Actor Darren Lim shaves head for his debut US film Hudson & Maria
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Darren Lim shaved off all his hair to play a Qing Dynasty official in the movie.
PHOTO: 963HAMFM/INSTAGRAM
- Singaporean actor Darren Lim shaved his head to play a Qing Dynasty official in the upcoming film Hudson & Maria, set during the 19th-century Opium Wars.
- The film, shot in Malaysia, stars William Moseley as Hudson Taylor and features a detailed set recreating the historical period.
- Lim enjoys his new bald look despite daily shaving, and his family finds it amusing; other local artists like Tan Kheng Hua also appear in the film.
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Singaporean actor Darren Lim has made the cut – not only to act in his debut American film Hudson & Maria, but also to his hair.
The 53-year-old’s new bald look was revealed in a video uploaded to SPH Radio station 96.3 Hao FM’s Instagram page on Aug 17.
In the video, Lim removes his cap to show off his shaved head, before proceeding to rub it, saying: “Look, there is nothing.”
He shaved off all his hair to play a Qing Dynasty official in the movie, which is set during the Opium Wars in 19th-century China and tells the true story of Hudson Taylor (British actor William Moseley), a British missionary who rejects colonial norms and adopts Chinese language, customs and dress.
Taylor’s devoted and courageous wife Maria will be played by British actress Poppy Drayton, while his loyal friend Wang Laijun is portrayed by Hong Kong-Canadian actor-model Ludi Lin.
Other local artistes cast in Hudson & Maria include Singaporean actress Tan Kheng Hua and Singapore-based American actor Bobby Tonelli.
Filming reportedly started in Malaysia in August.
In an interview with local Chinese-language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao published on Aug 27, Lim said that although his role is not large, it is a key character and he was very happy to be a part of the production.
“When I was getting my costume done, I went to see the ‘office’, which was in a large studio in Johor Bahru. The crew built the set indoors, and the set was beautiful, with meticulous attention to detail.”
Lim last shaved off all his hair for the 2005 local drama A New Life, where he played a man diagnosed with lung cancer.
Of his shorn look, he joked: “A man shaving his head is never as shocking as a woman shaving her head.
“A woman shaving her head can make her famous for life, but a man shaving his head is just botak (Malay for bald).”
Given the recent hot weather, being bald allows him to feel cooler, and he now takes less time and shampoo in the shower.
He said: “The troublesome thing is that I have to shave my head every day, otherwise the newly grown hair will be prickly.”
His chrome dome has also been a subject of interest for his wife, Singaporean actress Evelyn Tan, 51, and their four children aged 13 to 21.
He said: “They touch my head whenever they walk by. They really have no manners. (My kids even) pat it a couple of times.
“My youngest son said he wanted to have the same hairstyle as me, but his school doesn’t allow bald heads, so he got a buzz cut.”