Kin Star Rachel Wan On The Big Changes Coming To The Long-Form Drama Next Week

Rachel was invited to audition for both Ella Shelley and Loh Ah Yoke. After reading for both parts, “I felt I enjoyed playing Ah Yoke more,” she recalls. “When the producers asked me which role I preferred, I said Yoke.” A few months later, she was off to making the pilot where “half the cast was different from the one that’s currently on the show”, including an Ella Shelley played by Fiona Fussi, before the part went to Jasmine Sim.

2/ Her first day on set was ‘siong’.

Because the sets were still being constructed, Rachel had to shoot the outdoor scenes first. “It so happened that my very first scene on my first day was an emotional crying scene where Yoke had just found out about the switch. I had to skip all the excitement from [episodes] one to 15 and imagine that she’d already bonded with the Lohs. It took so much imagination and I had to cry. What I got the call sheet, I thought, what a way to start.”

“I have a lot of Ah Lian friends and I’m proud to be around them,” says Rachel. “So I would observe how they speak and behave.” The key to playing an authentic Ah Lian is not to be afraid to look unglamorous. “On set, I am always reminding myself that.” And what do Rachel’s Ah Lian pals think of her portrayal? “They think my performance is believable; I have been told that I have not made her annoying because a character like Yoke can be annoying.”

Besides her Ah Lian kaki, she also draws inspiration from Night Owl Cinematics. “NOC’s humour is a lot more heartland. Watching them work and working with them inspired Yoke a lot.” There’s one problem, though. “Because Kin is on Ch 5, there’s a limit on how much Singlish to use. My constant struggle is, how can I be the perfect Ah Lian who speaks perfect English? But the producers and directors let me ad-lib a bit, like throwing in some ah’s here and there.”

5/ Playing Yoke can get a tad personal.

On Kin, Yoke has an absentee father, Steven, played by Thomas Ong, in his first English-speaking role. “A lot of my scenes with Thomas were fuelled by my own experiences,” says Rachel whose parents are divorced. (Rachel lives with her mother, a preschool teacher, and a younger brother, who’s currently serving NS.) “That's one of the things I appreciate about the art of acting. Playing a character is like having a place to channel emotions and energy. It's fulfilling.”

How does she deal with the spoilers? “I think most actors prefer to only follow our respective character's storyline because it makes it easier to perform scenes where we are not supposed to know something. If I already know something in advance, it’s very hard to act surprised. Then again, it’s not like a lot of plot twists happen but substantial things do happen. Usually, we would get hints from the producers. That helps us to prepare our characters’ reactions.”

“On Kin, this is the first time I get to play a character for so long. I am shooting almost every day and we are in front of the cameras a lot more often than most other actors in Singapore. We all agree that Kin has given us a chance to improve our craft. We are now so comfortable in front of the camera. Remembering our lines and continuity is super easy because we shoot every day. It’s second nature now.”

8/ She hopes Kin can last as long as Tanglin, which ran for 823 episodes.

“I sincerely hope so because we enjoy our time here,” says Rachel. “Obviously we hope Kin can run as long as Tanglin, if not longer.” Has she thought about crossing over to Ch 8? “It would be awesome to try out Ch 8 one day,” she quips. “But for now, I believe my Mandarin isn't strong enough. I was offered a role in a Chinese Toggle series once, but I felt the need to turn it down — I didn't want to do the role any injustice!"

Rachel Wan photos: Alvin Teo