Vernetta Lopez plays auntie investigator in new drama after quitting radio: 'Feels like someone pushed me off a good cliff'

Miss hearing a certain voice on Singapore radio? Don't worry - very soon, you'll get to see ex-DJ Vernetta Lopez on local screens.

At an interview for Channel 5's upcoming drama Aunty Lee's Deadly Delights, AsiaOne spoke to the local actress, who left her work as a radio DJ in May after 30 years, about her experiences playing the titular character of the 90-episode series.

Running a popular Peranakan cafe in the fictional town of Bukit Tinggi, Rosie "Aunty" Lee is a sharp, amateur detective who investigates her neighbourhood's crimes in her own time - ranging from murders to quirky local mysteries.

The drama is based on the book series by one of Singapore's best-known authors Ovidia Yu.

Vernetta told us that this role marks her first role in three years since appearing as Frances Goh in a pilot episode of the drama SIS - Special Investigation Section (2022). While the series never got picked up, the episode is still available for streaming on Mewatch.

When asked how it felt to return to acting, particularly as the lead for a long-form drama after a hiatus, the 52-year-old shared: "I feel as though someone pushed me off a good cliff - it's rather exhilarating. And, I don't know, three or four years isn't a long time for me, but I guess it is for audiences.

"I never wanted to leave [acting] anyway, but it was whether there's a project or not. But this was a huge project and task. And when they said it was nine months of filming, I got a bit scared and I had to take a deep breath and go, 'Oh my god, can I do this?'"

When Vernetta first received news of the drama, she was still deejaying with local radio station Gold 905. With the itch to act and her love of comedy and drama combined, she decided to audition, albeit for a supporting role in the show.

However, upon showing up for the audition, she was given a script for the lead role. She recounted: "I was like, 'Are you sure you gave me the right script?' And the team said, 'Let's just try the lead.' And so I did, and when they gave me Aunty Lee, I thought, 'This is huge.'"

"I know it's a big honour and privilege for me to play this role... when we were fresh into the work, I became more concerned about whether I could physically handle the hours of the day. But I was like, 'I'm just gonna do it.' I had been craving acting, to get back into it."

The drama served as a perfect segue back into acting full-time, with Vernetta having contemplated her departure from radio for two years. She recalled sitting at one of the tables on set and staring up at the ceiling, thinking about the right time to break off from her radio routine.

"Being on this new project, it's a nice transition for me from radio into TV... Why drag it on anymore? I've had a really great almost 10 years with Mike (Kasem)," she reflected on her former radio partner.

She later realised she had "a lot of unlearning" to do after 30 years of a schedule.

While deejaying, Vernetta would always wake up in the wee hours, as early as 4.30am. With "late" drama call times like 8.30am, she must get used to sunshine in the morning.

Representing her culture

Like her on-screen counterpart, Vernetta is of Peranakan ethnicity on her mother's side. Her experiences growing up proved essential to playing Aunty Lee, as she told us that she constantly drew from her memories of her grandmother and mother, regularly seeking the latter for advice.

Vernetta joked that Aunty Lee is more bibik (auntie) than herself and "a lot braver".

"She's a lot braver to really go ahead into locking in and painting certain situations and people as this and that - which can be quite dangerous - and while it's TV, there's no way you'll find me going into a gangster's lair to see what's going on."

But the bravest thing Vernetta herself has done? She recounted how she rescued a pet dog from neglect. It began when she approached a neighbour whom she knew was not taking good care of their dachshund.

"They left the little puppy on their open rooftop with the smallest of shelters, and I knew they weren't home most of the day. So I went up to them and I was all nervous, but I still knocked on the door.

"This big, tall guy came out and I was like, 'Hi, I noticed your dog's out there every day.' Then, with blood gushing through my brain, I basically said something like, 'It feels like maybe you don't have enough time for the dog. If you'd like, maybe you could find a home for it?'"

In the end, Vernetta took matters into her own hands one rainy day eight years ago when she jumped onto their rooftop garden to save the lone puppy.

"There was no shelter and he was shivering. So I toweled him off and kept him with me until it stopped raining," she recalled. "And when I put him back, he was so comfortable and happy with me instead of being all sick there on the roof by himself.

"So this was an abandoned dog and the owner agreed. I found him a home and now, that dog Dober is the king of the household. So to me, that's the bravest thing I ever did because I gave him a home that was really full of love."

Aunty Lee's Deadly Delights, which also stars Rebecca Lim, Pierre Png, Norman Ishak, Alawdin Ali, Sheryl Ang and Erika Maguicay, will premiere on Channel 5 and Mewatch on Jan 19, 2026.

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kristy.chua@asiaone.com

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