Carrie Wong: “A Guy On Tinder Asked Me To Be His Friend With Benefits.”

She may be just 23, but Carrie Wong is playing the love interest of Shaun Chen, who’s 15 years her senior, in new Ch 8 sci-fi drama My Friends From Afar. In the show, Carrie is an alien who travels to Earth to start life anew, and attracts the attention of a jobless bum played by Shaun Chen. This is not the first time she and the soon-to-be father-of-two are acting as lovers. Three years ago, they romanced each other in The Journey: Tumultuous Times, the drama that made Carrie a household name after her superb turn as a feisty dessert seller drew praises from viewers and critics. We catch up with the actress, who tells us about her preference for older men and her experience with using dating app Tinder.

8 DAYS: How does it feel getting paired with Shaun Chen, who is 15 years older than you are?
CARRIE WONG: It’s fine for me because I like older guys (chuckles). In reality, I would prefer to date someone who is at least five to six years older than I am. I don’t even mind having a boyfriend 10 years older. I think I’m pretty mature for a 23-year-old, so I’d prefer my other half to be a lot more mature than I am. I want to date someone who is capable of taking care of me, and someone who can advise me in life.

This is the second time the two of you are playing love interests.
Yes (laughs). But it’s different. In Tumultuous Times, I liked him but he rejected me as he only treated me as his younger sister. This time round, he is the one who falls in love with me first. I guess it’s payback time! (Laughs).

You mentioned that you prefer older guys. But at what age do you draw the line?
As long as he isn’t too old, I’m fine. I’m 23 now. If my boyfriend is 35, I think it’s okay too. As for younger guys, I wouldn’t rule out dating them as long as they are mature. But from the guys I’ve met so far, I don’t think so (guffaws). Yeah, I’ve met younger guys who like me, but they are all too childish. I don’t think I can accept that.

You told us that you were going to go on Tinder to widen your social circle. How’s that going for you?
I did, but a very ridiculous thing happened to me. I set up an account on Tinder a few months ago, but I used a fake name and I didn’t upload my real picture. I matched with some guys, and the first guy who talked to me, asked me for my picture. I told him I preferred to be mysterious so perhaps we could chat first. And guess what? He told me: “I’m actually looking for friends with benefits. Are you interested to be [mine]?” I was so shocked. I told him I was just there to explore the app and that I wasn’t interested. I even asked him if everyone on the app was like him, and he said no. It was too overwhelming for me, and I deleted the app after that. I was quite put off by the experience. I can’t do this! (guffaws).

PHOTO: KELVIN CHIA