Behind the scenes of Mata Mata: A Fallen Hero

Hey everybuddy :)) have you been mata-ing? We're almost half way through, but it seems like forever to wait for the next episode to come on air..Which is your favourite episode by far?
One of my favourite episodes was last Monday's, cos it has managed to weave in several layers; As samseng plot thickens alongside corrupted matas, while Hani faces with internal conflicts (which I think she totally scored on that last scene with Graham and Henry!! Bravo babe!), the forbidden relationship between Elizabeth and Seng Hock, and most importantly, veteran actor Chew Chor Meng portraying the fallen angel to give this episode and extra oomph. 

Filming this episode was alot more lighthearted then it seems. To begin with, the "qian bian/欠扁" looking samseng Teow Kee is actually a very fun-loving dance instructor in real life, and it was such a joy to work with him(though that was my 1 and only scene with him). Before "Action", we were talking enthusiastically about dancing and upon "Action", we had to pretend to be enemies, which was kinda funny trying to hold onto a death stare at him.

Being a hopeless romantic, some of my favourite parts in mata is the forbidden love between a mata and samseng. Since Beth is such an overly righteous person, her MIND cant convince her to fall in love with someone on the other side, and I guess the forbidden fruit does always seem to taste sweeter. Anyhoots, when we were filming the piggyback scene, we were all kinda worried for Daren, cos it wasn't long since he had a knee surgery and was told not to over exert or carry heavy stuff O_O  I even tried dieting for abit so hopefully I can help lighten a few kilos off his load..Thanks Seng Hock for your sacrifice :)

I'm so thankful that through mata mata, I have this golden opportunity to work with so many veterans and see them work wonders. I was elated when Producer Chan Gor said that Chew Chor Meng was going to play Insp. Jimmy Lau. Ever since the memorable Chinese drama 福满人间, played by Chew Chor Meng and Evelyn Tan, they have been my childhood idols. What's more, working with a humble and strong-willed veteran actor has made me respect him even more. Despite his medical condition, he has never expected special treatment or whatsoever. While waiting in between scenes, listening to him share about how dedicated he is to God and his unwavering faith calls us to reflect on how blessed we already are and yet sometimes we still take things for granted and worse, complain. 

Lastly, in conjunction with the recent mooncake festival, the scriptwriters weaved that in as well. But as we filmed this sometime back, it was kinda hard for the assistant directors to find ready made mooncakes, and must be the old fashion ones too. After watching this, I start to appreciate all these little things, cos it takes alot more than just the actors to make each episode possible. Each episode is meticulously hand crafted and we face obstacles during shoots everyday, from weather to props to locations etc etc etc..It's really a team effort and we hope you guys will continue to enjoy watching our "baby".