mediacorp beauties before, such as Pan Ling Ling and Jacelyn Tay ... and guess what? They all got pregnant after working with me! Aileen, you should go get tested, you might be pregnant too! (laughs).

AILEEN: But if my husband and I haven’t “done the deed”, how can I get pregnant? (laughs)

MARK: Don’t need to do the deed! It can all happen in a petri dish. Let other people do the deed for you! (laughs) But I must say I really learnt a lot from your generation of actresses. Look at yourself, you worked the hardest for this movie. You did not come back to Singapore for a break, you stayed in Ipoh for three months. You had the most overnight shoots, and you shot under the scorching sun. You were “tortured” by the director ... You really went through the most gruelling filming conditions.

AILEEN: Yes, it was really quite hard.

MARK: And you didn’t come back to Singapore at all during the whole shoot! A woman who works so hard overseas, who did not come home for three months, one wonders about her “needs”, her desires and her wants? Aileen, did you look for other men in Malaysia? Don’t tell me you turned to (co–star) Wang Lei! If you did, I most certainly will look down on you! (laughs)

AILEEN: No, because. I’m not interested in sex! (laughs) I did not stay there for three months actually. To be exact, it was two-and-a half months and my husband visited me when I was there too!

MARK: Honestly, I really do admire you. When we filmed the flooding scene, you were soaked in the water for three nights. Other than having supper and dinner, you were in the pool all the time. You even did your business in the pool, didn’t you?

AILEEN: Yes, we started with clean water, and as the days went by, it became more and more salty! (laughs)

MARK: That’s why I say I really do admire your generation of actresses very much. There is one thing I really learnt from you guys. Work - no complaints. Get it done. We really have to hand it to you. You have amazing fortitude. You persevered all the way till the end. During our last day of filming, it was the flood scene. The moment director shouted “cut” you cried and shouted. We all thought she was being exorcised. (laughs) You are really first class.

Getting burnt in the sun, growing fatter day by day, had a broken tooth and worst of all, being “sexually harassed” by (co-star) Wang Lei on a daily basis. You even had to take unglamorous armpit photos. No wonder, after enduring all this, you released all your emotions on the last day of the shoot. You held on till the very end of the shoot, and then finally had a chance to let it out all, didn’t you? It was the ultimate release. You really shouted and cried!

AILEEN: It was really tough. Everyone thinks filming is all very glamorous and everyone was so very envious that I got this role. But nobody knows how tough it was behind the scenes. I do think it’s all fate.

MARK: Filming a movie is very different from filming TV dramas!

AILEEN: And of course I have to give credit to the whole team because Jack, as a director, was so very serious about many details and all the actors were very dedicated to their roles in the movie.

MARK: Was there anything you thought the movie lacked?

AILEEN: Of course I’d have hoped that we will have more scenes together.

MARK: We can always do another movie together if there’s a chance!

AILEEN: Yes, I hope so.

MARK: We can do part three of the movie. And it’ll be a movie about the Speak Mandarin Campaign. (laughs)

AILEEN: This is what is fun about our craft of acting. We can never expect what’s thrown to us and there will always be new things we can learn from our co-stars. If I didn’t work with you, I would never have known what you are truly like. I feel very fulfilled that I have been in this entertainment industry for 27 years and Jack not only fulfilled my dream of casting me as a female lead in a movie, but that I also got to work together with you.

MARK: Awww. With all the hard work put in, has the thought of getting nominated for an award for your effort crossed your mind?

AILEEN: What is there to think about? All I’m happy about is that I actually managed to finish filming the movie.

MARK: Yes, finished filming in one piece! (laughs) To be honest, after working with Jack for numerous times, I have to say Long Long Time Ago is the toughest movie to shoot. I can’t even compare to you. Before this, I thought the toughest was Ah Long Pte Ltd. We had a scene where we had to hold our breaths in the pool for one minute because we are hiding from the villain. We took a lot of takes that time because its one’s body natural reaction to come out of water when you are out of breath. But this time ...

AILEEN: Is it because you are not that young anymore?

MARK: No, its not about the physical demands. If you were to compare the both of us, I’m definitely nothing compare to what you had to go through. I don’t have fight scenes, I did not have as many overnight shoots as you. But all that said, those overnight shoots and the pool scene were tough. We start shoot once the sky turns dark and we film till sunrise. By the time we got back in the hotel, it’s already around 9am. It’s day-to-day.

AILEEN: I’m really fond our few scenes together in movie. Especially in Part 2, so that’s the life of an actor, you feel fulfilled acting. I also think that we are similar in many ways. We are all very family orientated people. You, Mark, are wonderfully family orientated. Your wife and kids came to visit you so often.

MARK: Yes, well, your husband came to visit you, too. And even your in-laws came! Even though she was in a wheelchair ...

AILEEN: Yes, even my mother-in-law came because she knew that I was not going back to Singapore for a break. But I guess this Is my work ethic. Once I have decided to embark on a project, I will do my very best and give it my all.

MARK: This is where we really are similar to each other. I too, only accept roles I think I can do well. I won’t accept it if I have any doubts. And once I have accepted the role, I will do my very best.

AILEEN: Precisely, that’s why nominations and awards are all about timing and all. I think that you have done a very good job, and I also do hope that you can get a nomination. But nobody can be sure of these things. Maybe if you were to ask Jack, he will have a better idea on which award that he wants the most. Just as you said, Jack’s directorial skills have improved tremendously. I still remember the first Jack Neo movie I watched was Liang Po Po. I even paid to watch! And he, like us actors, have all grown. When we were making our acting debuts, I’m sure we were very blur too. And now we’ve all made our own strides.

MARK: Which is why ultimately, I think the TV station was incredibly good learning platform. It gave us that training you cannot get anywhere else.

AILEEN: Exactly, if we didn’t have these 27 years of training and experiences ...

MARK: ... we wouldn’t have been able to survive a film-making process such as this. So you see, we train and learn for 27 years, just to endure two and half months of film-making. (laughs) Was it worth it? Well I wish you all sorts of success for this movie, Aileen.

AILEEN: Same to you, Mark.

MARK: After all, this is all “our story”.

AILEEN: Yes, our very sad story! (laughs)

Long Long Time Ago opens in cinemas tomorrow.