Joanne Peh’s sex scene was hot – literally
Last Madame star says baring it all elevated her craft
Ever since she posted an image of her nude sex scene on her Instagram account last Thursday, it has been making headlines for being the steamiest thing Joanne Peh has ever done.
The scene from her new English-language Toggle series Last Madame, which took five to six hours to film, was also hot in more ways than one.
Although there were fewer than 10 crew members present, the 36-year-old local actress - who wore nipple tape and a thong to protect her modesty - described the set as being "hot and stuffy".
She told The New Paper over the phone: "When the camera started rolling, the air-conditioning was turned off and we were under the (bed) covers. It was really hot when there was skin-to-skin (contact)."
Peh plays a 1930s brothel boss in Last Madame, a saga sizzling with sexual intrigue, scheming spies and suspense. The M18-rated 12-part drama is now showing on Toggle.
Her co-star Jeff Chou, who plays an inspector whose task is to sniff out a Japanese spy but ends up in bed with Peh's character, joked that they got so sweaty, their protective thongs were slipping off.
The 30-year-old Taiwanese model added in a separate interview: "(The thong) was so itchy and kept going up my butt. I was really not used to wearing it."
TRUST
On how she prepared for the scene, Peh said there was a lot of communication and trust involved, and the workplace environment made her feel safe enough to perform a scene like this.
She said: "I was nervous that I would be baring all in front of the production crew and the actors, but there was a dry run and everyone knew the boundaries.
"We were also given pictures and videos to make sure the cast and crew were on the same page."
Peh kept herself in shape by drinking water and eating clean, but she ended up nursing a flu on the day of filming.
"I felt really bad. I told Jeff that I hate to pass (my cough) to him but he was nice and assured me that he was strong enough to fight it," she said.
It was her actor-husband Qi Yuwu, with whom she has two kids aged four and two, who gave her the confidence to go forth with the sex scene.
"I was nervous because I have not filmed any intimate scenes since I got married (in 2014).
"But because he is in the same industry, he knows how this works and he is supportive, something that I am quite grateful for. He was light-hearted and humorous about it."
Peh also acknowledged that this career breakthrough pushed her craft to the next level.
She said: "I felt empowered and I also realised that some emotions can be conveyed only through physical expression.
"The whole scene felt like a dance. You need to trust and move with your partner. And when you work together in harmony, it comes out emotional and beautiful."
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