Although restless, Dr Jia Jia was obedient on the set of his debut movie
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Local actor Mark Lee and Chua Jin Sen, a local YouTube star also known as Dr Jia Jia, attending a press conference to promote the movie on 27 Dec 2012. The seven-year-old Jin Sen is also a pupil at Maha Bodhi School. -- ST PHOTO: JEREMY LONG
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Press conference and small group interviews for local movie Taxi! Taxi! -- ST PHOTO: JEREMY LONG
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Chua Jin Sen or Dr Jia Jia (left) and Gurmit Singh at the press conference for the movie, Taxi! Taxi!. The social comedy is about a scientist-turned-cabbie and his friendship with an old-time driver. -- ST PHOTO: PANDORA WONG
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Cast of the local movie Taxi! Taxi! comprising (from left) local actor-comedian Mark Lee, Malaysian actress Gan Mei Yan, Dr Jia Jia, director Kelvin Sng, Gurmit Singh, Jazreel Low and veteran Malaysian actress Lai Meng. The movie was inspired by best-selling book Diary Of A Taxi Driver: True Stories From Singapore’s Most Educated Cabdriver, a real-life account by blogger Dr Cai Mingjie. -- ST PHOTO: PANDORA WONG
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Cinema Still: Taxi! Taxi!, starring Mark Lee and Chua Jin Sen, a local YouTube star also known as Dr Jia Jia. -- PHOTO: GOLDEN VILLAGE PICTURES
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Local YouTube star Dr Jia Jia, whose real name is Chua Jin Sen, makes his movie debut in Taxi! Taxi!. -- PHOTO: GOLDEN VILLAGE PICTURES
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Taxi! Taxi! starring Chua Jin Sen, better known as Dr Jia Jia from his popular Singlish comic skits on YouTube. -- PHOTO: GALAXY ENTERTAINMENT
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Local YouTube star Dr Jia Jia, whose real name is Chua Jin Sen. The seven-year-old will be making his movie debut in the film Taxi! Taxi!, inspired by best-selling book Diary Of A Taxi Driver: True Stories From Singapore’s Most Educated Cabdriver, a real-life account by blogger Dr Cai Mingjie. Jin Sen is also a pupil at at Maha Bodhi School. -- ST PHOTO: JEREMY LONG
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Singapore’s YouTube stars, Dr Jiajia (left) and Bigbrother (left), have been commissioned by this year’s NDP Committee to recruit Singaporeans for a music video. -- ST PHOTO: RAZORTV
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A YouTube video of two young brothers bantering in Singlish, in which one of them portrays a fictional government minister, has attracted 230,000 hits in a week. In the video, titled Singlish Minister, Primary 1 pupil Chua Jin Sen (right), six, plays a self-proclaimed Singlish expert named Dr Jia Jia. The youngster earnestly delivers the minister’s speeches about floods in Orchard Road and MRT train breakdowns with a convincingly straight face. His sidekick is elder brother Chua Jin Chou, called simply Dr Jia Jia’s big brother. -- ST PHOTO: CHERYL FAITH WEE
Local actor Mark Lee and Chua Jin Sen, a local YouTube star also known as Dr Jia Jia, attending a press conference to promote the movie on 27 Dec 2012. The seven-year-old Jin Sen is also a pupil at Maha Bodhi School. -- ST PHOTO: JEREMY LONG
Press conference and small group interviews for local movie Taxi! Taxi! -- ST PHOTO: JEREMY LONG
Chua Jin Sen or Dr Jia Jia (left) and Gurmit Singh at the press conference for the movie, Taxi! Taxi!. The social comedy is about a scientist-turned-cabbie and his friendship with an old-time driver. -- ST PHOTO: PANDORA WONG
Cast of the local movie Taxi! Taxi! comprising (from left) local actor-comedian Mark Lee, Malaysian actress Gan Mei Yan, Dr Jia Jia, director Kelvin Sng, Gurmit Singh, Jazreel Low and veteran Malaysian actress Lai Meng. The movie was inspired by best-selling book Diary Of A Taxi Driver: True Stories From Singapore’s Most Educated Cabdriver, a real-life account by blogger Dr Cai Mingjie. -- ST PHOTO: PANDORA WONG
Cinema Still: Taxi! Taxi!, starring Mark Lee and Chua Jin Sen, a local YouTube star also known as Dr Jia Jia. -- PHOTO: GOLDEN VILLAGE PICTURES
Local YouTube star Dr Jia Jia, whose real name is Chua Jin Sen, makes his movie debut in Taxi! Taxi!. -- PHOTO: GOLDEN VILLAGE PICTURES
Taxi! Taxi! starring Chua Jin Sen, better known as Dr Jia Jia from his popular Singlish comic skits on YouTube. -- PHOTO: GALAXY ENTERTAINMENT
Local YouTube star Dr Jia Jia, whose real name is Chua Jin Sen. The seven-year-old will be making his movie debut in the film Taxi! Taxi!, inspired by best-selling book Diary Of A Taxi Driver: True Stories From Singapore’s Most Educated Cabdriver, a real-life account by blogger Dr Cai Mingjie. Jin Sen is also a pupil at at Maha Bodhi School. -- ST PHOTO: JEREMY LONG
Singapore’s YouTube stars, Dr Jiajia (left) and Bigbrother (left), have been commissioned by this year’s NDP Committee to recruit Singaporeans for a music video. -- ST PHOTO: RAZORTV
A YouTube video of two young brothers bantering in Singlish, in which one of them portrays a fictional government minister, has attracted 230,000 hits in a week. In the video, titled Singlish Minister, Primary 1 pupil Chua Jin Sen (right), six, plays a self-proclaimed Singlish expert named Dr Jia Jia. The youngster earnestly delivers the minister’s speeches about floods in Orchard Road and MRT train breakdowns with a convincingly straight face. His sidekick is elder brother Chua Jin Chou, called simply Dr Jia Jia’s big brother. -- ST PHOTO: CHERYL FAITH WEE
Dr Jia Jia is seven years old and already a true professional while filming his debut movie Taxi! Taxi!.
The local YouTube sensation, whose real name is Chua Jin Sen, is known for the comic Singlish skits that he performs with his older brother.
His housewife mother Mrs Caren Chua, 32, who accompanied her younger son throughout the film shoot, says that there was only one day when he got "frustrated". She tells Life!: "There is a very short scene in the movie where he is at the airport, but the director wanted to film it from many angles, so there were many takes.
"Jia Jia did not get why he had to re-do the scenes so many times. He thought it was all his fault and started getting very frustrated, even though I could tell that he was really trying as hard as he could. It was very painful for a mother to watch."
