Believe it, a sequel is coming

A viral music video, a starring role in a local movie and the birth of his first son.

It has been a good year for local actor Chen Tianwen.

And it looks like the veteran's lucky streak is going to continue.

The 52-year-old, who portrays the titular protagonist in local Mandarin comedy flick Mr Unbelievable, will be filming its sequel next year.

Mr Unbeliveable, which cost about S$1 million, is a spin-off from Chen's viral music video Unbelievable, which has garnered more than 3.2 million views on YouTube and Facebook.

The movie is showing here and has raked in S$560,000 at the local box office so far.

Chen told The New Paper over the phone recently: "We have confirmed that we will film the sequel. The director will have to come up with a strong concept and story, which I think can be quite challenging.

"I feel very excited and happy because there are very few local movies with sequels. In Singapore, only Jack Neo movies get sequels. I am honoured to have such an opportunity."

Chen will also begin work on actress-director Michelle Chong's new comedy film, Lulu The Movie, in January. He plays a cameo role as the Singaporean boyfriend of Lulu (Chong).

He will also film a new Channel 8 drama, which wraps in April.

Looking back on his year, Chen said: "I feel very blessed as the music video led to a movie and now, the movie will bring about a sequel. Everything happened unexpectedly, and I am grateful."

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The new dad also spoke fondly of his six-month-old son Genghis, who has a cameo in Mr Unbelievable.

He said: "He has a strong character. When I feed him, he won't eat any more when he is full. If we continue to feed him, he will wail so loudly that the entire block can hear him. I am so surprised by his loud voice."

Chen, who married China-born Bao Xiao Hui in May last year, hopes to have another child so that Genghis will have a companion growing up. But he and the 30-year-old housewife are leaving it to fate.

He said: "My wife isn't that keen to have another child yet, as this baby is quite hard to handle. We will also have to see if we can handle it financially."

This article was first published on Dec 28, 2015.
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