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Michelle Chong the busy body

Michelle Chong doesn’t get very much sleep these days.

Michelle Chong doesn’t get very much sleep these days.

And no wonder. The multi-hyphenate who’s well-known and loved by fans for her razor-sharp wit and hilarious stint on comedy television show The Noose, has been busy running her artiste management agency, Left Profile, fulfilling brand endorsements, hosting corporate events, and shooting corporate videos.

Oh yes, and she has been busy promoting her second film, 3 Peas In A Pod, which stars Alexander Lee Eusebio, Calvin Chen and newcomer Jae Liew.

The movie — which opens in Singapore on Nov 14 — was written, produced and directed by Chong, and tells the story of three university friends who embark on a life-changing road trip in Australia. But the 36-year-old, who said she gets an average of about four to five hours of sleep every night, was very animated during our brief tete-a-tete at East Coast Park, where she was directing a commercial for denim brand Denizen.

“If I didn’t do so much, I would be very miserable. I like to be continually stimulated, mentally engaged,” said Chong.

“Otherwise, I wouldn’t know what to do with myself and my lonely thoughts. It would just be my thoughts and I!” (Cue melodramatic music here.)

On set, however, she is quite a different person. According to K-pop star and Denizen Brand Ambassador Eusebio, who plays Peter, Chong is a “very serious” director who is “very precise with what she really wants to do”.

Michelle, a martinet? Well, only because she has her actors’ interests at heart. “I guess I am serious because there are a lot of things to be done, and also problems to be solved every minute,” she explained. “There is no time to be too funny, or to take it too easy because time is money. And when you wrap early, when you’re efficient, your actors can have more rest, and they can concentrate better when they sleep early.”

She, of course, has had plenty of experience being on the “glam” side of the camera. “When I was in front of the camera — hosting or acting — when I don’t have enough sleep, it’s very, very difficult,” she said. “It’s torture to try and remember your lines or even get into character.”

But if you think Chong turns up on set looking all Star Awards-like all the time, think again. “When I am on set, I don’t care (how I look).” There are the odd days. “Because I’m still not behind the scenes altogether, sometimes I still need to sell my own movies. It’s still part of work anyway.”

Chong is, of course, referring to the fact that people are still interested in seeing what she is up to, even if she remains behind the scenes.

“When I (came back) from Australia, all these journalists (asked), ‘Eh, got pictures or not, of yourself directing and all that’.” It’s not like she fusses over what to wear on set. “But you have to take a few more photos, to distribute to the reporters.”

Though Chong claims that she never swears on set, she admits that it is not so much because she controls herself, but “because there’s really no time”.

“There’s no time to throw a tantrum because, like I said, time is money,” she said. “I am the producer as well as the director. So, the producer in me (might) be in conflict with the director in me. So, I have to keep myself in check.

“Every minute is (spent) solving problems. Movie-making is a logistical nightmare. It’s monstrous.”

But that doesn’t mean Chong is not without her pet peeves. “In movie-making, it’s team work right? So everybody just has to do his or her part, and do it well. (So I don’t like it when people don’t) try their best. Or they didn’t put effort into doing their job.”

NO MONEY NOT FUNNY

When it comes to choosing between commercial success and critical acclaim, Chong also clearly has her mind made up. “Commercial success,” she said, without missing a beat. Even though she doesn’t mind getting an award or two, Chong said that she wants her movies to rake it in at the box office.

“I don’t want to let people down. And commercial success is also a measure of success. And usually — usually — the more critically-acclaimed you are, the worse your box office will be.

“At this point in my life, I would prefer for my films to be commercial successes.”

Chong’s directorial debut, Already Famous, earned S$1.4 million on a S$900,000 budget in 2011. 3 Peas In A Pod has an overall production budget almost twice that — S$1.7 million. But whether that means her earnings will correspondingly increase remains to be seen.

“I suppose, like in four to five years’ time, after I have done a string, hopefully, of commercial successes, then I will take my own time and really just do a film that doesn’t need to make a lot of money, or make back a lot of money, or pay back a lot of people, you know?” she said.

She might even find herself in front of the camera again. Yes, those hankering for the comedian to return to the small screen may not need to wait too long — Chong said she is currently in talks to return to the next season of The Noose. In exchange, she will be able to portray one of her most recognisable characters, Barbarella, in her next film.

“My third film is a mockumentary ... like Borat, except it’s Barbarella and she travels the world irritating ang mohs,” Chong laughed. “I think it’ll be fun.”

3 Peas In A Pod will premiere in Singapore on Nov 14.

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