Chen Tianwen On How Making 'Ilo Ilo' Made Him Puke Seven Times

When local filmmaker Anthony Chen was preparing to make his feature debut, Ilo Ilo, a semi-autobiographical drama about a naughty teen and his relationship with his parents and their Filipino maid during the 1997 financial crisis, he had one actor in mind to play the beleaguered patriarch: Ex-Mediacorp actor Xie Shaoguang.

But Xie declined the offer: he had since 2005 quit showbiz to pursue a life in religious fulfillment in Malaysia. The writer-director then reached out to another Ch 8 actor he grew up watching: Chen Tianwen.

“Anthony got my phone number through a third party,” Chen, 55, tells 8 DAYS in Mandarin over coffee at the Killiney Kopitiam cafe at the Mediacorp Campus. “It wasn’t really an interview; we just chatted and he asked if I was keen to work on an independent film.”

Naturally, Chen said yes and the rest, as they say, is history. The movie also stars Yeo Yann Yann as Chen's missus, first-time child actor Koh Jia Ler as his trouble-making son, and Filipino theatre and film actress Angeli Bayani as the domestic helper.

It has been a while since Chen last watched Ilo Ilo. “I think it was at an event to mark the movie’s cable TV premiere maybe three or four years ago.” Now, it’s on Ch 5 and Toggle, as part of the ‘Lights. Camera. Singapore’ showcase.

The film went on win the Camera d’Or at Cannes Film Festival, and three Golden Horse Awards for Best Feature Film, Best New Director and Best Supporting Actress (for Yeo). Chen and Koh were nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Best New Performer, respectively.

During the course of filming Ilo Ilo, did Chen realise he was part of something special? “I did feel we were making a special movie. Anthony had told me that he was submitting it for competition. Never in a million years did I think it would actually win [so many awards].”

The interview has been edited and condensed.

Catch Ilo Ilo on Ch 5 tonight (May 7), 10pm, and later on Toggle.

Photos: Fisheye Pictures, Giraffe Pictures, TPG News/Click Photos

8 DAYS: Do you remember your first day working on Ilo Ilo?

CHEN TIANWEN: It was a scene in the flat. It was also the day of the press conference. I was really excited on that day, so excited that I cut myself shaving. When I arrived on location, I had this first-aid plaster over the wound.

You now have a four-year-old son, but you weren't a father back then and you had to create a fictional family with Yeo Yann Yann and Koh Jia Ler. Was the chemistry immediate?

No. Jia Ler wasn’t a trained actor. I was familiar with Yann Yann’s work but I’d never worked with her before. We relied heavily on rehearsals to build a rapport within a short span of time.

Filming lasted about two weeks, right?

It was a bit rushed and we spent a lot of time rehearsing. Anthony had high standards; he demanded a lot from the actors. When we arrived at the flat where our characters stay, Anthony said, Treat this as your own home and what’s the first thing you do when you step in there? You throw the keys on the table, step into the bedroom, and remove your clothes — these are routine activities which we had to get used to doing [to get into character]. We rehearsed at least 10 times for every scene. We had the cameraman following the actors during rehearsals because Anthony did many one-take scenes.

Anthony also taught you a thing or two about film acting.

Most of the time, on TV shows, reactions are very expressive. For movies, the reactions are more internalised. For example, if a scene requires me to look downtrodden, it’s just me smoking and staring into a blank space.

What’s your most memorable scene?

It’s the scene that takes place on the last night before Terry, played by Angeli Bayani, returns to the Philippines. Teck, my character, is smoking a cigarette by the window. Terry walks up to him and says, “Sir, can I have a cigarette?” He gives her one, and they both stare out of the window. There’s a tacit understanding between them: she has to go home to her family and he can’t afford to hire her. It’s a heartbreaking moment.

And your least favourite scene?

There were a number of scenes of me smoking. By then, I’d already quit smoking for about 10 years. It was because of this film I started smoking again. Here’s the thing: Because there are strict guidelines forbidding actors from smoking real cigarettes, I had to instead smoke herbal cigarettes which Anthony had brought over from London. There’s a scene where Teck takes a smoking break after dropping off [Yann Yann, Jia Ler and Angeli] at the airport. I took one puff and I puked seven times. The smell was jialat!

What was it like to watch Ilo Ilo at the Cannes Film Festival where it won the Caméra d'Or?

I saw the film at Cannes with the critics. Every day, they have a list of 10-20 movies to watch. If they don’t like it, they would walk out — they don’t give face! And if they like what they’re watching, they’d stay till the end. During our screening, there was a technical glitch; we were hit by a blackout that lasted about 10 minutes. When screening resumed, we were surprised that no one left. They stuck around to the end. They even gave us a 10-minute standing ovation. That was when I knew we’d made something special and the crowd was really appreciated it.

You were nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Golden Horse Awards. Did you prepare an acceptance speech?

I didn’t. Based on the pre-awards buzz, I figured that Jia Ler [who was nominated for Best New Performer] and I had a slim chance of winning. Looking back, the film had already won three major awards, there was no way they would give two more to Singaporeans!

Post-Golden Horse Awards, did you get offers from overseas to make movies?

No overseas offers; only local companies approached me. I went on to make Wayang Boy and Jack Neo’s The Lion Men.

Did you feel the pressure to pick subsequent roles more carefully, roles more befitting a Golden Horse Award-nominated actor?

I’ve been acting since 1984 — 35 years! — and I’ve been blessed to have played all kinds of roles. When I’m in a serious drama, people say I can’t do comedy; when I do comedy, they say I can’t do drama. Back in the day, I’d played the heroic leading man [like on Man From the Past]. I'd also played villains, like on The Sword and the Song. On Teahouse in Chinatown, I played an effeminate fellow. On The Royal Monk, I played a comical character. These days, people on the street recognise me as [Eric Kwek] from Mr Unbelievable; others remember me from the serials in the 1980s. Every role is different.

Are there roles you regretted playing?

So far, no regrets. When you don’t like the role, just treat it as a job (chuckles). I still love acting; I’m not jaded yet.

Is there a character you’re dying to play?

Someone perverted. Like a guy who’s good by day, a killer by night. Or a killer by day, a good guy by night — characters with split personalities. Those are challenging roles. Two years ago, I did Take 2, a Jack Neo-produced comedy about ex-convicts, where I played a guy named Di Tie [‘subway’ in Mandarin]. He’s called that because he has slash wounds on his back that look like MRT tracks. He’s a bad apple, a bit of a psycho. I got a kick out of playing him.