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It can be said that Mimi Chu is both difficult and easy to interview.
For a start, the 67-year-old actress and singer gaily spills the beans on her life and career with no prompt needed.
Photo by Kane Raynard Goh
And for someone who has been in the industry for more than 50 years, you know there's plenty of beans.
But even as her loquaciousness leads us off tangent, we have no complaints, because beans are delicious as long as they are not baked.
A reunion with local productions
If you're of a certain vintage, you'll probably recognise Chu from the many TVB dramas she has starred in.
For a period of time, she also appeared in Mediacorp productions ("Beautiful Connections" and "Home in Toa Payoh" were both memorable).
Chu in a Channel 5 show. Screenshot via 香港演员朱咪咪/Weibo.
Screenshot via 香港演员朱咪咪/Weibo.
Chu's latest project is upcoming Chinese New Year film "Reunion Dinner", which also gathers other big names like Lawrence Wong, Mark Lee, Xiang Yun, Guo Liang, and Zhu Houren.
Movie still from "Reunion Dinner"
When I note that she has not been in local productions for some time prior to this, Chu plunges into the backstory with no hesitation.
"We quarrelled," Chu whispers to me in mock furtiveness.
"Actually it wasn't a quarrel per se. Just that the director had a problematic attitude," Chu adds.
According to the actress, she had experienced difficulty in approaching said director to clarify certain things on the script.
"I put up with her for a period. I knew I couldn't lose my temper and just leave, as the schedule would be messed up. I was also flying to Canada the day after my last shoot," Chu says.
On the last day of the shoot, Chu had asked another innocuous question about the drama's sequence, and the director had allegedly replied, "Didn't you read the script? Don't you know anything?"
It was the first time Chu retorted: "Yes, I don't know anything, but today is my last day, I'm done with filming!"
Alas, the director was not done—she requested a reshoot for one of the scenes, as she felt that Chu wasn't crying tragically enough.
While the former apparently wanted "snot and saliva," Chu felt that it was inappropriate for a new year show.
Even though Chu agreed, the weather got in the way when they arrived at the shoot location, and the cast and crew subsequently left.
The director reportedly asked for another attempt, but Chu rejected it as the project had already concluded.
And given their frayed relationship, the creative conflict led to a greater fallout.
While she did name the production in our conversation, we'll have to keep it under wraps. :)
But Chu did appear in other productions afterwards, if you're thinking of checking what was the last local production she appeared in.
Where to find a wild Mimi Chu
Photo by Kane Raynard Goh
These days, you can find Chu not so much in local productions, but at local markets.
The actress, who lives in Upper Thomson, frequents a couple of bak chor mee stalls in Ang Mo Kio hawker centres.
"They [the hawkers] know that I go there often," Chu says, when I ask if she has been stopped by anyone due to her celebrity status.
And while Chu may be a celeb, her life in Singapore is pretty routine, even mundane.
When she's not on stage or in front of the camera, Chu is busy taking care of the household: chores, walking the dog, settling the family's meals (she lives with her two sons and a daughter-in-law).
The TVB star regales us with the details, from the dishes she typically cooks to her "lazy" dog who expects to go home right after pooping.
This could be why Chu jokes, "Actually, I am actress, singer, and maid!" in response to whether she prefers singing or acting more.
Slowing down
Photo by Kane Raynard Goh
For our one-hour interview, Chu hard carries the conversation, telling me anything from how she sleeps in a hotel suite (with a sleeping bag from Taobao) to growing up in Malaysia with eight other siblings and a scarcity of resources.
Back then, the family was so poor that they couldn't afford pillows, and had to pick up discarded ones from an army camp to bring home.
As the actress spontaneously hops from one topic to another, one thing that stood out was her emphasis on her relatively frugal lifestyle, perhaps informed by her humble past.
This translates into simple fare for her meals, meaning home-cooked and coffeeshop meals, and rare visits to restaurants.
"I wouldn't dare to say I'm rich, but my life is much better now," she says matter-of-factly. Elsewhere, she adds, "I don't think I'm thrifty, I'm just used to it."
But contrary to her modesty, Chu appears to be quite financially able.
Besides "Reunion Dinner", Chu has also been filming in China and flying to the U.S. for concerts (she also jokes that money is much easier to earn from concerts, if you're wondering).
In fact, the singer has another concert lined up at Marina Bay Sands for the upcoming Chinese New Year—possibly her last in Singapore.
The veteran tells us that she is slowing down, but not retiring, as keeping active is important to her. Quite the poster girl for the Silver Generation.
For this period, you can catch Chu in cinemas, where "Reunion Dinner" is currently screening.
Movie still from "Reunion Dinner"
Synopsis:
Co-workers Chaoyang and Zi Hong have been dating for more than a year, with marriage on the cards. When a client requests for a livestream of their reunion dinner to promote his products, the couple realises that neither has met the other’s family. Zi Hong is excited to finally get to meet Chaoyang’s mother, unaware of the latter’s estranged relationship with his mother.
Embarrassed by his mother Yan Ling’s occupation as a mama-san, Chaoyang decides to engage the help of a friend, Wei, to “rent-a-family”, resulting in a series of mishaps and hilarity.
Movie still from "Reunion Dinner"
Movie still from "Reunion Dinner"
Movie still from "Reunion Dinner"