Can Jeanette Aw Afford This $1.5 Million Rolls-Royce?
The #girlboss and newly-minted free agent talks money, freedom, social media, and doing her own thang.
Jeanette Aw is in the driver's seat, literally and figuratively. She is, as we speak, behind the wheel of a spanking new Rolls-Royce Dawn — so new we had to peel off some plastic wrapping — eyes focused on her future, looking very, very #bosslady indeed. It’s not her car, or ours, unfortunately, but a beaut we borrowed for today’s cover shoot. We joke that a few more paid social media posts, and she would be able to afford the $1.5 million dollar baby. She breaks into her signature tinkly girlish laugh, exclaiming, “No lah!”
But seriously, there’s an online story being shared around that she is Singapore’s richest celeb, worth a whopping US$55 million. When we ask her about it, she demurs, “Yes, I’ve seen the story many times ’cos my friends keep forwarding it to me! My response is always: ‘I WISH!’ Anyway, good entertainment value. I’m curious about how they calculated the amount!”
Whether or not there are that many zeros in her bank balance, it can’t be denied that Jeanette Aw, 38, has made a pretty penny in her 17 years in showbiz. Since winning a talent search as a wide-eyed ingénue in 2000 and signing on with Mediacorp in 2002, and her iconic Mo Jingjing character in Ch 8 drama Holland V in 2003 and her memorable turn in the career-defining The Little Nyonya in 2008, Jeanette Aw has dutifully churned out TV dramas year after year (and two books) and raked in countless endorsements, the latest of which is an ambassadorship with local aesthetics group ClearSK.
And now, after 15 years contracted to Mediacorp and her management agency Hype Records, she’s ready to sing, “I want to break freeeee… I want to breeeak free!!!” Okay, so those are our words, not hers. Those familiar with Jeanette know she would never be so uninhibited, at least not in front of us. Despite having warmed up a little to us over the years and the many times we’ve interviewed her — we even have WhatsApp chats that go: “Yes! We should catch up!” and at least one Instagram DM conversation that went along the lines of “I like doing different things too… it breaks the momentum and keeps you connected with yourself!” (she was commenting on one of our Insta-stories) — to the extent that we can imagine for one brief minute that we’re, like, legit gal pals with her, it’s also evident that there is a wall that will never, ever come down. And that’s okay. There are some things Jeanette doesn’t want to share, like details about her mysterious Caucasian long-time boyfriend of 11 (!!!) years. And some things she does want to share, like fried chicken and waffles.
After our shoot, we ended up at Publico Ristorante at the new InterContinental Singapore Robertson Quay — in whose driveway we had shot Jeanette in her Rolls-Royce — sharing a late lunch (we split the waffles half-half — I swear we’re almost friends). But first, her 355K Instagram followers need to know what she ate — she snaps a quick pic, and we tuck in. Her faithful personal assistant and personal photographer Pauline, who has recently been upgraded to manager/scheduler, watches patiently as we chat. The reason for Pauline’s upgrade, of course, is that Jeanette is now a free agent, manager of her own life, driver of her own destiny. In October, the actress announced her decision to leave Hype to manage her own career, writing on her social media: “Personal growth, the environment, that little voice within that simply grew louder, and the universe showing me it was time to move on… Going solo. Yes, it’s official. No longer contracted to both Hype Records-Artiste Networks and Mediacorp.” The industry was abuzz: What’s happening with Jeanette Aw? Is she leaving acting to go become a social media fashion influencer?
That’s what we’re here to find out.
On becoming a free agent after 15 years of being contracted to Hype and Mediacorp...
"I guess it’s pretty liberating! I’ve been in this line for 17 years and it all happened in a way which wasn’t planned. From the beginning, I danced and majored in theatre studies, so I thought I’d do stage, but an unexpected turn of events led me down this path. I didn’t expect to do this for so long. I always felt there were other things I wanted to try, and now felt like a good time to do it, ’cos both contracts were ending at the same time. It’s been on my mind for a really long time to try different things. I’ve always wanted to move behind the scenes, to be in more creative control. When you’ve been here for so long, you observe how things are done and start to think, “If I were the one in charge, how would I do this?"
"We all have the room and ability to grow. It’s just whether you dare to take the first step out of your comfort zone. You may take the first step and fall flat on your face, but if you don’t take a bet on yourself, who will? I feel as long as you know where you want to go, you will get there someday. There are going to be a lot of obstacles and people who will doubt you, who will say, “You’re just an actress, what can you do?” But there is a lot more I can offer. I guess I just want to try. I’m not afraid to fail."
"I believe in the energy of the universe, and how it shows you the way. If you don’t sense it, it will give you a kick in the butt. No, I didn’t get a [literal] kick in the butt! (Laughs) But [a change] is something I’ve been thinking about for a while. It’s just being very aware that this was something I wanted, and about timing and things falling into place."
On directing her own short film and being in an arthouse movie...
