Zhu Hou Ren’s son Joel Choo strips down for TV debut

SINGAPORE — When director Gerald Lee was casting for Channel 5 drama Faculty, he immediately thought of 22-year-old Joel Choo, the youngest son of veteran actor Zhu Hou Ren.

“I noticed that he was getting more handsome, so I told myself that one day, I need to recruit him,” said the director, who is married to actress Aileen Tan and spent a lot of time at the Choo household watching the young Choo grow up.

In Faculty, Choo plays CK, a high-achieving but arrogant national swimmer who competes with another swimmer for the affections of the popular Desiree (played by Sofia Dendroff).

The Singapore Polytechnic Music and Audio Technology graduate shared that when Lee approached his father to ask if he would be keen to go for auditions, he agreed readily.

“I’ve always been interested in acting, so I thought I might as well give it a shot,” he said. “Watching my dad on screen definitely inspired and influenced me, and having an older brother (Jonathan Choo) who directs played a part as well.”

Choo is also part of a local band called Maxime, but he revealed that he plans to put music-related stuff on hold for the moment to pursue acting.

Upon learning that his role would require him to go topless and do loads of actual swimming, he went for lessons and embarked on a healthier lifestyle to get into shape.

“I’m trying out different diets, like cutting out carbohydrates,” he shared, adding that he has started cooking his own “clean” meals as well. That said, he admitted that giving up things such as rice, cakes and desserts has been hard. “I usually reward myself with a cheat meal after a long day of filming! (laughs)”

Choo also started swimming every day (which he later cut down to three times a week). He did weights and went jogging on weekdays. “I definitely felt pressured when I found out that I have a lot of topless scenes; I want to look good on screen so I’m trying my best to get the body that I want,” he said.

All that hard work has clearly paid off: Choo lost 10kg and now sports a toned physique. However, when asked to rate his own build, he ventured a modest five out of 10.

“Eddie Peng has my ideal body,” he explained. “To prepare for this drama, I looked up to him a lot because he’s done a lot of sporty roles, and he has this very confident personality that suits my character, so I watched many of his shows.”

Of course, Choo also sought acting advice from his famous father. “(My dad) taught me not to exaggerate my actions, but to portray my emotions as subtly as possible,” he shared. “It’s a bit difficult, but I’m trying, and I hope I’m improving,” he said, laughing.

“I always thought that acting is easy, but it’s definitely harder than I thought,” he continued. “People tell me that acting is in my genes because of my dad, but that’s not entirely true, and I still have lots to learn.”

Another tip his father shared was to not constantly be on his mobile phone even when he’s not involved in a scene. “One day, I tried giving him a call while he was filming and he really didn’t pick up, which shows that he listens to me,” 61-year-old Zhu said with a chuckle.

So how does the established thespian feel about both his sons going down the showbiz career path? “I am very happy — next time, I can write a script, and one can direct while the other can act!”

The younger Choo, too, expressed his interest in collaborating with his father. “It would be interesting if our roles were something like him being a villain and me having to catch him,” he mused. “Anything other than me being his son!” TAMMI TAN/TOGGLE

Faculty debuts Feb 27, 2017 at 10pm on Mediacorp Channel 5.