Did You Know These 50 Things About Zoe Tay (Who Turns 50 Today)?

Coincidentally, 2018 also marks her 30th year in showbiz. It’s a figure easily glossed over, but ponder how other Ch 8 actresses have retired from the limelight to get hitched, make babies and get busy with child-rearing… before making a comeback, or not. Well, that bright-eyed, bushy-tailed former model who won Star Search back in 1988 did all that (minus the retiring bit) without ever leaving her throne as Ch 8’s undisputable queen. On the endorsement front, the bankable star has nabbed enough lucrative deals that would make an actress half her age envious. She’s currently the face of three very diverse brands — Onwards Tissue, POSB Cashless and L’Oreal Paris Age Perfect. While others hightailed overseas chasing greener pastures, Zoe’s steely resolve and determination to keep calm and carry on honing her craft on home turf paid off with her publicity-boosting Best Actress win at last year’s Star Awards — a drawn-out 21 years after her first win. While countless actresses from the ’80s and ’90s have fallen from memory, Zoe has, over the years, blossomed into local TV’s evergreen icon.

Not bad for a lass who came from very humble beginnings (to be exact, a pig farm in Lim Chu Kang), and harboured no dreams of becoming a star. Well, she not only rocket-zoomed her way to become local TV’s go-to leading lady, but three decades on, has proven her staying power by never straying from her TV audience and braving all the brickbats that came her way. “The accomplishment that I’m most proud of is that I can still stay on in this industry, which wasn’t my original plan or ideal job. And I’m still passionate about acting,” Zoe muses. “I came from a kampong and a very ordinary family. But I managed to survive in showbiz for so many years. I made it. Even my friends are puzzled as to how I managed to stay on in this industry for so many years with my kind of character — they think I’m not ambitious and not scheming. I asked them, ‘Is it only people who are like that who can be in showbiz?’” Well, the answer found in the walking testimony that’s Zoe rings loud and deafeningly clear.

So how did Zoe manage to stay relevant? Part of the answer, perhaps, is found in Zoe’s quip: “In this industry, you can’t really say what makes a person famous. Among a few thousand actors, you’re the prettiest, or tallest, or your acting is the best, so you’ll surely become famous? No, it’s very hard to say. But this industry requires a very subtle thing called ‘X-factor’ — I only learnt that term in recent years. So I’m very lucky that I have that.”

And witnessing Zoe in a photo shoot is seeing that X-factor on steroids at work. We’re slightly rapt by how the actress nails each shot with consummate ease and poise. Her every head tilt and hand gesture oozes understated elegance. She cuts an imposing, striking figure against a backdrop of lights, tripods and camera flashes. Yet, any illusions of diva-like grandiosity is at once shattered when she cheekily flashes a peace sign at us. Ah, yes, the ever-so-affable Ah Jie. And looking at how picture-perfect the timeless star looks in these pages, who knew Zoe had just bounced back from a health-related double whammy? That, and more nuggets of random and not-so-random trivia (50 to be exact!) about the soon-to-be-50-going-on-fabulous star.

#1: She had a recent major health scare.
“About two months ago, I was suddenly hit with back pain. It was so serious that I couldn’t move my entire body! My husband was out of town. I called a paramedic to give me an injection. Then, I went to see an orthopedist, and went for an X-ray and MRI. I got admitted into the hospital. I was very scared. The doctor told me that the pain was caused by wear and tear in the bones of my spine due to ageing. He told me to have enough rest. I didn’t have the habit of exercising regularly before, but I’ve since made it one of my priorities.”

#2: She also had a neck injury last year.
“Last July, I had a two-month break in between filming. I spent the whole of those two months lying in bed and seeing the doctor. I had injured my neck. The herniated disc in my neck was pressing into my spinal cord. My whole neck was numb and in pain. Now, my health’s back to normal. But the moment I feel a bit of pain, I’d start doing stretching exercises.”

