For actress Xixi Lim, the first starring role of her career represents a breakthrough, having plied her trade full-time for the last five years.

"It [came] really late for me... a lot of people [when] they join the industry, they get main roles," she said in an interview on Mothership's podcast, Help Desk.

The show in question is the Mediacorp production "The Blockbusters", a series centred on the adventures of four plus-sized girls who form a dance group.

It is set to hit screens in Singapore in November this year.

"We are doing this drama right now for more people to know about people of different shapes and sizes," Lim said.

Losing a plus-sized role to a petite girl

Lim's ascension from supporting cast to leading role wasn't always a certainty; the comedienne has previously experienced the pain of being passed over for a job she thought she was perfect for.

On Help Desk, she recalled auditioning for a role that specifically sought to cast a plus-sized actress.

"They actually brushed me off after that and gave me another role," Lim said.

"And then when I was on the show I realised that the main role that I'd auditioned for was played by a petite girl... They had to use my measurements to create a fat suit for her."

Lim said that the incident caused her to develop some self-doubt, but she eventually set out to win over the cynics.

"When you're in doubt, you gotta just wrap your head around all this, and then work even harder to prove them wrong. That's how I deal with stress, or people who feel that I'm not worthy enough. If you keep thinking that, 'Oh, Xixi is not good enough', I will want to prove you wrong."

A smart guy

On the podcast Lim also discussed her experience getting bullied as a student, her weight loss journey, and, of course, her love life.

"I really want to find somebody lah, but I really don't have the time to go out — I don't even have the time to meet my friends," she lamented.

Discussing her wish list in a potential partner, Lim was straight to the point: "I need the guy to be smart."

Watch the full episode here:

Image by Mothership