PUBLISHED ONMay 09, 2024 10:10 AMByYeo Shu HuiOnce, local actor Zheng Geping was speaking to his aunt with his wife — veteran actress Hong Huifang — beside him when the elderly woman asked him a question in Hokkien.
"Why haven't you gotten married yet? You've never introduced your girlfriend to me before," said his aunt.
The 59-year-old told her that his wife was just beside him and his aunt acknowledged it, only to ask him the same question again moments later.
As it turns out, Geping's aunt has dementia.
When Huifang, 63, plays a mum with dementia in local director Ong Kuo Sin's upcoming movie A Good Child, she will draw inspiration from the woman.
Speaking to the media at a press conference today (May 9), she shared: "It's interesting, when she speaks, her facial expressions and gaze are not empty. She is always observing you and you can see many things happening in her gaze.
"Her expression and speech are also normal. It's just that her memories remained at a certain stage."
Huifang, who said that this is her first time challenging such a role, also watched documentaries about people with the condition while doing her research.
Huifang said it all boils down to her gaze.
She expressed: "I am careful to not portray someone with dementia as someone with low IQ… because it's not like that… Their gaze is not empty, they are always figuring things out and trying to remember whether they recognise the person standing in front of them. It's important to capture this accurately."
A Good Child is a heartwarming story which centres around drag queen Jia Hao (Richie Koh) who returns home to care for his mother (Huifang) who has dementia. At the same time, he mischievously reconstructs her memory to make her believe that he is her daughter, unknowingly confronting his childhood traumas along the way.
The film also stars Taiwanese-American actor Johnny Lu, who plays Jia Hao's partner David, local actors Charlie Goh, who plays Jia Hao's elder brother Jia Qiang, and Cheryl Chou, who portrays Jia Qiang's fiancee Grace.
Kuo Sin shared at the press conference that he wrote the script during the Covid-19 pandemic and it is inspired by a drag queen he met while researching for his Golden Horse-winning movie Number 1 (2020) starring Mark Lee.
"It's not a story about them completely, but we expanded the story that we wanted to tell from their life, so it can be considered as inspired by a true story," he said.
He added that while the occupation is part of the story, it is not another version of Number 1, but instead centres around "coming home".
"The concept of home is quite abstract but the meaning of home is that it's not a home unless there is someone living in it, if not it's just a house… At the end of the film, everyone has to go home," said Kuo Sin.
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On casting Richie, he shared: "Every time I chat with him, I am always observing his gaze. I wanted to know whether an actor is listening and what their thought process is after that. I think that is very important.
"When he acted in Your World In Mine (2022), I can see that he was fully immersed in the character and believed that what he did was correct. That's why I feel that he could be a good fit for the role."
Richie shared that portraying a drag queen in films is rare in Singapore, which is why he treasures the opportunity.
"I think as an actor, I can die without regrets," he laughed.
In Star Awards 2023, Richie said in a backstage interview that he hoped to play a gay character next and told AsiaOne then that he was inspired after seeing Mark in Number 1.
When asked, he clarified that he was in talks for A Good Child during the above interview.
We also asked Richie if he would be seeking advice from Mark, 55, on playing a drag queen. He laughed: "I am actually quite scared to talk to him! He speaks very loudly."
As the others laughed, Kuo Sin quipped: "Maybe because he's old."
Richie added: "I think it depends on fate, I wouldn't deliberately ask him for advice. But if I do meet him, I may ask him about his experiences."
Johnny, 47, who is working with Richie for the first time, shared that David is different from all the characters he had played before: "This is the first time I play a character who is selfless. He loves and devotes himself to Jia Hao and his family unconditionally. It's 100 per cent love and compassion."
While he added it is a part that is simple yet challenging to portray, he felt assured that he is playing it with Richie.
Charlie shared that the script is relatable to him because both his grandmothers have the same condition.
"Dementia is not something that we can control... When something like this happens to them, there is really nothing we can do about it. It's not like they can get better by taking medication and it can be very difficult for the caregivers," the 34-year-old expressed.
"That's the beauty of this story because it shows the real struggles of people who are suffering from dementia and people who are their caregivers."
Cheryl, who shared that she is the only child in her family, hoped she can learn about caregiving for parents through this movie.
The 28-year-old said: "I want to find out how I would manage a situation like this if it happens in my own life."
A Good Child will begin filming on May 13 in Singapore. The premiere date hasn't been confirmed.
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