My Bag

Channel 8 actress Carrie Wong goes from fresh face to A-list in four years

Carrie Wong, who stars as Shaun Chen's love interest in My Friends From Afar, does not mind their 16-year age gap

Actress Carrie Wong plays an alien that is sent to Earth to see if it is suitable for her species to live on in the Channel 8 dramedy My Friends From Afar.
Actress Carrie Wong plays an alien that is sent to Earth to see if it is suitable for her species to live on in the Channel 8 dramedy My Friends From Afar. ST PHOTOS: KELVIN CHNG

There is a 16-year age gap between them, but 23-year-old Mediacorp actress Carrie Wong does not mind being romantically paired with actor Shaun Chen in their latest television drama.

"I prefer older and more mature guys anyway, so I'm fine with it," the refreshingly straightforward Channel 8 star tells The Straits Times at a recent interview.

"Besides, he looks very young for his age," she adds with a chuckle.

The pair act as unlikely love interests in My Friends From Afar, which is airing on Channel 8 on weeknights.

In the dramedy, Wong plays an alien named SY9-3870 that is sent to Earth to see if the planet is suitable for her species to live on as their land is rotting.

Chen plays Tian Sheng, a hot-tempered human who is intrigued by SY9-3870's feistiness, even though they often find themselves getting into heated arguments with each other.

This is the second time Wong is being paired with Chen - the first was in the 2014 period drama, The Journey: Tumultuous Times.

  • ON HER BAG

  • I always carry a big and roomy bag like this when I am filming. We end up staying on the set for long hours, so I need a bag that's big enough to carry everything I need to last the day.

It was one of her first acting gigs and she was only 20 years old at the time.

"In Tumultuous Times, his character rejected me because he saw me only as a younger sister. This time, he falls in love with me first. It's payback," says the actress, who is single, with a laugh. Chen is married with two daughters.

A lot has changed since she appeared in Tumultuous Times. In the four years since she was discovered on Channel U's talent spotting reality TV series Hey Gorgeous, she has gone from a fresh face to an A-lister.

She regularly plays leading roles in blockbuster TV dramas, such as Dream Coder (2017) and You Can Be An Angel 2 (2016), and has been named a Top 10 Most Popular Female Artiste at Mediacorp's Star Awards for three consecutive years since 2015.

"I feel very blessed. My workload has been consistent every year and I've been given the chance to try very different roles and work with different people. I can't complain."

She is already shooting her next series, Vic, in which she playsan aspiring model who switches bodies with the owner of a modelling competition.

The role is proving to be extra tough, she laments.

"I am already quite slim, but I have to look catwalk model-ready, so I need to lose a few kilos.

"But I love to eat and hate to exercise, so it has not been easy. I miss rice."

•Follow Yip Wai Yee on Twitter @STyipwaiyee

•My Friends From Afar airs on Channel 8 on weeknights at 9pm.


Things in her bag

TORY BURCH LOVE RELENTLESSLY ROLL-ON PERFUME

It can get very hot on set, so I get sweaty. If I have to go straight to an event or a dinner at night after filming, I cannot go smelling bad, so I always take a small perfume with me. I prefer floral fragrances such as this one - I don't like it if it is too sweet.

BOOK

With so many hours of waiting around on set for your scene, there is a lot of idle time. I always carry a book with me and I especially enjoy reading Chinese books by Taiwanese authors. I've been pretty good in Chinese since my school days.

SCRIPT

I carry my script everywhere I go, so I can study it no matter where I am. Some people think the stack of scripts is bulky and heavy, but I've gotten used to it.

COFFEE FLASK

I need an iced Americano every morning and this helps to keep it cold for a few hours. I bought it at Cafe 89 Mansion in Seoul, a cafe that actor Lee Jong Suk opened. I am a K-drama fan and he is one of my favourite actors.

BIFESTA MAKE-UP WIPES

I have to wear thick make-up for work and, at the end of the day, I cannot wait to just get it all off. This is good for getting at least most of my make-up off and it feels refreshing. When I go home, I wash my face properly with a deep cleanser.

3M NEXCARE ACNE ABSORBING PIMPLE CLEAR PATCH

I get the odd pimple here and there, so I stick a patch of this and it usually disappears within a day. I got this from South Korea because I thought the box looked cute. I am not a girly person who dresses in cutesy clothes, but I like cute little items like this.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on December 07, 2017, with the headline Channel 8 actress Carrie Wong goes from fresh face to A-list in four years. Subscribe