Rebecca Lim to play sleuth in new TV series

Home-grown actress Rebecca Lim plays a no-nonsense detective investigating a grisly murder in a 10-part series called The Bridge.
Home-grown actress Rebecca Lim plays a no-nonsense detective investigating a grisly murder in a 10-part series called The Bridge. PHOTO: THE STAR

KUALA LUMPUR • Rebecca Lim has crossed a new acting bridge.

Known for her self-admitted "goody two shoes, happy-go-lucky, girl-next-door" characters on television, the Singapore actress marks a new milestone, portraying a no-nonsense detective investigating a grisly murder in a 10-part series called The Bridge.

It is a remake of the 2011 hit Scandinavian television series and is produced by video-streaming service Viu and HBO Asia.

"If Serena (her character) were someone who had to survive in the real world, I would really worry for her. Because she isn't a likeable person," Lim, 32, told Malaysian newspaper The Star.

"She doesn't really care about her appearance," she added, noting that it took 40 minutes each day for the stylists to create her character's sunburnt look, with countless freckles on her face.

"She doesn't really care about the feelings of other people. She is socially awkward as well. Someone who is pretty much the opposite of who I am."

Lim, who won Best Actress this year at Mediacorp's Star Awards, found that the character stretched her to the limits "because there's a very fine line between annoying and awkward".

She made sure she was not floored by something new to her - gritty action scenes.

"I've never done such huge fight scenes. It's pretty cool that there are scenes in which I have to fight with big-sized men. It's empowering for women and that's exciting."

But a fight scene - which lasts two minutes on screen - took almost an entire day to film.

"I did a lot of training and practised my moves. But sometimes, my reaction is a bit slow, so I get hit.

"Despite wearing padding, I ended up with lots of bruises and body aches," she said of the work in a two-month shoot that was mostly done in Malaysia.

The Bridge, which is mainly in English, is helmed by two Malaysian directors - Jason Chong and Singapore-based Lee Thean-Jeen.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on November 28, 2018, with the headline Rebecca Lim to play sleuth in new TV series. Subscribe