Zhang Zetong On The “Rude Shock” He Got When He First Met Christopher Lee, And Why He Thought Chantalle Ng Would Be Arrogant

A few months ago, at the imaging session for upcoming Mediacorp drama All Around You, we were chatting with Zhang Zetong’s manager, who seemed concerned that the Star Search 2019 winner was travelling to Okinawa with his co-stars Desmond Tan and Shane Pow to film scenes for the show.

“They [Desmond and Shane] very naughty one ah,” she warned, sounding like a concerned mother hen.

Needless to say, when 8days.sg met Zetong, 26, at the press conference for All Around You and travel show Aus-some Getaway, which sees him travelling in Australia with Star Search finalist Sheryl Ang and his mentor Christopher Lee, we had to ask if he, Des and Shane got up to any mischief on their work trip.

“No such thing, no such thing! I don’t even know why she would say that!” laughed Zetong, “They took really good care of me, no shady establishments or anything. They probably say funny things to [our manager] to annoy her, but during the trip they were like really good older brothers to me.”

In fact, Zetong's co-star Chantalle Ng, who was also on the Okinawan trip, admitted that she’s glad Shane and Desmond were travelling with them. “If it were only me, then it would have been very boring for Zetong, and his impression of [showbusiness] would be very different,” she said in all seriousness.

This is because the introverted 24-year-old actress preferred to spend her free time resting or revising her scripts in her hotel room instead of joining the rest of the cast and crew for dinner and other non-work related activities.

“I really need a lot of alone time, you know! And in Okinawa, you’re with people every single day. I just needed to recharge, man,” she explained. Say no more, Chantalle — we totally get it.

8 DAYS: So what was it like working together?
CHANTALLE NG: (Pretends to look disgusted) Okay, I’m just acting here! (Laughs)
ZHANG ZETONG: It’s okay. A person's first reaction is always the most genuine. (Laughs) I would say it was a joy, really. Chantalle is very willing to teach and she's very forgiving. When we were shooting our first scene together, I messed up multiple times because the lines were quite long and I was nervous. But she was very calm, and she was like, “Don’t worry, sometimes you need a few takes to get going.” So yeah, I felt no pressure working with her because she's very easygoing.

Chantalle, is it because you can relate to what Zetong is going through now as newcomer?
CHANTALLE: Yes, I completely understand. What’s more, because he won Star Search, people have high expectations of him. And he knows it, so when we started working together, I told myself not to create an environment that’s stressful for him. I’ve realised that over the years — oh my gosh, do I sound old? — different directors have different approaches. Some can be very fierce and to me, that’s not conducive at all because I’ll be even more nervous and instead of focusing on acting, I’ll be focusing on not making a mistake, and that sucks leh.

So yeah, with Zetong, I tried to be a friend, and I think it worked out pretty well! I noticed that he was able to catch what the director says very quickly, and that’s great because honestly, sometimes I still don’t get what the director is trying to say, so for him to already have that level of understanding is damn good.

Speaking of fierce... Zetong, you mentioned in an Instagram post that you felt there was 'distance' between you and Christopher Lee during the Star Search 2019 training sessions because he was very strict.
ZETONG: He is a strict teacher, for sure. He wanted to drive home the message that acting is something to be taken very, very seriously, and that you need to be respectful and always give your best as a performer. But when we were travelling together for Aus-some Getaway, he became the friendliest person I’ve ever met! He was always giving life advice and cracking jokes, and just being very relaxed and not strict about anything.

Did you not see this fun side of him during Star Search?
ZETONG: Not at all. When I watched him on TV in the past, I always felt like he would be very personable, so when I first entered the classroom, I really got a rude shock. (Laughs) I was like, Whoa! He means business, but he also means well lah. During the trip, he explained why he was so stern during the competition.

Was there an impression you and Chantalle initially had of each other that changed after working together?
ZETONG: Before getting to know Chantalle, I thought she would be a bit distant or that she would put on airs because her parents are celebrities. But after meeting and talking to her, I found out that she’s totally different from what I expected! Another thing I couldn’t tell from my first impression of her was how professional she is. It's something I picked up along the way and will keep with me.
CHANTALLE: Mine is like…
ZETONG: It’s okay, just say your worst, I know what you’re gonna say already!
CHANTALLE: No! Okay, so the first time I met him was way before we worked on this drama. Edwin [Goh] and I were at Mediacorp filming Old is Gold when we met a bunch of the Star Search finalists at the wardrobe unit, and Zetong was the only one who came up to introduce himself to us. I was like, 'Wow, this guy knows his stuff!' Then when he walked away I turned to Edwin and said, “Eh, quite cute ah.” (Guffaws)
ZETONG: I shy…
CHANTALLE: But because of that, I started to notice him among the Top 24, and I felt like he really has potential.

So has anything changed about that first impression of him?
CHANTALLE: I realised he’s very nai ba (father) material, which wasn’t something I expected because he’s so stylo milo. But he actually takes good care of people — and that’s rare.

For example, in Okinawa, he kept asking if anyone needed help or if they needed him to carry something for them. Honestly, that’s not something you get from a lot of actors, plus you know when you’re filming overseas, everyone’s very tired so they just want to take care of themselves, but Zetong would always reach out to others.

Do you all have any kissing scenes in All Around You?
CHANTALLE: No, and I’m very relieved, because it will be his first one leh, and I don’t want to be the one to do that!

Zetong, if you could have your first kissing scene with any actress, who would it be and why?
ZETONG: I haven’t really given much thought to that. I think any actress would be okay because it's done out of professionalism anyway.
CHANTALLE: Yeah, I had to kiss Edwin Goh and I tried to be professional about it but… (Rolls eyes and laughs) You know there was a period of time everyone thought we were together? I’m so glad he and his girlfriend finally went public!

All Around You premieres March 2, 9pm on meWATCH and Ch 8.
Aus-some Getaway airs on March 16 and 23, 8.30pm on meWATCH and Channel 8.

Photos: Alvin Teo, Zhang Zetong’s Instagram, Christopher Lee’s Instagram