#3: She wants to slow down and smell the roses.
“I wish I had ample time to rest. The other day, I rested for two days at home. When I’m not filming, I miss acting. But when I’m acting, I just don’t enjoy it so much. The conclusion I reached was that I don’t want such an overwhelming filming schedule. It’s too tiring. Early on in my career, I was very busy. Last year, I was also very busy. I’ve been working for 30 years; if my life were still as hectic, it’s quite sad. (Laughs)”

#4: Her 50th birthday wish
“Good health.”

#5: What else she wants in life…
“A more leisurely life. A crazy life doesn’t suit me ’cos I’m not a party animal, but neither does an idle lifestyle ’cos I’m a workaholic. For now, I’m still quite busy ’cos my kids are still young, so I need to spend a lot of time to bond with them and watch over them. So I still cannot relax. But at least I don’t need to bring diapers out anymore. (Laughs)”

#6: Her most prized trophy is made of Lego.
“In 2016, my youngest son saw me on TV at the Star Awards for the first time. Every year, my husband would let our kids watch the ceremony’s opening, then put them to bed ’cos they had school the next day. But in 2016, we let them watch the entire event. My youngest son saw that I was one of the hot favourites, but didn’t win an award. So the next day, he made a Lego trophy and gave it to me. He said, ‘Mummy, you don’t have trophy. I give you one.’ Last year, I won the [Best Actress] award. So I told my son, ‘This year, no need to make trophy. Mama got one for you.’ (Laughs)”

#7: Her mum used to hide her trophies from strangers...
“When I used to live with my parents [Ed: Zoe’s mum now lives with her while her dad has passed on], they would wrap up all my trophies and display them at home. But whenever a stranger came to our house, to do repairs or whatever, my mum would keep all my trophies in the storeroom. She’d take them out to display again only after they left. She didn’t want people to know that that was my house. (Laughs)”

#8: …but now she’s the one who hides them.
“After I moved into my new home, there was no space to display my trophies. And I wanted my house to be clean. So I keep all my trophies in the basement study room.”

#9: You wouldn’t know you were in her house if you went there.
“My house doesn’t have a single item that has my ‘registered trademark’. There’s not even a picture of me in my house.”

#10: She fulfilled her childhood dream in reel life.
“When I was young, I wanted to be a nurse. But I’m scared of blood. And nurses have to do injections! How to be a nurse? (Laughs) Back then, I read storybooks on Florence Nightingale, and felt that being a nurse was very good ’cos they can take care of and show love to people. I was so happy [when I got to play a nurse in You Can Be An Angel Too]!”

#11: She’s jealous of her hubby.
“My youngest son knows how to manja. He’d tell me, ‘Mama, I love you the most!’ Then, the moment his dad comes home, he’d go, ‘Papa, I love you the most!’ He’s such a ‘Casanova’! When we’re both around, he sticks to his dad. ’Cos his dad pampers him more. When we’re sleeping at night, he’d scramble from my side to his dad. I spend more time with him leh! How can like that? (Laughs)”

#12: She thinks she’s less vain than Romeo Tan.
“I like taking selfies. But it depends on my mood. I don’t take selfies every day. I’m ‘better’ than Romeo [Tan] lah. You see him taking selfies the whole day. He’s very narcissistic. Whenever I see him taking selfies, I’d tease him about it. I’d go, ‘You’re very good at taking selfies.’ He’d say, ‘I learnt from you.’ I’d say, ‘No lah. You’re better at it.’”

#13: Her favourite emoji
“I use the kiss mark emoji a lot. I like using emojis to reflect my different moods. I think they’re very cute.”

#14: The emoji she only sends to loved ones
“Once, while driving, I used Siri to record a message to my husband. And he corrected my English. So I sent a fist emoji to him. (Laughs)”

#15: She has her unglam moments.
“When we were filming a scene in the hospital for You Can Be An Angel 2, one of the crew members chased and called after me when I came out of the loo. Turns out there was toilet paper sticking out of my uniform. (Laughs) We were in a VIP room. Thank God I hadn’t walked out — it would have been embarrassing. If I had walked out, who would have dared to tell me! Actually, okay lah, they all would have told me ’cos they know that I’m not the [dainty] kind. I’d be like, ‘Okay. Sorry, sorry. Say earlier mah!’ (Laughs)”

#16: The type of pictures you’ll find most in her phone…
“Food. I’ll send pictures of my food to my family. Food is the easiest way to connect with people.”

