“This Is My Second Chance”: Tay Ying Hopes New Mediacorp Drama SHERO Will Redeem Her “Cringey” Performance In 2019’s The Good Fight

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When 8days.sg met with Tay Ying after the press conference for new Mediacorp drama SHERO at Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa, the 27-year-old is frank and forthcoming….about her acting, how she rates her performance, and why she thinks she was “very unpolished” when she acted in the 2019 Mediacorp martial arts drama, The Good Fight.

But when we venture to ask her about her rumoured beau — the actress is said to be dating celebrity chef Wu Sihan, 31 — Tay Ying firmly shuts down all talk, after a brief pause.

“My relationship? I mean, there's nothing to talk about lah 'cos today is literally about SHERO, so, it has nothing to do with my relationship,” she says.

So, are they together, or not? For now, it sure seems like neither Tay Ying nor Sihan (his manager stepped in on his behalf during our last interview with him) are not ready to comment just yet.

Oh well, can’t say we didn’t try, right? Back to work then. 

In SHERO, Tay Ying plays a female bodyguard with a dark past, and we couldn’t help but bring up Mediacorp martial arts drama The Good Fight. The 2019 drama was Tay Ying’s debut drama, and here’s what the actress had to say about her performance, some four years later.

“The Good Fight was my first drama, so in terms of acting and everything, it was very unpolished. I told myself that this, Shero, is my second chance. I don't think I did as well as I hoped [in The Good Fight],” she says.

“I came into this show wanting to really improve myself even more. I wanted to be more particular, especially when it comes to acting and the action [scenes], there has to be intention, not just movement. I don't know how I did — I don't think I did very, very well, compared to everyone else — but I know I did my best, that's for sure,”  she adds.

Tay Ying went on to share that she only received feedback from her fellow colleagues and people in showbiz about her admittedly lacklustre performance in The Good Fight years later.

Speaking about that, Tay Ying shares: “I think they all knew that I was really young, so they didn't want to overwhelm me that much, but years later when I spoke to some of the people that worked with me back then, they said: ‘Oh, we saw that you were doing your best, and that was enough.’ But now, it's four years later, I’m doing new shows, and I’ve developed as a person and a character over the years, so I want to focus on the present [and do my best].”

And yes focusing on the present means that she will not be rewatching The Good Fight anytime soon. Or at all, for that matter.

“I think I'll cringe. It's very cringey. Let bygones be bygones, you know. We’ll move on from there,” she laughs before adding: “I think many people remember me from that show, and I don't want that to be my first and last impression. So I hope I can make a new impression in time to come.”

8DAYS.SG: Your dad Zheng Geping’s an action star in his own right. Did you seek any advice from him prior to filming?

TAY YING: He trusts the production and all of us, so he didn't really say much. I did go back to my old coaches and mentors for help. My taekwondo instructor since I was nine helped me prepare for this role and I also did my own stunt training outside with [training ground] Sandbox. 

I have a personal trainer as well, and the production also arranged for [security firm] AETOS to train us. So in terms of preparation for this role, I had quite a lot of help and I am thankful for it. But whether this looks good on screen, this one is... I don't know, subjective lah.

Was there anyone in the cast who helped you the most while filming SHERO?

I'd say it was Joanne [Peh] 'cos I have quite a number of scenes with her and we talked a lot. She's very open to share and listen to our views as well. 

If you've had a conversation with her, you'll know that it can be a very intellectual, inspiring conversation. So I enjoy talking to her a lot, and especially out of work, she's like a big sister to all of us.

Since the drama’s called SHERO, do you have a Shero in real life, and who is she?
Wow, I've got so many Sheros in my life, where do I start? I mean, my mum [Mediacorp actress Hong Huifang] is definitely one of them. She's the main one. It's not easy being a mum, really. Sometimes I do ask myself: ‘What if I become a mother, what would it be like?’ I can't imagine it at all, and I don't think you can ever be prepared to be a mother.

I'd say that the people I work with, everyone around me [is my Shero too] 'cos it takes a lot of strength to be in an industry like this. The fact that they can ace it with grace is very inspiring.

Speaking of your mum, as a second-gen celeb, do you ever worry that you will never live up to your mum?

Why do I get this question all the time? I feel like I've been getting this question since I was born (laughs).

I mean the answer has always been yes. To a certain extent, I'm afraid of pulling down my family's reputation 'cos I'm not just representing myself anymore. But at the end of the day, I'm me, I'm not them. It's very hard to compare apples and oranges. 

But if you’re asking about feeling pressured, yes, I think we [second-gen celebs] all [feel pressured]. And if we don't have that pressure, we should be worried 'cos if we're just gonna do whatever we want without respecting them, it's not nice as well, right?

Over in Hollywood, everyone’s all abuzz about nepo babies [short for nepotism baby, which refers to second-gen celebs who’ve succeeded in fields similar to their famous parents thanks to their influence or connections]…

Yes, yes, I learnt that term recently as well.

So in that vein, have you ever come across people who downplay your achievements just 'cos you have famous parents?

All the time, to be real. All the time, every single day, everywhere. Yeah (laughs).

How do you react when that happens?
I just don't read those comments. I mean, I've learnt not to read comments, like, I totally ignore them. Especially when there's an article about my family online, there's bound to be negativity, so why bother reading them. 

We're just doing what we love, everyone has the right to be happy, everyone has the right to do whatever they want, so yeah, it's time we learnt to be happy for each other's achievements.

You can catch SHERO on meWATCH here, or on Ch 8, weekdays at 9pm from June 12 onwards. The first episode is embedded below.