When actor Christopher Lee looked at the script of the drama Kill Sera Sera, he thought to himself, “‘Wow, we can do this stuff in Singapore now?’”
The murder mystery show follows the chilling events that unravel after a young woman named Sera, played by Chantalle Ng, is found dead and dismembered. Lee plays her father, while Hong Kong actress Jessica Hsuan plays her mother; the two, who already have a rocky relationship, descend into turmoil.
The drama also stars James Wen as a clergyman with a painful past, and Xu Bin as a police officer who was romantically involved with the victim.
Kill Sera Sera's cast members (L-R) Damien Teo, Xu Bin, Jessica Hsuan, James Wen and Christopher Lee at a press conference held on Jan 18. (Photo: CNA/May Seah)
Lee, who has been taking up acting jobs in Taiwan, said that when he was sent the script and learned that it was for a Singapore production, he accepted it because “I thought, ‘It’s in Singapore – at least I can go home’.”
After he read it, he realised that, with its gritty themes, it was an envelope-pushing production as local dramas are generally very family-friendly. “The script was very dark. It was not an easy project to work on,” he said.
“I saw the script and thought Chris was doomed,” Wen put in.
Christopher Lee with Damien Teo, who plays his son in Kill Sera Sera. (Photo: Mediacorp)
Kill Sera Sera has an M18 rating and will be available to watch only as an online series. And gore isn’t the only adult topic.
Xu Bin revealed that he has a racy scene with Ng’s character that gave him “a shock” when he read the script.
“I thought, ‘We have to do that? This is R21 stuff!’” He added that he’s used to “very innocent” romantic scenes where physical attraction is expressed through, for example, an exchange of glances.
(Photo: Mediacorp)
He’s thankful that the scene was with Ng, though, as the two have played a couple in more than one drama, including, famously, My Star Bride. “It would have been a lot more awkward with anyone else,” he said.
As for whether he had to pump any extra iron in the gym for the scene in question, he quipped, “After all these years of talking about working on my body, I’ve just given up.”
The cast agreed that Hsuan had the hardest time working on the project, though, because her character was constantly crying.
“I have never cried this much for a drama,” said Hsuan, whose last project in Singapore was the 2011 series Bountiful Blessings.
She added that she’s used to working on comedies, and “I prefer to laugh and be happy”.
But she accepted the role because her manager recommended she try a new genre. Knowing that she has a tendency to want to remain in her comfort zone, Hsuan told her manager to sign on the dotted line. “Then, I read the first episode and thought, ‘Oh, no, I’m doomed!' I was afraid I wouldn’t do a good job.”
Jessica Hsuan in Kill Sera Sera. (Photo: Mediacorp)
On set, she cried so much that the tears ran dry, she revealed. To make her feel better, her co-stars brought her food. Xu brought her chocolate from Switzerland, while Lee introduced her to Singapore fare like thunder tea rice and cendol.
The other bright side was that Lee was a great co-star, Hsuan gushed. “I’m happy filming with Chris because we get the scene done in one take. He’s very good at drawing me into the scene.”
Now, all that’s left to do is to see if viewers will take to a show that Wen says he fears audiences will find “difficult to digest”.
“It isn’t easy to try new things here, but I think making this show has taken us a step forward,” Lee said. “I hope audiences support it so that we can do more and better shows in the future. Maybe even some R21 ones!”
The first episodes of Kill Sera Sera are available on mewatch, with three new episodes released every Monday.
Continue reading...
The murder mystery show follows the chilling events that unravel after a young woman named Sera, played by Chantalle Ng, is found dead and dismembered. Lee plays her father, while Hong Kong actress Jessica Hsuan plays her mother; the two, who already have a rocky relationship, descend into turmoil.
The drama also stars James Wen as a clergyman with a painful past, and Xu Bin as a police officer who was romantically involved with the victim.
Kill Sera Sera's cast members (L-R) Damien Teo, Xu Bin, Jessica Hsuan, James Wen and Christopher Lee at a press conference held on Jan 18. (Photo: CNA/May Seah)
Lee, who has been taking up acting jobs in Taiwan, said that when he was sent the script and learned that it was for a Singapore production, he accepted it because “I thought, ‘It’s in Singapore – at least I can go home’.”
After he read it, he realised that, with its gritty themes, it was an envelope-pushing production as local dramas are generally very family-friendly. “The script was very dark. It was not an easy project to work on,” he said.
“I saw the script and thought Chris was doomed,” Wen put in.
Christopher Lee with Damien Teo, who plays his son in Kill Sera Sera. (Photo: Mediacorp)
Kill Sera Sera has an M18 rating and will be available to watch only as an online series. And gore isn’t the only adult topic.
Xu Bin revealed that he has a racy scene with Ng’s character that gave him “a shock” when he read the script.
“I thought, ‘We have to do that? This is R21 stuff!’” He added that he’s used to “very innocent” romantic scenes where physical attraction is expressed through, for example, an exchange of glances.
(Photo: Mediacorp)
He’s thankful that the scene was with Ng, though, as the two have played a couple in more than one drama, including, famously, My Star Bride. “It would have been a lot more awkward with anyone else,” he said.
As for whether he had to pump any extra iron in the gym for the scene in question, he quipped, “After all these years of talking about working on my body, I’ve just given up.”
The cast agreed that Hsuan had the hardest time working on the project, though, because her character was constantly crying.
“I have never cried this much for a drama,” said Hsuan, whose last project in Singapore was the 2011 series Bountiful Blessings.
She added that she’s used to working on comedies, and “I prefer to laugh and be happy”.
But she accepted the role because her manager recommended she try a new genre. Knowing that she has a tendency to want to remain in her comfort zone, Hsuan told her manager to sign on the dotted line. “Then, I read the first episode and thought, ‘Oh, no, I’m doomed!' I was afraid I wouldn’t do a good job.”
Jessica Hsuan in Kill Sera Sera. (Photo: Mediacorp)
On set, she cried so much that the tears ran dry, she revealed. To make her feel better, her co-stars brought her food. Xu brought her chocolate from Switzerland, while Lee introduced her to Singapore fare like thunder tea rice and cendol.
The other bright side was that Lee was a great co-star, Hsuan gushed. “I’m happy filming with Chris because we get the scene done in one take. He’s very good at drawing me into the scene.”
Now, all that’s left to do is to see if viewers will take to a show that Wen says he fears audiences will find “difficult to digest”.
“It isn’t easy to try new things here, but I think making this show has taken us a step forward,” Lee said. “I hope audiences support it so that we can do more and better shows in the future. Maybe even some R21 ones!”
The first episodes of Kill Sera Sera are available on mewatch, with three new episodes released every Monday.
Continue reading...