Award-winning Emerald Hill child star Ivory Chia makes movie debut in Liang Po Po Vs Ah Beng

SINGAPORE – At an age when most children are still figuring out their favourite subjects in school, Ivory Chia is juggling movie premieres, media interviews and homework with ease.

The breakout child star of Mediacorp’s blockbuster drama Emerald Hill – The Little Nyonya Story (2025) first made headlines when she clinched the Best Actress In A Supporting Role (Asia-Pacific) award at the 2025 Asian Academy Creative Awards (AACA) in December. She played the street-smart younger version of Tasha Low’s Xinniang.

She beat seasoned contenders like South Korea’s Oscar winner Youn Yuh-jung (Pachinko, 2022 to 2024) and Hong Kong actress Yoyo Chen (D.I.D. 12, 2025).

Ivory, who turns 10 on March 4, enjoys the buzz and excitement over her, and being occasionally recognised in public.

“People have asked to take photographs with me when I’m out, but nothing else much has changed,” she tells The Straits Times.

While the poised Primary 4 pupil, who declined to reveal the name of her school, describes herself as “a very normal person… just studying and everything”, her life is anything but ordinary.

She is making her big-screen debut with a plum supporting role in the Malaysia-Singapore comedy film Liang Po Po Vs Ah Beng, which opens in Singapore and Malaysia cinemas on Feb 17.

Ivory plays Xiao Yun, the daughter of security guard Ah Beng (Jack Lim) who gets kidnapped by an organ trafficking ring. Ah Beng teams up with Liang Po Po (Jack Neo) as they attempt to rescue Xiao Yun and an abducted boy (Easy Qiu).

Popular Malaysian actor Lim, 50, who also served as the movie’s chief executive producer, says he was impressed by Ivory the moment they met at the script-reading session in 2025.

“I had watched her in Emerald Hill, but seeing how Ivory acted in person was a different level,” he says at Liang Po Po Vs Ah Beng’s press event on Feb 11 at Sheraton Towers Singapore.

“I’ve worked with so many child actors over the years, and you know who is the real deal,” he adds. Lim says he needed someone who could emote well, as there is a “very emotional scene” between Ah Beng and Xiao Yun.

Likewise, Neo – who has worked with several child actors over the years for his I Not Stupid movies (2002 to 2024) and Homerun (2003) – praises their young co-star’s professionalism.

“She is such a natural performer. You can see it in her eyes, they are so expressive,” says the 66-year-old local actor and film-maker.

“Ivory reminds me of Megan (Zheng). They have that innate ability to captivate you,” adds Neo. His Homerun lead actress, at 10 years old, became the only Singaporean actor to win a Golden Horse Award, after winning the Best New Performer prize in 2004.

For Ivory to win the AACA prize really shows she has potential, he says.

Model student

Ivory, an only child, admits she never wanted to be an actress and prefers singing and dancing.

In 2021, her semi-retired 64-year-old father initially thought he was signing her up for Chinese lessons at Zoom! Academy, without realising it was an acting school. She left the academy after 24 lessons.

What began as a casual trial quickly led to auditions at Mediacorp and then to her first roles on television.

Since her debut at the age of six in Love At First Bite (2022), where she played a younger version of Chantalle Ng’s character, Ivory has already appeared in about 10 productions. These include Family Ties (2023), Shero (2023) and All That Glitters (2023).

The success of Emerald Hill opened doors for her to step onto a film set, which Ivory describes as being quite similar to TV.

“The only difference is there are a lot more publicity events,” says Ivory, who recently joined the Liang Po Po Vs Ah Beng cast in Kuala Lumpur and Penang to promote the movie.

To see herself on the big screen is “exciting and fun”, adding that everyone on set was always looking out for her and Easy, 11.

For her, the biggest challenge was not just the emotional demands of her role, but also keeping up with life back home.

When her job required her to miss school – she took a month off in July 2025 for the shoot – her teachers split her homework in half: she completed part of it before leaving for Kuala Lumpur, and finished the rest when she returned.

She was also absent from school whenever she had to participate in the film’s promotional events.

Ivory – whose mother is a 43-year-old homemaker – revises a lot at home to keep pace with her peers. Ivory adds that if schoolwork ever gets overwhelming, she is prepared to hit pause on acting “for a few months or maybe years” to focus on her studies.

Citing science as her favourite and best subject, she does not have any tuition and manages to consistently attain good grades. In April 2025, she posted on Instagram her 2024 CCC-CDC Education Merit Award, which recognises students for their academic achievements and personal qualities.

Asked if her roles are getting meatier after Emerald Hill, the tween shrugs, saying: “I’m not sure. I like what is offered to me.”

Ivory has no acting projects lined up for 2026 so far, as she has to focus on her Chinese dance co-curricular activity to prepare for the Singapore Youth Festival Arts Presentation in April.

A fan of K-pop – global girl group Katseye is her favourite – she says she would like to continue acting for as long as she can.

Her AACA trophy is placed next to the TV set at home. “My father is planning to get a cabinet for it, one with shelves. I only have one trophy now, so I need to work harder to get more.”