'I got scolded for just sitting there': Zoe Tay recalls when she was 'marked' by co-worker
After over 30 years in showbiz, Zoe Tay is undoubtedly a veteran of the industry.
But during the early phases of her career, she, like everyone else, wasn't exempt from a co-worker who had it out for her and gave her a hard time.
And although Tay never mentioned the term “bullying” when she recounted her tale during a recent episode of the The Zoe and Liang Show, the details she shared certainly seemed to suggest as such.
"Have you ever been scolded from the beginning [of a day of filming] up until the end?" the 55-year-old actress asked Ya Hui, who was the show's guest.
"Every day without fail, when I walked past her I would get scolded. I got scolded even just sitting there," she added, while not revealing who the person was.
"She simply just 'marked' me and kept staring at me. No matter what I did, she would find something to say about it."
Tay went on to give other examples: "Even if I only had to film the last scene of the day, I would be booked for the first one too. She told me, 'I don't know when I'll need you, so I need you around.'"
Tay was made to stay on from 6am in the morning until after 7pm in the evening, she said.
"At around 7.20pm, she told me to run from one location to another — that was all I needed to do [for my scene], and we packed up after that.”
Back then, she didn't understand the reason for such treatment.
Co-host Guo Liang then joked that it might be because the individual had a “thing for her”.
His guess was off the mark, but Tay revealed there was a twisty element of truth in it.
"Many years later, I heard from her," Tay said. "She told me, 'Oh, back then, I thought that my husband fancied you.'"
Guo Liang immediately exclaimed: "You see, it wasn't her [who had fallen for Tay], but her husband!"
He added: "This morning, I heard a saying from someone – 'Women can live without food, but they can't live without jealousy in their lives.'"
Truth.
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now