SINGAPORE – In all her 29 years in show business, Zoe Tay has never landed a role as a teacher – until now.

And her “students” are second-generation actors and actresses who are children of other veteran artistes such as Edmund Chen and Xiang Yun, Zheng Geping and Hong Huifang, as well as television host Guo Liang.

Incidentally, being a teacher had been a childhood dream of Tay’s. The 49-year-old actress will be taking on the role of a teacher in the upcoming Channel 8 drama While We Are Young.

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Speaking in Mandarin, Tay said: “My character is unique in the way that she’s more hands-on with her students and is more ‘kaypoh’ with a strong sense of righteousness.

“She’s the type who would go for a run with her students,” said Tay of her character Fan Ting, a Mandarin teacher at a fictional top junior college. “Initially, I wasn’t used to reconciling the character’s personality with her strict, yet demure appearance,” she added.

The series, which is set to debut in October, also stars her friends and colleagues’ – past and present – children, whom she has watched grow up.

“I don’t feel awkward (but) they may (initially) feel awkward when they see me as I am the ‘aunty’ who often hangs out with their parents for tea and chit-chat sessions,” said Tay.

One of them is Calvert Tay, 17, Zheng Geping and Hong Huifang’s son. He plays Tay’s reel-life son, a first-year student who goes to the same college where she teaches.

Naturally, the budding actor was given some acting tips from his parents and the “Aunty” whose home he visits with his family every Chinese New year.

Calvert shared that Tay had advised him to “really listen to what they say, really see their facial expression, really feel at that moment” and words from the script will come naturally.

Besides Calvert, other second-generation actors include Lin Meijiao’s daughter Chantelle Ng; celebrity couple Xiang Yun and actor Edmund Chen’s daughter Chen Yixin; actor and television host Guo Liang’s son Marcus; and former actress Chen Xiuhuan’s daughter Shalynn Tsai.

Also starring in the series is Rebecca Lim, who plays Tay’s daughter-in-law and superior in school.

Tay won her second Best Actress Award after a 21-year gap at this year’s Star Awards in April. When asked about the possibility of a third Best Actress Award for the role, the actress said her main focus is bringing her character to life, and not winning awards.

But still, the recent victory was a special one for “Ah Jie”, as Tay is popularly referred to in the entertainment circles.

“I was especially happy with this year’s victory because three of us — the remaining actors from 1988’s Star Search — won something on the same night. That was very memorable as it was a journey that belonged to us,” explained Tay.

While We Are Young debuts Oct 30, 2017, on weekdays at 9pm on Channel 8.