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The biggest lesson Zoe Tay has learned in showbiz? One has to respect others first
2024
The “Queen of Caldecott” might be a television icon, but Zoe Tay doesn’t take any of her fame for granted. The celebrated actor tells us more about her latest role in Emerald Hill, and why the new generation of artistes plays a crucial role in the local entertainment industry
She has lit up Singapore’s television screens for 36 years, but there was a time when Zoe Tay questioned whether to dim the lights on her starry career. In the midst of what many considered a new peak in her career – she was fresh off the success of Channel 8’s blockbuster series Golden Pillow, for which she took home the Best Actress trophy at the 1996 Star Awards – Zoe felt herself at a “turning point”.
“I felt [my passion for acting] had died down a bit,” recalls Zoe, who was 28 at the time. Seeking a “shock” to her system, Zoe enrolled in a six-week acting workshop in New York, where she got schooled in voice projection and body movement – theatre techniques that were new to her at the time. “I was like, ‘Hey, I came for acting classes, how come we don’t do any acting?’ I was a bit frustrated,” she says.
But she found the shake-up she needed. “The lessons showed me how to project my inner thoughts into my delivery of the lines, and my playing of the characters. I was like, ‘Wow! I get it now.’” Equally revelatory were the interactions she had with her fellow workshop participants. “Many of them were not actors. They were scriptwriters; there was even a priest,” she recalls.
“They just wanted the experience. And here I was, being given lead roles all the time. It made me ask myself: Am I giving 100 per cent when I’m on set? Am I taking it for granted? “My attitude changed. I realised I had to treat my profession more seriously and appreciate it. And that brought me to this day,” says Zoe, now 56.
In life, to be respected, you have to respect others first. That’s just how it should be. It should be common sense.
It’s all about respect
If Zoe has a byword, it might be “respect”. Over our one-hour conversation, she mentions it nearly 20 times, and it is clearly a value she holds in high regard. “In life, to be respected, you have to respect others first,” she states. “That’s just how it should be. It should be common sense.”
New York, she says, renewed her drive to be respected for her work. “[Even if] people don’t want to watch your shows, you don’t have to give up. If your attitude is correct, then you are headed in the right direction, and you will enjoy what you are doing,” she says. While being a multi-hyphenate is practically expected of celebrities today, Zoe remains remarkably steadfast in her chosen path as an actor – a path she landed on after winning talent competition Star Search in 1988.
She cites Sylvia Chang as a person whose multifaceted career – acting, directing and producing – she admires, but harbours no such ambitions for herself. “I can’t direct. I don’t know how to run a business,” says Zoe, who modelled before joining Star Search, matter-of-factly. “I can only act.”
Wool and silk funnel-neck pullover, glossy lambskin biker-inspired jacket, and matching bootcut trousers, Hermes
Photo: Joel Low
Asked about what advice she would give to her younger colleagues, she says: “Stay focused. Now, with so much social media attention, I find that they can get a bit confused and lose track of what they want. You have to know what you are doing, and do it well.”
What she wants are fresh roles that stretch her range, and her upcoming role does just that – she’s lending her star power to Emerald Hill, the highly anticipated spin-off of the hit Chinese language series The Little Nyonya(2008). Playing the matriarch of a Peranakan family in the 1930s, Zoe’s character ages from 48 to 72, and spends much of it in a state of depression.
“She is supposed to be the head of the household… but her husband dies, so she shuts herself away at home, and she becomes depressed,” says Zoe. “She loses her confidence, and her sense of direction.” She pauses, then adds: “She’s very different from me. I’m very clear about what I want to do.”
Wool maxi dress with padded shoulders, and lambskin ankle boots, Louis Vuitton
Photo: Joel Low
Rarely seen in period dramas, Zoe relished being part of a production that faithfully recreates a bygone era in all its lavish detail. “I learnt so many things about Peranakan culture – they have so many rules about where you sit, where you stand… a lot of etiquette,” says Zoe, who is Teochew. “I felt like a queen.”
She had her reservations about playing the mother to characters portrayed by actors barely a decade younger – not because she was worried about being seen as old, but because she wondered if the chemistry between herself and her castmates would be believable.
“Shaun [Chen] played my boyfriend last year, and now I’m playing his mother, aiyo,” chuckles Zoe, referring to her 45-year-old co-star in the Chinese language drama My One And Only. “Until we did the imaging [where the cast is photographed in full costume and makeup for the first time], I was still uncertain. But once we were in costume, it’s like half the work was done, and we just naturally eased into the family relationship,” says Zoe.
In our interview, her manner is calm, regal and professional, but on set, Zoe says she tries to keep the mood relaxed, in case younger actors are intimidated by her “ah jie” (“big sister”) status. “Some of the newer actors who’ve never worked with me before, they will hesitate, so I will make sure that I’m mellow. I chit chat and make them feel comfortable with me,” says Zoe. “Because it’s not a one-man show, you know? Production is teamwork.”
In my younger days, when it came to things I was not comfortable with, I kept them to myself. But over the years, with my husband’s encouragement, I feel more comfortable about expressing my views… and I can speak in a way that is more mature.
Life as an icon
Zoe is arguably one of Singapore’s OG celebrities – local tabloids went into a frenzy when they discovered she’d quietly registered her marriage to former Republic of Singapore Air Force pilot Philip Chionh in 1995 – but she is aware that every generation brings a fresh crop of talent, and she doesn’t take her icon status for granted.
“We need new stories to attract a new audience, and we need new generations of artistes too,” she says. “If you understand this, you don’t really feel so bad.”
She doesn’t downplay the realities of ageing in a competitive industry – although she bagged a slew of Best Actress trophies at the Star Awards in recent years (2017, 2019 and 2021), there were also many years when she went home empty-handed. Yet she’s never given up on acting – she has over 60 TV credits to her name to date (not counting her film roles and the occasional hosting gig), all while raising three sons with her husband.
Sheer viscose blend pleated maxi dress with tie detail, and cashmere maxi coat, Louis Vuitton
Photo: Joel Low
“Of course, there are low points, but I’m always focused on what’s ahead,” she says. “In my 40s, there were times when I felt confused, not so focused, but now that I’m in my 50s, I’ve started to enjoy life more. I’m more relaxed.”
When she’s not acting, she “does housework” and focuses on quality time with her children, as well as her mother, who has dementia. She has also rediscovered the joys of travelling post-pandemic. “The world is so big, you know, I want to travel, and spend time with my friends and family.”
She is also more confident. “In my younger days, when it came to things I was not comfortable with, I kept them to myself. But over the years, with my husband’s encouragement, I feel more comfortable expressing my views… and I can speak in a way that is more mature. And that’s important, you know, if you want people to respect you.”
And if she has any moments of doubt, her husband is around to offer some straight talk. “My husband always tells me, ‘Nobody forced you to sign a contract,’” says Zoe. “And he’s right. No one forced me to do anything. I chose the path I wanted, and I’m doing it.”
Silk blend sheer dress with asymmetrical skirt (worn underneath), silk blend sheer panelled feather detailed cut-out dress, and knee-high leather boots with side zip and buckles, Louis Vuitton
Joel Low
PHOTOGRAPHY Joel Low, assisted by Eddie Teo
CREATIVE DIRECTION & STYLING Lena Kamarudin, assisted by Jeon Jae Won
ART DIRECTION Adeline Eng
MAKEUP Peter Khor, using Charlotte Tilbury
HAIR David Gan/Passion Hair Salon
