Jae Liew still haunted by caning scenes in I Not Stupid 3
Local actress Jae Liew can never be a tiger mum – despite her convincing portrayal as one in I Not Stupid 3, which opens in cinemas on June 6.
In a 30-minute phone interview, she told TNP: "The toughest part about doing the movie was having to cane my screen son Jayden."
In fact the memory of those scenes still haunt the actress, who is currently on a teaching stint in Japan.
Liew, 34, shared how she had held back the force when she had to beat Camans Kong.
I Not Stupid 3 is the third in filmmaker Jack Neo's franchise, with the focus on the plight of the newly arrived Zihao and Wenting, a mother and child trying to adapt to life in Singapore, including its education system. Jayden (played by Kong) is Zihao's classmate, who has to live up to his competitive mother's expectations.
Liew said: "Jack showed me (playbacks of) some scenes, and told me how it was difficult to 'jie wei' (meaning film from a different angle) to reflect the caning realistically."
She paused before adding: "I spoke to Camans, and told him I would really have to hit him hard. He was very professional about it, and said I should go ahead so we could do a good job."
Even then, it was a torment to Liew, who confessed that it "hurt me so much" to do that.
"I had to call for breaks, so I could walk away and regain my composure," she added softly.
Liew, who is grateful for the opportunity to be a part of Neo's new film, remembers being in awe of the first two instalments, I Not Stupid (2002) and I Not Stupid 2 (2006).
"It was like OMG. Jack is like a national treasure (in Singapore's film industry) and I really wanted to work with him," she said. "As a child watching the first two movies, I remember thinking, here is someone who really knows, and who cares about us (the children)."
Liew made her acting debut as the female lead in Michelle Chong's film 3 Peas in a Pod, where she played Penny Yang, a university student in 2013.
Neo, 64, described the actress as a rare find.
"Jae's acting prowess is of international standard, and it is just too bad we didn't have the chance to work together earlier," he told TNP. "But I am definitely looking forward to more collaborations."
Aside from the unhappy 'violent' scenes, Liew lets on that she had fun too with Kong.
"We are supposed to be an estranged pair, but my personality is such that I love kids, so off-screen, I was always having fun and bantering with Camans," she said – the first lighthearted note during the interview.
It came to a point that the crew had to tell Kong to keep away from Liew, and to stop "playing with me".
"It was a kind of a reverse, because the happy relationship we had was showing up when we were filming the scenes – so it wasn't helping the crew," she recalled, with a chuckle.
Liew, who is teaching pronunciation, conversation and presentation skills in a private school in Japan, will return home in September.
"I will be back soon," she said.
- I Not Stupid 3 opens in cinemas on June 6.
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