November 11, 2022, 02:59 PM
One of the Top 10 most-watched shows on Netflix right now is "Mr. Midnight: Beware The Monsters", inspired by the popular horror-mystery book series of the same name.
Yup, the same title you would spot at morning assemblies for silent reading in primary and even secondary school.
Photo screenshot from Flame of the Forest.
The Netflix series follows a group of teenage friends as they become paranormal detectives under the pseudonym "Mr. Midnight".
The international cast includes Malaysian Idan Aedan, Indonesian Maxime Bouttier, and Singaporean actress Chen Yixin.
Auditioned in 2019
While the series was only released in October 2022, Chen, who is also the daughter of local actors Edmund Chen and Xiang Yun, told us that auditions started as early as 2019.
The series was a long time coming, however, as she mentioned that the adaptation has been in the works for about eight years.
In a video call withΒ Mothership, the 21-year-old revealed that initially,Β a lot of details were kept a secret from those who auditioned for the series.
It was only several months later, after passing five rounds of auditions did she find out that it was going to be streamed on Netflix, one of the biggest streaming services in the world.
Starring in a Netflix series is akin to a dream come true for the young actress, who just graduated from polytechnic when she clinched the role.
"I felt it was a very far away dream to be on an international platform but it really happened," she said.
Pesky beings?
Most would reckon that filming a horror series would result in a myriad of supernatural experiences.
Fortunately or unfortunately for Chen, the closest thing to any supernatural disturbances came in the form of pesky mosquitoes.
Chen shared that "gigantic" mosquitoes would bite her the moment she opened the door to the villa she stayed in.
"I had five huge mosquito bites on my face and it swelled up so bad. I told the staff , 'I'm so sorry but am I even presentable enough to be on screen?'" she said.
Cross-cultural exchanges
Another challenge presented to Chen and the crew was to ensure to be very careful with the terms used, especially when touching on subjects and topics relating to the different Southeast Asian cultures.
Acting in the series, however, has expanded her knowledge of the different superstitions and folklore from the region.
"I'm someone who'd rather be in oblivion about these folklores as I am scared, so I'd rather not know so much. But I learnt so much from Idan and Maxime, who would share their culture, stories and versions of the different folklores," Chen added.
Ever read "Mr. Midnight"?
Of course, before ending the interview, I had to ask her: Growing up, did she ever read "Mr. Midnight"?
To this, she said that she recalled seeing the vivid illustrations on the book covers, deeming it "very scary" back when she was seven or eight years old.
What is scarier to her now, however, is disappointing avid fans of the book series.
"I was super touched by it [the support for 'Mr. Midnight']. Of course, there is a part of me that goes, 'Oh man, I hope it won't disappoint you guys because you all love 'Mr. Midnight' so much," she said.
Chen added: "We hope you'll love this show and we did our best! The writers really did their best to put in every element of 'Mr. Midnight' into it."
"Mr. Midnight: Beware The Monsters" is now streaming on Netflix.
Top image from @chxnyixin on Instagram.
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