#17: Her biggest regret in life is not being a mugger.
“When I was young, I didn’t think studying was important. Maybe if I had studied a lot, I’d have more options, and a different perspective on life.”

#18: She said “If you jump, I’ll jump”... to Chen Hanwei.
“I went bungee jumping once. Over 20 years ago, my husband, [Chen] Hanwei and I went on a trip together. We went to a bungee jump site. After my husband jumped, I told Hanwei, ‘If you jump, I’ll jump.’ He did. After that, I went up the lift [at the bungee site]. The moment I walked out, I regretted it, but I had to keep to my word. When I jumped, the fear was overwhelming. I didn’t have a fear of heights before. But after that, I developed [acrophobia]. Not long after, I filmed an army show with Jack Neo, and there was a scene where I had to jump from the height of one storey. I knelt down and begged the crew, ‘Please don’t make me do this.’ Before, I’d insist on doing jumps or stunts myself during filming. I’ve since overcome my fear a bit. Now, when I look down from a tall building, it’s still not too bad. At that time, I’d feel scared even looking down from one storey up.”

#19: The words that she loves hearing the most...
“‘Well done.’ Getting compliments on my acting makes me very happy. My senior colleagues praise my work a lot more now. So it feels like I’m moving in the right direction.”

#20: The question she dreads hearing the most…
“Every time I’m asked to comment on the bad things [other celebs] have done, I’d say, ‘I don’t know. Don’t ask me.’ If someone does something wrong, they should know and learn from it. So why hit a person when they are down? You should let the person pick themselves up and move on, right?”

#21: Creepy crawlies used to bug her.
“In the past, I was very scared of lizards. When I was young, a lizard dropped on me and crawled all over my body. It was very scary. So whenever I see lizards, I’d scream my head off. One day, I decided to overcome my fear. So the next time I saw a lizard, I used something to beat it. After that, I was no longer afraid of it.”

#22: The most romantic thing she has done for her husband...
“Buy him a mobile phone. He was very happy. That was back when mobile phones first entered the market. He hadn’t started working then. And he always wanted a mobile phone. They were very expensive then, and he didn’t have money to buy one.”

#23: The most romantic thing her husband has done for her...
“My husband is not romantic leh. It was probably buying me a ring as a birthday present. When I got the ring, I was shocked! I liked it — surprisingly. (Laughs) ’Cos I don’t like a lot of his gifts — I’d tell him to give them to other people. I said, ‘If you want to buy me a gift, it’s very easy. There are a few brands I like which you can buy from.’ But he just doesn’t want to buy those [’cos they are too expensive]. (Laughs)”

#24: She thinks the biggest sacrifice she has made for her kids is “giving birth to them”.

#25: For her, the grass is not greener on the other side.
“Many people think that I’m not proactive ’cos I didn’t go overseas to develop my career. But I thought that if I stay here and do my job well, and do myself proud in my own country, others would be able to see it. But is that kind of mentality wrong? (Laughs)”

#26: She once told off a director.
“I worked with a new director for my drama You Can Be An Angel 2. We were shooting a scene of me crying my heart out. Her original plan was to finish that scene, then shoot another scene with another actress. But the other actress needed to go. So she shot my scene halfway, then went to shoot the other actress. That was not right. ’Cos later, I had to build my emotions up again to go back to that state. But I couldn’t go back to exactly the same point. She should have finished shooting my scene first, or asked the other actress to come back another day for a reshoot. But ’cos she was the director, I didn’t want to correct her on the spot. After filming wrapped, I told her that the way she handled that scene was wrong. She didn’t plan her time well, and shot excess footage. I jokingly said, ‘If you shoot like this, you waste my time leh. Next time, if you want to take so many shots, you go tell your boss you want to film rookies and then you can slowly take your time to shoot them.’ (Laughs) She laughed and said, ‘Aiyoh, Ah Jie…’ I always tease her. ’Cos from my position as an experienced actor, if I were to directly criticise her, she would feel scared. She’s very passionate about directing. So I don’t want to kill her dream.”

