Bound and dragged: Jesseca Liu and Carrie Wong tied up for 7 hours, dragged on floor in new supernatural drama

Jesseca Liu is far from being a damsel in distress in real life, nor is she the demure character that she often portrays, that we know.

Which is why the 43-year-old actress is relishing her latest role in Mediacorp's new supernatural TV drama Soul Detectives, which called for both Jesseca and her co-star Carrie Wong to be put (or pulled, rather) through the wringer.

Whoever said acting is easy?

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The two leading ladies were all trussed up and on the ground when reporters from Lianhe Zaobao visited the set of the drama on Thursday (Aug 11).

According to the Chinese daily, they had been filming the same scene for a lengthy seven hours, from 9am till 4pm, in an action sequence which required the pair to be pulled across the concrete floor.

When they were released from their shackles, reddish marks could be seen around their wrists, Zaobao reported, while their outfits were all scuffed and dirty from where they were dragged on the floor.

Despite sustaining a scratch on her arm, Jesseca told reporters that her role in Soul Detectives is one she has been looking forward to.

"I've always wanted to act in an action movie. All that perspiration makes me feel that I've done more," shared Jesseca, adding that if set up well, action scenes "can be very beautiful".

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Referencing her role two years ago in drama series The Driver, Jesseca stated she "liked the effect" when she wielded a samurai sword.

For Carrie, however, being dragged by ropes was a more torturous experience compared to being hung from wires for the 2020 Singapore-China period drama A Quest To Heal.

"When doing wirework, we are lifted skywards. If it's tied properly it doesn't hurt and it's actually quite enjoyable," said Carrie, who complained that she suffered sore shoulders after hours of being dragged around on the set of Soul Detectives.

The series is also the 28-year-old actress' first supernatural drama. She shared that her only experience with anything remotely "spiritual" when it comes to acting was when her photo was used for an altar scene in another production, and she received a red packet "for good luck".

Soul Detectives also stars Guo Liang and James Seah who play enemies in the show — a drastic change from their previous collaboration on The Unbreakable Bond, where the pair played father and son.

candicecai@asiaone.com