Why is Ya Hui fattening herself up?

SINGAPORE — Poor Ya Hui is very possibly the most put-upon actress on Caldecott Hill: She has been tasked yet again to put on weight for a role.

The 27-year-old is currently filming for a drama, Life Is Beautiful, in which she plays a hefty girl. In addition to wearing a fatsuit, she also has to make sure her face fills out too. This, of course, means stuffing it silly. And while her colleagues might cherish such a situation (go on a diet, what’s that?), Ya Hui said being made to eat for a role isn’t quite as fun as it’s made out to be.

“I don’t know if I’m lucky or unlucky,” she said, pulling a face while picking at a plate of fried noodles during the interview. “Many artistes who are on diets are envious. But my intestines are so small — I really have to force the food down. I cram myself full of food until no more can go in. I eat curry rice at 10pm. I eat until I want to cry.”

It’s deja vu for the actress who had to do the same last year for the drama Marry Me. “The first time, I was enjoying it because I was too deprived of food. But now, I’m eating to be more convincing — that’s all. Somehow, I don’t enjoy food anymore,” she sighed.

It’s especially painful because she had only just managed to reach her ideal weight. “You know the feeling: Finally, you’re so slim, and you have no extra fat anymore. Then, they tell you, ‘Sorry, ah ... You have to put on weight.’ It’s sian — it’s really sian.”

But is it worth it to go the way of Robert De Niro or Christian Bale — two actors who’ve been known to put on the pounds for sake of their craft? “It’s my job. I do it for my passion. But I’m putting my health aside,” said Ya Hui. “(But) I think that this will be the last time I’m going to do this kind of ‘fat’ role. Unless it’s Hollywood or they pay me $1 million!”

She added: “Really, there will be no more ‘next time’. It’s not being unprofessional — it’s about my health. I’m not very young any more. I’ll be 30 soon!”

Life Is Beautiful is slated to premiere on March 2 next year.