'Still a regret': Jeanette Aw & Yao Wenlong on not winning at Star Awards for 'Little Nyonya' roles

Former co-stars from "The Little Nyonya", Jeanette Aw and Yao Wenlong, spoke about their time on the show during a catch-up at a restaurant owned by Yao in Johor Bahru.

While they were glad to be remembered for their roles as Yamamoto Yueniang and Liu Yidao respectively, the pair expressed their regret that this didn't translate into recognition at the Star Awards.

Aw ended up tearing up at this, with Yao joining in.

A clip of their chat was uploaded to Aw's YouTube channel, "JA Unscripted" in September.

'That's why I haven't been able to win awards'

While having a meal together, veteran artistes Aw, 46, and Yao, 54, reminisced about defining moments from their journeys in show business, as well as what motivates them as artists.

Apart from starring in 2008's beloved period drama "The Little Nyonya", Aw and Yao both had prominent roles in the 2003 drama "Holland V".

One of the scenes from "The Little Nyonya" that stuck with Yao was when he cried at the death of his on-screen mother, played by Ang Twa Bak.

Despite it being an emotional scene for him, Yao shared that online commenters said they "laughed until their stomachs were hurting".

This was Yao's response:

"My mother died and I was crying there. Why are you all nearly dying from laughter? They said, "because you cried in such a hilarious manner". I was thinking, oh sh*t, that's why I haven't been able to win awards."

This elicited peals of laughter from Aw and the crew off-screen.

Still a regret, 17 years later

On a more serious note, Yao said awards serve as an encouragement to actors for their acting, and serve as a "record" of their time in the industry.

He added that these also motivate younger generations of actors to perform well so they have a chance to win.

Notably, Aw, who played the dual roles of female lead Yueniang and her mute mother Juxiang in "The Little Nyonya", lost out to co-star Joanne Peh for Best Actress at the 2009 Star Awards.

And while Yao was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role as gangster Liu Yidao, it instead went to Chew Chor Meng for "The Golden Path".

The pair said the disappointment of not winning that year was made worse by the fact that, "the whole world told us, 'It's going to be you'".

"So even if you don't think too much about it, when everyone tells you that it's you, from the audience, and the media...to the staff, you would feel a sense of hope," Aw said.

"This is a regret right?" said Yao, and Aw nodded.

"Yueniang and Liu Yidao are still remembered by many people. The only regret is not being recognised with an award, right? If [we] did win, wouldn't [it] be perfect?" Yao added.

"Yes", Aw said, and teared up.

In jest, Yao joined in and wiped his eyes with a tissue as well.

Would rather be remembered for their roles

Later, the pair was asked if they would rather win or have memorable roles.

"Of course, we hope to be the ones to be remembered," Yao said, and Aw agreed.

"But it's still a regret."

Aw eventually won a Best Actress award for her role as Zhao Fei Er in 2015's "The Dream Makers 2".

Meanwhile, Yao has won the Best Supporting Actor Award in 2001 for his role as Tequila in "Looking For Stars".

You can watch the full clip here.

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Top image from Jeanette Aw's Instagram