#27: She was told off by directors back in the day.
“The directors in the past were very good at scolding people! They would keep scolding me like a dog until I cried. And I still had to report for work the next day. I was very miserable. The directors said all kinds of stuff that made me cry. Even my mum and dad wouldn’t use such words on me. Before I became an actress, I had never heard vulgarities before. When I first heard them, I was scared to death!”

#28: She’s never scolded an actor.
“I don’t even scold my maid. What more fellow actors? At most, I’d show a ‘black face’ on set. What kind of situation was it? You have to be at the scene to know.”

#29: She’s no materialistic mum.
“My children give me drawings as birthday presents. But my oldest son is at that age where he thinks it’s not cool to do something like that. One year, I had to demand for my present from him! Then he anyhow scribbled ‘Happy Birthday’ on a paper and passed it to me. (Sighs) Okay, anything lah. ’Cos I don’t want them to spend money on presents. They know that the present I love the most is for them to be obedient and get good grades.”

#30: Her most unforgettable birthday...
“On my 21st birthday, I had just gone through a break-up. I met up with a friend for dinner. After that, she invited me to her house. The moment I opened the door, I saw a bunch of my friends who had gathered at her house to celebrate my birthday. It was so unexpected that I cried! But I don’t like that kind of surprise party — it’s a bit scary. (Laughs)”

#31: Her saddest birthday...
“On set working. For many years. In the past, we didn’t have a proper artiste management team. So it was very difficult to apply for leave. Now, my manager will help me block some important dates, like my birthday, or my kids’ birthdays.”

#32: She didn’t have starry dreams as a child.
“When I was young, I never thought of being an actress. I stumbled into this industry by chance after joining [Star Search in 1988]. I was so against it at first ’cos I couldn’t act. Also, it was a very tough job. Over these 30 years, I have overcome a lot of fears and challenges.”

#33: She used to work “370 days” a year.
“In my 20s, I was busy working all the time; I had no life. In a year, I’d shoot two to three shows. Back then, I once said, ‘There are 365 days in a year. But I work 370 days.’”

#34: She was so tired, she’d just sleep on the floor.
“Early on in my career, I often thought of quitting ’cos filming was so tiring. Our filming day was very long. And we also had overnight shoots. Sometimes, I’d be so tired that I’d just lie down on the floor to sleep. And we had to handle everything on our own — arrange our own schedule, do our own make-up, buy our own meals and carry our own clothing. So that system trained me to be very tough. But I don’t want to go back there again.”

#35: Her professionalism was not always by choice.
“From young, even if I was sick, my [late] father would still ask me to go to school or work. He felt that as long as I could walk, I could go to work. Once, I was running such a high fever. But I still had to finish an overnight shoot for [1995] telemovie Love Knows No Bounds.”

#36: Many times, she almost had accidents while driving.
“Back then, I lived in my parents’ house which was a distance [from the old Mediacorp campus]. Sometimes, while driving home late at night after work, I’d slap my face and pinch myself [to stay awake]. Many times, I [dozed off at the wheel] and almost got into accidents. So sometimes, while driving, I’d feel very sad and I’d cry. When I got home, everyone would be asleep. And when I got up in the morning to go to work, everyone was still sleeping. I felt very sad and lonely. I couldn’t meet my friends or spend time at home. I was working every day.”

#37: She has thought about being a full-time housewife.
“At 40, after having kids, I considered quitting acting to become a housewife [’cos of my hectic filming schedule]. My husband said, ‘If you want to be a housewife, go ahead. But is that what you want to do? Can you stay at home?’ (Laughs) Now, I realise I can be a housewife [when I’m not filming] and still do the job that I like.”

#38: She likes to communicate the old-school way.
“Many times, when I ask [my manager] something, she would scold me, ‘Didn’t I already tell you [via message]?’ Sometimes, when I’m filming, I’d get a whole bunch of messages. I open the messages, but I don’t read them. ’Cos I get too many messages and I really don’t have time to read [all of] them. My husband sometimes asks me, ‘Why didn’t you clear your e-mails?’ I hardly have time to do that. Sometimes, if they are work e-mails, I’ll tell him to help me reply to them. If I need to check something, I’d usually just call the person.”

