Rui En tackles toughest role yet in C.L.I.F. 4 - motherhood

Go ahead and give her firearms and fight scenes, but when it comes to babies, Rui En would rather say no.

The 35-year-old local actress has acted with babies on her TV shows and judging by accounts of her past experiences, the poor infants may not have been the only ones bawling on set.

In an interview with The New Paper yesterday at the lensing ceremony of Channel 8 cop drama C.L.I.F. 4, Rui En said frankly: "Three things I don't like working with are babies, animals and calefare (bit-part actors). (Babies) do what they want to do. They do not care that the camera is rolling, so it can be difficult."

But it is a challenge she will have to undertake for C.L.I.F. 4, in which she reprises her role as Criminal Investigation Department officer Huang Zhijie, whose husband is fellow cop Wei Lantian (Li Nanxing).

In the fourth season, which premieres on Sept 6 at 9pm, the pair play parents to a four-month-old infant. Rui En said of her character: "She has her responsibilities at work and has to handle motherhood.

"It will be interesting to portray the struggle of work-life balance and how to deal with the fatigue... (but she's still) very professional.

"I have complete respect and admiration for mums."

RHYTHM

On reuniting with Li, 51, after playing a couple since C.L.I.F.'s second season, Rui En said: "We work very well together.

"Even if we have not worked together for a while, it is not difficult to get back (into) the rhythm."

But what she is looking forward to the most in the new season is filming a fight scene with a female opponent who has martial arts experience.

She said: "I haven't done an action scene in so long. But my dance background should help."

Fans will be able to catch Rui En at the Star Awards next month. The two-part awards show will be shown live on Channel 8 at 5.30pm on April 17 and at 7pm on April 24.

This year, she is nominated in three categories: Best Actress (The Dream Makers 2), Favourite Female Character (The Dream Makers 2) and Favourite Onscreen Couple (with Qi Yuwu in The Dream Makers 2 and with Shaun Chen in The Journey: Our Homeland).

When asked about her chances, she said she does not think too much about them. But she is honoured to receive the All-Time Favourite Artiste award, which is given to those who have won the Top 10 Most Popular Female or Male Artiste award 10 times, and she called the award a "milestone of blood, sweat and tears".

Although her "black face" at last year's Star Awards Show 1 inadvertently stole the show and made headlines, she denied that the incident will make her more self-conscious at this year's ceremony.

She said in her usual nonchalant manner: "I'm just gonna be myself."

(Babies) do what they want to do. They do not care that the camera is rolling, so it can be difficult.

- Rui En, on the challenge of working with babies on set

YA HUI ON TARGET WITH NEW ROLE

For a newbie on a cop show, local actress Ya Hui has surprisingly remarkable marksmanship.

During her first firearms training session for C.L.I.F. 4, she shot her target with a pistol 19 out of 20 times, she said with pride.

However, this proficiency did not come immediately to the 28-year-old.

Her co-star, Li Nanxing, had fired the first shot and it was so loud that even with the protective gear covering her ears, it was a shock to Ya Hui.

"It was beyond my imagination," she told The New Paper yesterday.

But her instructor managed to calm her down.

Ya Hui (left) plays police investigator Wang Shishi, who gets caught in a love triangle with her roommate Cai Yanqi (Mei Xin) and fellow police officer Chen Yu (Zhang Yaodong).

HAPPY

Ya Hui said: "I'm happy to be able to act as a police officer for the first time. Shishi is positive and outgoing, but when it comes to work, she's serious and smart.

"I hope more women will join the police force... I think they can do it well."

Ya Hui, who has enjoyed a breakout year, has, for the first time, been nominated for Best Actress at the Star Awards next month for her role as lovable wonton noodle hawker Hong Jinzhi in 118.

She said that because she is filming another series, I Want To Be A Star, she has no time to worry too much about the results.

"Getting the award or not depends on the judges. I put my best effort in my work and I've done my part. It is a huge encouragement to work even harder for future projects," she said.

danchim@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on March 25, 2016.
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