Jesseca Liu gives spoiler about upcoming drama The Leftovers: 'Whenever I see him, I'm always being hit'

Local actress Jesseca Liu has teased an unusual dynamic with co-star Desmond Tan in Mediacorp's upcoming dystopian-crime drama The Leftovers.

AsiaOne recently spoke to the 46-year-old on the set of the series where actors including Li Nanxing, Zoe Tay and Shane Pow were filming a ballroom scene.

'We just went for it'

When asked if she could share any spoilers, Jesseca revealed an interesting relationship between her character and Desmond's, saying: "He's always hitting me".

She said: "There's a scene where he hits me and everyone who saw it was surprised, like, 'Did you really get hit?'"

"We don't have many scenes together but whenever I see him, I'm always being hit. We just went for it. We're experienced actors after all, so we didn't really need rehearsals," she added, revealing that they completed the scene in one take.

The Leftovers is set between 2017 and 2043, where the aftermath of a volcanic eruption in the fictional island of Equaland results in severe environmental pollution and high rates of organ failure among citizens. Subsequently, organ transplantation becomes a necessity, giving rise to kidnappings and organ trafficking on the black market.

Jesseca plays Lin Aiqin, an ailing single mother diagnosed with scoliosis, who plans to flee the island but is abducted by the organ trafficking ring Straits Hall, while Desmond plays Guo Longjing, a police officer-turned-gangster boss.

The Leftovers will have three seasons, with each set in a different time era. Season one also takes place decades in the future from season two.

Jesseca told us filming has been "fun and exciting" as she gets to play different sides of the same role due to the time jump between seasons.

She said: "The acting method and how I carry the role is entirely different. The fun part is that I get the chance to experience playing someone in two different eras in this drama."

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She also revealed that she faced more difficulties on set, especially when filming the scenes for the first season.

"In season one, I play a sick and older person, around 50 to 60 years old, who's so ill that even talking and breathing is very difficult. Because I'm not too used to it, I thought I had already acted a lot but on screen, it doesn't look enough," said Jesseca.

"They had to use makeup and aside from that, my acting had to be even more intense to enrich the character," she added.

"After a week, I started to capture the essence of the character, and it felt very fulfilling portraying her."

To show her character's older age and sickly condition, she relied on makeup and lighting.

Although the staff had shown her references and the general styling of the look, she didn't think that the result would be "that good".

"Initially, I was surprised when I saw the playback, but I was already emotionally prepared," she said.

Previously, Jesseca played Li Shuqin, a daughter-in-law of the wealthy Peranakan Zhang family in Emerald Hill — The Little Nyonya Story.

When asked how she approached the role of Aiqin differently, Jesseca said that both roles possess "a certain resilience and strength" but are largely different in terms of personality.

She joked that "Shuqin has too many blessings" compared to Aiqin who seems rather pitiful and had to go through many difficulties and hardships alone.

Visiting the Underground City

Jesseca was also one of the many cast members who filmed at Johor Bahru's Iskandar Studios where the crew created the highly anticipated Underground City.

She said: "When I read the script, I was looking forward to how they were going to build it because I heard they were going to set up the entire city. I was like, 'Huh, the entire city? You mean not just our house and noodle shop?'"

Nanxing, 60, previously told AsiaOne in an interview that he was amazed at how "massive" the set was when he visited.

Jesseca added: ""Once you walk into the set, you feel that you've entered that world."

The Leftovers also stars Jeremy Chan, James Seah, Zhang Zetong, Zhu Zeliang and Yunis Toh. The show has three seasons, with the first set to premiere in October 2026 on Mediacorp and Mewatch.

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esther.lam@asiaone.com

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