Cavin Soh recalls filming with fake bullets in new drama The Leftovers: 'You can still bleed from it'

No difficult scenes for local actor Cavin Soh this time round but there were some memorable ones.

The 55-year-old plays mad scientist Gan Ruyi, or Lao Gan, in the dystopian-crime series The Leftovers, which spans between 2017 and 2043 across three seasons on a fictional island named Equaland.

A volcano erupts, resulting in severe environmental pollution and skyrocketing rates of organ failure among the citizens and the characters each go through trials and tribulations to survive.

In a recent interview with AsiaOne, Cavin shared an interesting scene he filmed for the drama where Lao Gan gets shot.

"The fake bullets released sparks, you can feel it and you can still bleed from it," said the MengFM singer.

"So that was fun. I did that twice… It wasn't difficult but it was memorable."

When asked about difficult scenes he had to film, Cavin said he had the "most comfortable role".

"Nothing was difficult. I had a lot to say — some scientific terms and terminology — so those are the things that I really needed to put in a lot of effort to remember. Apart from that, (Li) Nanxing is the one saying a lot of the medical terms," he said.

At the time, Nanxing was struggling with a retinal detachment and Cavin, who has most of his scenes with him, talked about a scene which took many takes.

The 62-year-old, who plays black-market doctor and former chief surgeon Xiao Wenze, had a long dialogue and kept having failed takes.

"He took around 10 to 12 takes, which is not normal for him… That was the time he suffered a lot. He needed to memorise (the lines), but he couldn't see clearly. That was the time when I really admired and kind of pitied him in a way," said Cavin. 

'I've got a heart that's too soft'

Speaking more about his character, Cavin said Lao Gan is the smartest scientist in all three seasons.

"He's got a very good heart. He helps Wenze to build a different world," said Cavin.

When Lao Gan realises Wenze "isn't doing the right thing", he leaves to become a chef to help and cook for others.

Cavin sees himself in Lao Gan, particularly his heart.

"My parents and my wife always tell me I've got a heart that's too soft. I can appear very hard on the outside, but my heart is very soft. It's the same for Lao Gan," he said. 

"He has a lot of love for people and he would give up everything he can to help others."

Parts of the show that resonated with him most were scenes with the kids in school.

"Kids are very innocent. They know nothing. They only have a heart that pumps and they need a lot of love from their parents," he said.

"Lao Gan gives them a lot of love and it's the same for me with my kids."

Cavin is married to non-celebrity Serena Yeo, 50, and they have two children: 15-year-old son Kayden and daughter Bethany, 13.

"My kids now even when they do something wrong… They come back, they don't care about you. I tell my wife, 'It's okay, because they are developing. That's how they are. So how we love them is how Lao Gan loves the kids in the school," said Cavin.

First time filming with visual reality effects

The Leftovers works with visual reality (VR) to simulate some of the backgrounds in the drama, and Cavin said it was his first time filming with such a set.

"A lot of scenes required imagination, so that was fun," he said, recalling how he was "amazed" by the studio they filmed at in Malaysia.

"Everything looked so real. That was something I was very surprised about. I've got so much admiration for the Malaysia team, they were able to set that up and make it so real."

After experiencing a dystopian world through the drama, we asked Cavin if he thinks he can survive in such a place.

"I think I can because nowadays as I get older, I always tell myself to live day by day. When my daughter tells me, 'Good night, papa. I see you tomorrow. I love you,' I always take that 'I see you tomorrow' very seriously. I'm very happy to wake up the next day," he said.

He thinks he would live by the same mindset even in a world ridden with natural disasters.

"I would enjoy what I have on that day and do whatever I can to do good."

The Leftovers also stars Jesseca Liu, Zhang Zetong, Cheryl Chou, James Seah, Jeremy Chan, Desmond Tan, Zoe Tay, Xiang Yun and Chen Liping.

The first season of The Leftovers premiered on Mewatch Prime and Netflix on Nov 9, and will be available on Mewatch and Channel 8 on Nov 16, airing weekdays at 9pm.

Season two and three are expected to premiere in 2027.

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syarifahsn@asiaone.com

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