#39: She wants to retire before the age of 60... maybe.
“When I was 20, I thought I’d have retired at 30. When I was 30, I thought I’d have retired at 40. At 40, I thought I’d have retired by 50. At 50, I don’t want to retire at 60. I want to retire earlier. (Laughs) I don’t want to tire myself out anymore. I should be enjoying life now. But, you know, I’m just saying. By the time I reach 60, I don’t know what I’m going to say.”

#40: She doesn’t have a Plan B.
“I don’t necessarily have to act, right? I could do other stuff. As for what ‘other stuff’ is, I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it yet.”

#41: HD screens are her worst enemy.
“I’ve never had work done on my face. (Jokingly) This could be why I no longer want to act when I’m 60 years old. (Laughs)”

#42 & #43: #Shelovesherjob (also, #shehatesherjob).
“I have a love-hate relationship with my job. It’s a tough job, but one that gives me a lot of satisfaction. What attracts me about the job is that it’s very challenging and there’s a lot of room for improvement. It also allows me to meet people from all walks of life.”

#44: She doesn’t have plans to write an autobiography.
“My life is very boring leh. I haven’t had many ups and downs. Ten years ago, my manager planned for me to write an autobiography. But, we gave up the idea ’cos I don’t have anything [interesting that I’m willing] to share. (Laughs) I’m very protective about my family. So I want to keep that part of my life private. And both my husband and I think that our children should lead normal lives.”

#45: It’s not easy being related to her.
“My brother hates it when he gets introduced as ‘Zoe Tay’s brother’. At work, people always refer to him as ‘Zoe Tay’s brother’. It makes him extremely annoyed ’cos [he wants to have his own identity].”

#46: Her oldest son got bullied in school ’cos of her.
“I always tell my sons it’s best that they keep a low profile [in school] and not let anyone know [that I’m their mum] ’cos it’s not to their advantage. True enough, one of my oldest son’s classmates found out [who I am] and he got bullied. (Laughs) His classmate said bad things about me which upset my son. I think this is a form of unnecessary pressure to kids. So I tell my sons not to refer to themselves as ‘Zoe Tay’s son’ in school. But some people, like my good friend, [Hongkong actor] Alex Man, said, ‘You should take them around and tell everyone that they’re your kids.’ (Laughs)”

#47: Her youngest son is not low-profile at all.
“My youngest son always goes around telling people, ‘My mama is Zoe Tay.’ (Laughs) He’s very playful. He asked me, ‘Mama, do you know all my friends know who you are?’ I said, ‘Yeah, thanks to you.’ (Laughs) He’s not as sensible as my oldest son. Maybe he’s still young and cannot think properly yet. So I just let him be. He asked me, ‘Why can’t I tell people that you’re my mother?’ I told him, ‘It’s for your own good.’ And my brother who was standing beside us went, ‘Yeah, your mum’s right. It’s for your own good.’ (Laughs)”

#48: Her kids don’t know what acting is.
“In the past, I only told my sons, ‘Mama is inside the TV acting, like Winnie the Pooh and Hello Kitty.’ (Laughs) ’Cos they always see me coming home in different looks and outfits. In recent years, I’ve let them watch my shows. When they see me shedding tears onscreen, they would feel very sad. And sometimes, they’d ask,‘Why like that?’”

#49: She likes being “ding dong”.
“In the past, audiences only saw me on TV. So they thought I was very glamorous. But now with social media, they see a more real me. I can be very playful. And I think that ding dong side of me helps me to relieve work stress.”

#50: What she wants to accomplish before turning 51...
“See the Northern Lights. I’ve seen many pictures of the Northern Lights and they’re very beautiful. I love being in nature. But my husband isn’t interested in such things. He’d say, ‘It’s just lights only what!’ He’s too practical already! (Laughs)”

PHOTOS: AIK CHEN