It has been a long time coming, but the wait was worth it for actress Jeanette Aw.
After being nominated seven times in the same category, the 36-year-old finally clinched the Best Actress award at last night's (April 24) Star Awards for her role as Zhao Fei Er, a top TV actress who falls into depression after several setbacks in her personal life and career in the showbiz drama The Dream Makers 2.
A visibly excited Aw told reporters backstage that while she has done a number of "representative roles" in the past, such as the one in The Little Nyonya (2008), she feels that if she had won back then, people would have felt it was "a given" simply because she was the female lead in a hugely popular show.
She said: "But I didn't want that. I want to win based on my acting abilities, where audiences are really moved by my characters. I feel that this award came at the right time. I feel that my acting has reached a stage where people are moved by my acting. I don't want to stop here - I want to improve."
Other than The Little Nyonya, Aw had previously been nominated for Best Actress for the dramas The Dream Makers (2013), Breakout (2010), Together (2009), A Child's Hope II (2004) and Holland V (2003).
The Dream Makers 2, which was named Best Drama Serial, also swept three other major acting awards at the glitzy event held at The Theatre @ Mediacorp.
China-born actor Qi Yuwu, 39, who played a TV director torn between two women, won the Best Actor award, his third in the category after winning for C.I.D. (2006) and The Family Court (2010). In the supporting performance categories, the Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress awards went to rising stars Zhang Zhenhuan, 32, and Julie Tan, 23, respectively.
The winners of the Top 10 Most Popular Male Artiste Award are Zhang Zhenhuan, Xu Bin, Zhang Yaodong, Zheng Geping, Aloysius Pang, Jeffrey Xu, Lee Teng, Dennis Chew, Shane Pow and Elvin Ng. Ng's win is his 10th, which means that he will receive the All Time Favourite Award at the Star Awards ceremony next year.
After the ceremony at the post-show party, several viewer choice awards that had been voted by audiences were handed out.
China-born actor Xu Bin was voted Favourite Male Character for his role in nursing drama You Can An Angel Too, while Jeanette Aw was voted Favourite Female Character for The Dream Makers 2.
This year's Best Actor and Best Actress winners, Aw and Qi, were named Favourite Onscreen Couple for their chemistry on The Dream Makers 2.
