First kiss for the last duke

SINGAPORE — The last duke standing has fallen — the last duke to have never done a kissing scene, that is. He’s also the last duke you would expect to have maintained his on-screen chastity for so long, but not by his own choice, of course.

Yes, it’s erstwhile “bad boy” Ian Fang, who gives his first on-screen kiss to actress Hong Ling in Channel 8’s upcoming mid-year blockbuster drama, The Dream Job. In the show, they play husband and wife.

And yes, he really is the last duke to experience his first reel kiss. “Nobody would think that was true, right? But it is,” he told us, after a press conference for The Dream Job. “Shane Pow has kissed Tracy Lee. Xu Bin has kissed Carrie Wong and even Michelle Chia. I wasn’t envious — I just felt it was unfair,” he said, adding vehemently that no, he had not asked either of his fellow dukes for advice on how to do a kissing scene. A man has his pride, you know.

And the injustice rankles. “All these years, it’s either I can’t get the girl, or the girl dumps me,” Fang quipped. “I don’t know why — you should ask the script writers! I think it’s because they think my face always gets me girls in real life, so they just want me to suffer in dramas.”

Does his face not get him girls in real life? “It does,” he giggled. “But even though I’m not a very good guy, I’m definitely not a guy who takes advantage of girls. I don’t disrespect them.”

In fact, his bravado belies his shy nature. “I’m an a**hole. That means I always like to be cheeky about things, but when I’m actually about to do them, I turn back. Because I’m not that kind of person. People always think I am, but I’m not. I’m all talk and no action — in terms of sexuality,” he quipped.

He wasn’t even aware that during the filming of the kiss scene, he was blushing intensely. “Just as I was about to do the kiss, the director called ‘cut’ and said, ‘Ian, your face is too red’!” he recalled.

Why the awkwardness? “I’m not like Rebecca Lim,” he said knowingly, alluding to his are-they-or-aren’t-they relationship with the actress. “She’s always kissing people in dramas. I asked her, ‘How does a kissing scene feel? Come on, you’re my best friend. You should tell me. Because you kiss a guy in every drama. You’ve kissed all the guys before.’” He laughed. “She said, ‘Don’t know leh. No feeling.’ Bullsh*t. Definitely not helpful. So, what I did was, I kissed a mirror. I’m serious. Because I wanted to see how I looked. I didn’t want to turn the girl off.”

Now that the scene is over and done with, “I don’t mind kissing Hong Ling again”, he mused. “She’s sexy and pretty. At least my first time was given to her, and not to Jayley (Woo) or Kimberly (Chia) — I’m sick and tired of them!” Chia, he said, has played his love interest three times, so there’s no novelty there.

“I want to kiss Bonnie (Loo) also,” he said, deliberately raising his voice so that the actress, who was sitting at the same table, could hear him. “I want to kiss Fiona Xie. Jeanette Aw is not bad, either. Or Zoe Tay. Bonnie, do you want to kiss me?” “No,” Loo replied unhesitantly. “I’m shy!”

Looks like there are only so many girls your face will get you, Ian. But don’t worry — your mirror will never say no to your kisses.

Catch The Dream Job starting June 28, on weekdays at 9pm on Mediacorp TV Channel 8.