Desmond, on the other hand, auditioned for Star Search at 21 after completing his National Service. He had a six-month break before starting university, and thought he would give it a shot since he had “nothing to lose”.
Zetong had a full-time job as a customer relationship manager at marketplace platform Carousell, but was convinced by his mum to sign up for the competition. She’s a big fan of television shows, and so he agreed to join “to humour her”.
Desmond and Zetong then spoke about their showbiz mentors, whom they met during their Star Search journeys. Desmond was coached by Chen Hanwei, while Zetong’s coach was Christopher Lee.
Jernelle’s mentor was also Hanwei and she revealed that he continues to check in on her every now and then. She would update him on her ongoing projects, seek advice, and even send him her well wishes every Father’s Day.
Aileen did not enjoy the luxury of having a mentor guide her during the competition.
Aileen said: “My mentor is my experience. I remember the [2019 Star Search finalists] starred in a show called All Around You. Zhai Siming played my son in it. I remember there was a scene in which he just couldn’t get his tears to flow. The director asked me to help him out, and I remember him wearing headphones to [listen to music and] get emotional for the scene.
“When it comes down to emotions, it’s not something that you get right in one go. As a newcomer, he just couldn’t get it right. I tried my best to help him. I kept slapping myself in order to help him cry. The camera wasn’t even on me, it was on him. I continuously slapped myself while praying he could cry, and thankfully, he eventually teared up.”
After hearing what Aileen did, Desmond chirped: “So Zhai Siming, every Mother’s Day, please remember to send her a message.”
Now, who wouldn’t want Aileen as a mentor?
This story was originally published in 8Days.
