Woman in her 20s spends S$3,700 on Jack Neo's acting boot camp, says she didn't learn much & mentors weren't 'celebrities'

After spending S$3,700 to attend Jack Neo's acting boot camp, a woman was left disappointed and complained that the classes were not as advertised.

Mentors did not meet expectations

The woman's mother, surnamed Lin (transliteration), told Lianhe Zaobao that she was speaking on behalf of her daughter as she wished to remain anonymous so as not to affect her career prospects within the industry.

Her daughter, in her 20s, saw Neo's classes as her last attempt to launch an acting career, and decided to pay S$3,700 to attend.

The usual price was S$4,000, but her daughter was given a discount as she was part of the first batch of students.

Two complaints

On behalf of her daughter, Lin made two complaints regarding Neo's acting boot camp.

First, the credentials of the so-called "celebrity mentors" were not up to par, she said.

Second, the approach of the acting classes were inadequate in equipping students with actual acting skills.

She added that her daughter has had some acting experience and had certain expectations for the boot camp.

"After meeting her mentors, she felt let down," Lin said.

"They said it would be 'celebrity mentors'. Neo himself had said in the past that those interested in pursuing an acting career will need a mentor to guide them," Lin lamented.

Lin did not reveal to Zaobao who her daughter's mentor was, but said it was an actor who played minor roles in local productions.

Some mentors did not qualify as 'celebrity'

Lin shared, according to her daughter, that only a handful of the mentors could qualify as "celebrity mentors", such as Shaun Chen, Yao Wenlong and Chen Jianbin.

"The rest, I wouldn't think so. My daughter wouldn't be familiar with older celebrities too, like Tang Miaoling, Collin Chee and Hong Zhaorong too," Lin said.

She further commented that some of the actors from Neo's "Ah Boys to Men" and "Ah Girls Go Army" movies were also not ready to be mentors.

Based on the boot camp's webpage, mentors for the boot camp included Noah Yap, Charlie Goh, Maxi Lim and Joshua Tan from "Ah Boys to Men", Zaobao reported.

Belle Chua from "Ah Girls Go Army" and Ling Yi from "I Not Stupid 3" were also listed as mentors.

Lin explained that she did not judge the mentors' "celebrity" status based on the number of awards they had won or whether they were A-listers, but on the depth of their experience and skill.

"B-list actors, C-list actors or veteran actors would have been appropriate enough," Lin said.

Participants left to their own devices

As for the approach of the classes, Lin's daughter told her that eight students would be left to their own devices.

They would conduct reviews, memorise lines and work on the characters on their own.

The mentors and directors gave little input and when they did, it would be lacking, Lin told Zaobao.

Lin opined that becoming a natural in front of the camera was crucial to having a successful acting career.

"I asked my daughter if she was taught how to build up emotions or how to prepare herself for a scene, and she said no," Lin said.

However, she pointed out that the boot camp was indeed completed as planned, including the filming and producing of four scenes.

However, the classes lacked depth and her daughter did not take home much from them.

"To that end, I feel that Neo's acting boot camp was falsely advertised," Lin concluded.

Called on Neo to make changes

She called on Neo to make amendments to the way the classes were carried out as well as to the line-up of mentors.

Neo's assistant shared that the director was away on a trip, while the company declined to comment on the matter as it does not respond to anonymous complaints, Zaobao reported.

The boot camp is run under Asap Media, of which Neo is listed as the creative director on its website.

In a TikTok video advertising the class, Neo explained that the "acting experience bootcamp" will take place over five weeks and include mentorship by celebrities.

Participants will don clothing used on sets and play characters from local productions, such as "Money No Enough 3".

Costumes and makeup will be provided and participants will receive four professional videos.

"We want to discover your potential, unleashing the talent within you," Neo said in the clip.

Mothership has reached out to Neo for comments.

Top image via JackNeoCK Facebook & @asapmedia TikTok