Why Does Joanne Peh Want Qi Yuwu To Cook Topless?

Before Elvin Ng had beef with fake news, you may remember that back in September 2010, he was engaged in an online feud with Guo Liang. Even before we could broach the topic of Elvin’s past online feud with Guo Liang, the actor beats us to it. “Whether or not a reporter writes about me, I’ve always [been in the news for] some contentious issues. For example, I wrote about Guo Liang da ge on my blog [in 2010]. But actually, when I saw him after that, I still called him 'Guo Liang da ge'. And he nodded [in response]. Of course, initially, there may be a bit of awkwardness. But I still respect him as a professional and my senior," he tells us. The fact that reel life mirrors real life for the duo is also not lost on Elvin. “I think it’d be interesting [to work with Guo Liang again] ’cos people know that we have that history (laughs). He’s a host, and he’s very eloquent, so there’s a lot to learn from him,” he says. “And in the show, we are cold towards each other initially. But we slowly manage to reconcile our differences. So that’s interesting.”

You may remember Elvin and Joanne (Jovin?) playing half-siblings who have romantic feelings for each other in The Journey: A Voyage. Five years later, the duo reunite as lovebirds in Heart to Heart. Elvin's character teams up with Joanne’s talented dim sum chef to revive the business owned by his dad. Elvin says he has many memorable experiences working with Joanne, including in his debut drama A Life of Hope. “When I did my very first show with her, I was wearing braces. And whenever I spoke to her while filming, my saliva would land all over her face. So the moment the director shouted ‘Cut!’, she’d say, ‘Okay, pass me tissue.’ My first onscreen kiss scene was also with her. And she could feel my heart beating very fast. So she said, ‘Don’t worry, I’m here. I’d lead you.’ (Laughs)”

Relax, Xiang Yun didn’t age into a white-haired woman overnight. That’s just a wig the 56-year-old actress is rocking. In Heart to Heart, Xiang Yun plays the former belle of the teahouse whose hair turned white from overworking. “I like this wig very much! When I was reading the script, I thought my character would have long, unkempt white hair. But I found out I’d be wearing a short white wig at the imaging. Surprisingly, it’s quite pretty,” she tells us. So in future, would she choose to let her white hair grow out? “Yes! When I’m old and I’m no longer an actress,” she smiles. “In the past, I felt that short white hair only looks good on Caucasians, and not on Chinese people. But I think this still looks not bad.”

The Heart to Heart cast at the drama’s lensing ceremony.

The cast poses with a giant bun to mark the start of the filming of the 25-ep drama.

PHOTOS: CHEE YAN