S’porean Businessman Character On US Crime Drama Portrayed As Needing Interpretor ’Cos He Only Speaks Malay

Yes, our ears perk up each time Singapore is mentioned in Hollywood.

But we are scratching our heads in the latest portrayal of a Singaporean character on American crime drama, Countdown.

In episode 11, which was aired on Prime Video on August 20, investigators (played by actors Jensen Ackles and Jessica Camacho) interview a Singaporean businessman named Kieran Teo (though it sounded like they were addressing him as Mr Teh-O).

Kieran, played by American actor Brian Yang, owns a cabin where a suspicious death took place. 

But Kieran is depicted as speaking only Malay and required an interpreter played by Singaporean actress Valerie Loo.

Netizens found it hilarious, with many questioning why a Singaporean businessman spoke Malay and needed an interpreter. 

“Did the show’s writers forget that Singaporeans speak English?” asked one, while another commented, “Did someone just ask ChatGPT what the national language of Singapore is and ran with it?”

For those not in the know (we’re looking at you, Hollywood scriptwriters), Malay is the national language of Singapore, while English, Mandarin, and Tamil are all official languages.

Another netizen found it weird that the obviously Chinese actor spoke Malay instead of Mandarin.

“Maybe he is a Singapore citizen but born in Malaysia?” joked a netizen, while another commented, “Ahh! At last [a] Singaporean speaks their national language.”

Malaysians are required to learn Malay as mandated by the national education system during their formative years.

The episode also presents the businessman’s fictional company, Beruang Holdings, as being “owned by the People’s Action Party (PAP) of Singapore”, where a representative of the Singapore Government halted the investigation.

Many took issue with how the People’s Action Party (PAP) was misrepresented, with a Redditor posting a lengthy response to the show’s episode.

“Clearly, someone on the team searched ‘What is the national language of Singapore’, saw that it was Malay, and based their entire assumptions on that one text line, not going a minute further to understand that Singaporeans are well-educated, speak English natively, would not need a translator in a professional and diplomatic setting, and are not, in fact, a part of Malaysia,” the netizen wrote.

Guys, chill. It is just a Hollywood drama that is fiction, right?

Photos: Countdown/Amazon Prime