SINGAPORE — Someone once said, if you want to dream, dream big. So perhaps it’s appropriate that the Chinese blockbuster drama The Dream Makers turned out to be the big leader for this year’s Star Awards, garnering 19 nominations.

In second place, with 11 nominations, is another blockbuster drama of the year, The Journey: A Voyage. Both dramas are competing for Best Drama Serial, Best Director and Best Screenplay, and both have multiple nominations in the Best Actor category, with Qi Yuwu and Chen Hanwei representing The Dream Makers, and Pierre Png and Terence Cao being acknowledged for their work in The Journey: A Voyage. Bryan Wong (Gonna Make It) rounds up this group.

Whether The Dream Makers will make a clean sweep at the Star Awards is anybody’s guess, but if it does, it will add much to the celebratory mood of this year’s event, as it marks the show’s 20th year.

Although Cao has been highly commended for his villainous turn as an abusive husband in The Journey: A Voyage, he thinks his chances of winning are “impossible”. “Pierre did a really good job,” he said. “I’m happy, but a nomination for a baddie role can never get you very far. The only person who could take it there and win it was Xie Shaoguang!”

He added: “Actually, I’m very happy to have received a lot of attention because of this role in the past few months. I’ve never gotten that sort of attention before — not since Chu Lu, but that was too long ago, I’ve forgotten what it feels like! Drama making and role creating is a lot of hard work for everyone and it feels super good to have such attention.”

The Best Actress field sees Chen Li Ping, Jeanette Aw and Rui En (The Dream Makers) vying against Rebecca Lim for Sudden and Chris Tong for The Journey: A Voyage.

Like Cao, Aw, who played an insecure actress in The Dream Makers, is grateful that she has had a role that garnered much attention. “I had a lot of very good feedback so I’m very encouraged and very happy,” she said. “I would say that I’ve been very lucky. I’ve had a few representative works, from Holland V to The Little Nyonya — and this one.”

However, the actress said she wasn’t getting her hopes up to take the gong. Despite being nominated in this category several times, she has never received the award.

“I have to be honest and say I hope I can (win) because as long as you’re an actor, you hope to get recognition. Still, at the end of the day, I know that somehow, I don’t have any luck with this award!”

The Dream Makers continued their “round of three” in the Best Supporting Actor category with Dennis Chew, Shaun Chen and Guo Liang being nominated. Zhang Zhen Huan (Break Free) and Jeffrey Xu (Marry Me) round out the field.

“I’m really surprised,” said first-time Best Supporting Actor nominee Chew, who played a nosy reporter and brother to Rui En’s character in The Dream Makers. “I got the news while I was filming for (upcoming drama) World At Your Feet. I was so happy, I cried, because this is my first time being nominated for this award. I know that all my friends, listeners and media friends, including reporters, liked my character, but I didn’t know I would be nominated. It’s unbelievable! It was a fun role but there were also a number of subtly emotional scenes, which I think made the role so real.”

Best Supporting Actress category was an even spread, with nods given to Priscelia Chan for The Journey: A Voyage, Xiang Yun for Beyond, Rebecca Lim for The Dream Makers, Aileen Tan for C.L.I.F. 2 and Hong Hui Fang for Love @ Risk.

Chan said the “mental torture” she went through to play the “toxic character” in The Journey: A Voyage now seems worth it. “She took me to extremes I’ve never been to — the intensity; the negativity. It was scary because while filming, I did a lot of things I never imagined I could do. A lot of producers were like, ‘Yo, scary, leh.’ I’d be like, ‘Yeah, I don’t know where that came from’.”

She added: “Of course, I sure hope I win, because it has been 14 years (since I entered the industry).”

For television doyenne Xiang Yun, who played a mother in the supernatural-themed show, Beyond, being nominated never crossed her mind.

“I never dreamed of being nominated because Beyond aired so long ago, I totally forgot about the show. When they texted me to tell me the news, I had to look twice.

“Still, the drama was very special and full of memories: While filming it, my father was ill with cancer, so I would rush to see him after work and I would spend my day with him. Shortly after that, he passed away. So it’s very special to me that I’ve been nominated for this show. It’s good news for the new year!”

Other major nominees include those for Best Variety Show Host — Kym Ng and Quan Yi Fong for Finding U; Pornsak for The Joy Truck; Vivian Lai for Say It! and Guo Liang for Counter Fake; and Best Info-Ed Programme Host — Lee Teng and Jerry Yeo (Big Factories 2: Made By Singapore!); Cavin Soh (Let’s Cook); Ian Fang (My Working Holiday) and You Yi (Smart @ Work).

Catch Star Awards 20: Show 1 live on April 20 at 7pm and Show 2 on April 27 at 7pm (Walk Of Fame at 5.30pm) on MediaCorp TV Channel 8.

For the full list of nominations, visit http://tdy.sg/starawardslist