“My short film, The Last Entry, is a personal story about me and my godmother. She had Alzheimer’s and passed away — it’s been 10 years. I felt that for my first film, I wanted to start with something personal. The emotions are there, and the things that happened are real — I don’t need to think up a whole new story. Since it was a personal story, I didn’t want to get someone else to play my role. It was shot in August and the film is now in post-production. I’m planning to send it for competition in film fests… yeah, some pretty big ones. (Smiles) I’m planning for Toyko Short Shorts, and Busan and Berlin. I just wanted to try — it will be an experience. Of course everything can be better, but I’m quite happy with what I’ve produced. Trying to act and direct… it’s like right brain and left brain. (Laughs) But I had a very strong crew, who knew what I wanted to achieve.”
"I’m also in Eric Khoo’s Ramen Teh, which has wrapped. We’ve been doing publicity — we worked with Japanese actors and just did a press con in Japan… I’m not out there to try to be arty-farty. I’m trying to do things I love, which call out to me. When it comes to roles, it’s like: Is there room for this character to develop and shine? If the character is flat, there’s no point in taking it."
On whether she's going to continue acting...
"If the right role comes along, yes. I’m hoping to go overseas. There are talks with foreign productions. Being behind the scenes is one thing I’ve always wanted to pursue, but I’m not going to say this is the end of my acting career. I’m just going to be more selective now."
"I think maturity adds to the craft of acting. There are a lot of things I can do now that I couldn’t do 10 years ago. I have experience now. I’m also very grateful for The Little Nyonya — it has done wonders for me. There are people in China who recognise me and still talk about that drama. I don’t need to be the next new thing. I just want to be doing productions of higher value. And the way the Chinese do dramas — it’s like being in a movie.The kind of equipment and skills they have, it’s amazing. I want to be a part of all this, to add on to what I want to do in the future, when I go behind the scenes."
On being a social media queen, with 1.4mil Facebook followers and 356k Instagram followers...
"For my social media, there are some paid and sponsored posts, but I only take on projects I can relate to. It’s about being true to myself. I’ve rejected quite a few clients and things that are not suitable for me and don’t apply to my lifestyle. I don’t like it when someone’s entire account is just a commercial thing. In the beginning, Instagram was a platform for me to talk about my feelings. Before that, we only had media interviews to express ourselves. Social media was very liberating. I don’t want to lose that. If whatever I get, I post, it loses that value for me."
"For me, it’s about maintaining the integrity of your posts. It’s so easy to say yes to everything, ’cos it’s a lot of money. But I’m very selective. But, yeah, you don’t know what’s real anymore. I don’t know how much others are earning. For me, it’s comfortable. But I don’t want to make social media my means of survival. I still want to grow my production company. I want to base my success on work I can produce, rather than just post on social media and earn money. Things are moving so fast. If you don’t have things that ground you, it’s hard to say that for the next 10 years, you’d be safe. I’m never gonna be satisfied with where I am — I want to grow. People are afraid of getting out of their comfort zones. But if you don’t, there won’t be new challenges and you won’t grow."
On being comfortable in her own skin, and being in control...
“I’m not exactly the chattiest person on earth. Reporters say, “You know Jeanette’s a really boring person to interview, and it’s difficult to get anything out of her”. (Laughs) I know that — people tell me all the time! (Laughs) I’m very bad at small talk and PR. I feel that as an actor, my job is to portray the role well — I don’t need to do anything extra. But these days, it’s about developing a relationship with people and I don’t have time and energy for that. But as you feel more comfortable with yourself and more confident, you start talking about your feelings and sharing more.”
“My boss [at Hype Records] Ken Lim let me do a lot of personal projects, such as my books, my art exhibition with the National Museum and my pet projects. Even with social media, he let me have total control. The only thing I felt was lacking was that, as an actor, as much as you do your homework, there are certain things you cannot do. And when things don’t work out, you’re the one who’s been too vocal and giving problems. I just want to do the job well and be true to myself, and there’ve been moments when I thought, “I wish I could do this...” And now I can. (Laughs)”
On her personal life, and whether she's going to settle down with her boyfriend of 11 years...
“No plans to settle down at the moment! (Laughs) Yes, I do love kids, but when the time comes, it’ll come. Yes, yes, I know what you mean [by “the time may be going”], but no, no plans at the moment. (Laughs) It’s more about how we feel, and we are at a very comfortable stage in our relationship.”
“No, [my boyfriend doesn’t take any photos of me.] Pauline [her personal assistant and photographer] does all the work! Most of the time, I’m at work, and Pauline is the one taking the photos. [My boyfriend] hates photos being taken of him. In a sense, whatever is on social media is not personal. I’m a very private person, and as much as I share my likes and dislikes and my thoughts, my life is private. Things like my family and my friends, those stay private."
“I was having dinner with my family and the people at the next table were taking photos of us. I stood up and said, “Stop taking photos.” If people want to take photos of me, I can’t stop them, but for my family, as much as possible, I’d like to protect them. They are shy and don’t need to be subject to this. Have any photos [of her family or boyfriend] surfaced online? Not yet! (Laughs)”
Photos: Joel Low
Styling: Martin Wong
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