SINGAPORE – Two years ago, he lost 14kg for his role in Gonna Make It; now, Bryan Wong has gained 15kg to play a muscle-bound hothead in the new MediaCorp TV Channel 8 drama, Hand In Hand. Filming for the series is currently in progress.

“He is so simple-minded and he doesn’t use his brains much. He’s angry all the time,” said Wong of his character in the drama, which revolves around a family of siblings trying to track down their missing father. Hand In Hand also stars Jesseca Liu, Sora Ma, Aloysius Pang, Zheng Geping and Ben Yeo.

Video: May Seah/TODAY

Of course, since the all-brawn-no-brain character is the total opposite of Wong himself (“Physically well-developed? I am not. Simple-minded? I am freaking clever” he quipped); he determined that a physical transformation was needed. “One month ago I started going to the gym and for the first time, I hired a trainer, because I think it’s no longer about ‘party muscles’ that are just for show,” he said. The result? “Every day, I’m living in pain. The pain never ceases. And I’m constantly hungry.”

He’ll be putting those business-time muscles to good use, though, with lots of fight scenes on his schedule (and even a scene in which he has to run nearly naked down Orchard Road). “Whenever (the character) meets with problems, his first reaction is to fight. That is so not me. I’m so mellow and elegant,” Wong laughed.

Bulging biceps and rippling pectorals aren’t even the biggest transformation Wong has had to undertake. As someone who readily admits to having a healthy dose of vanity, acting “ugly” has gotten under Wong’s skin. “(The character) has absolutely no class. For me, that is really difficult, because I do admit that to a certain extent, I’m a vain person. I never leave my house without my hair combed nicely or my shirt ironed nicely. The colours I’m wearing have to match. But this character is the total opposite. I have to be as ugly as I can – the way I sit, the way I walk, the way I talk, the places that I scratch myself.”

If you’re wondering where those places are, he said: “You don’t want to know.”

Wong said he has to fight “a constant battle” every day against “everything that I’ve been brought up to remember,” to play the part. “I have to constantly remind myself: Don’t even bother to drink your coffee nicely – you have to slurp. Finish one packet of noodles in three mouthfuls. And always talk with your mouth full.”

Let’s hope his mum doesn’t find out about that – at least until it’s too late.

Catch Hand In Hand starting Sep 24, weekdays at 9pm on MediaCorp TV Channel 8.