Tuesday October 19, 2010
Jack Neo is mum – on film
By NOORSILA ABD MAJID
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PETALING JAYA: It’s rough out there for Jack Neo (pic). Seven months after his sex scandal almost destroyed his movie career, the Singaporean actor-director-producer still finds it hard to deal with the press. You can’t blame him. Prior to this exclusive interview in Singapore, while Neo was promoting his new project Homecoming alongside his co-stars Ah Niu, Mark Lee and Huang Wen Hong, Singapore reporters were busy hounding him about his sex scandal-hit past.
Just for those who are still in the dark, the filmmaker admitted to having a two-year affair with Wendy Chong, a model who was young enough to be his daughter. A few other girls, including actress Foyce Le, also accused him of sexual harrassment. “They (the Singapore press) have not forgiven me yet,” Neo confides in The Daily Chilli. “They asked me about my life after the scandal. But I’m not gonna answer them.” But seriously, how is life after his public humiliation?
“I’m doing OK. I laugh my way home these days,” he answered carefully, “just like the title of my new movie in Chinese.” Yes, his wife of 26 years, Irene Kng has buried the hatchet. So have their four children. “I want my children to see my new movie,” he enthused. In Homecoming, the 50-year-old has landed a plum role as a woman. The feel good Chinese New Year movie is jointly produced by Malaysia’s Double Vision and its Singapore partners. Funnily, Neo plays Malaysian folk singer-actor Ah Niu’s mum in the comedy.
“When Daniel Yun (the producer) called me and offered me the role, I told him I would only come out if he made me a pretty 50-something woman - with no white hair - in the movie,” Neo joked. And he agrees that his personal experience in dealing with the women in his life comes in handy. “After what I have gone through, I understand women a lot better now,” Neo said with a nod. “Women – and their hormonal changes –are not all that terrible. We men can be horrible too,” he said.
