JEANETTE AW 欧萱, Singapore Actress. SHE’S SWEET, SWEET AS CAN BE.

JEANETTE AW 欧萱 SINGAPORE ACTRESS

 SHE’S SWEET, SWEET AS CAN BE.

JEANETTE AW.

This review is a belated piece.

My last online article on her was a long way back , some 2 years ago.

That’s right. Time has flown.

So treasure fleeting moments, dear friend.

Happy times may juggle right before you now and vaporize into oblivion next. So hold on to these and savor them dearly.

JEANETTE’s name cropped up again, a couple of months ago and suddenly, it’s yesterday once more.

Dropping by Kuala Lumpur on a work project, my producer friend proposed a peek at the latest Malaysian drama, DESTINY IN HER HANDS”. (断掌的女人).

By the time this article is published online, the 30 part-series would have reached a justifiable conclusion.

“JEANETTE AW is awesome in that series” the female producer enthused.“It’s not the best of series, but it’s truly JEANETTE’s vehicle, she carries the story, and it’s her outstanding role to date.”

But of course dear, she is currently one of Singapore’s hottest actresses, improving with each role.

Throw in adjectives like “dainty” and “petite” to her persona.

I like her endearing smile as it oozes a charming effect.

She’s floored us and is sweet, sweet as can be.

Now isn’t this a line from the 60s song “GINNY (JEANETTE) COME LATELY”? Go check the lyrics.

For a record, JEANETTE AW starred in two of my favorite SINGAPORE dramas, “THE LITTLE NONYA” and “TOGETHER”. Her talents and presence were however, wasted in one awful drama called “BREAKOUT” where the reel casting marred the credibility of the entire series. The only player that stood out in “BREAKOUT” was veteran PAN LING LING. Period.

As far as that series go, diehard supporters literally lost their interest in actor DAI YANG TIAN after watching his insipid performance through no fault of his own. How is this actor faring now, anyway?

“OH, PLEASE DON’T BATTER ME …..”

“MY LIFE IS LIKE A SOAP OPERA …. ” (SOB).

NOW, WHO SAYS IT ISN’T?

“DADDY is BAD.  HE’s going to BRUTALIZE us.”

“NOTHING will be in TATTERS.  I GONNA FIGHT BACK!”

THE SCREEN BROTHER GRABS HIS BELOVED SISTER AND HOLLERS, “ONE MORE STEP AND I WILL UNHESITATINGLY STAB …”

SCREEN MOTHER and DAUGHTER SMILE for the CAMERA.

 “DESTINY IN HER HANDS” DRAMA SERIES.

A lot can be said about the Malaysian series “DESTINY IN HER HANDS”.

JEANETTE plays an unfortunate damsel-in-redress and so-in-distress who’s born with a pair of broken lines on her palms.

To add to her woes, she is condemned by her own mother who unhesitatingly marries her off to a philandering cad when she becomes a pretty young lady to “rid of whatever bad luck” she may bring to her complex family.

Drama, drama …..

All this while, her gambling father and uncaring siblings (except the second brother) stand and watch with glee.

This will shock the ballers out of you, if you truly believe that BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER.

Her loveless marriage bags her two children, an autistic son and a wayward daughter.

She struggles for a living to raise them, against all odds.

Yet, despite the social stigmatization, she is determined to chart her own fate and prove everyone wrong (sob).

It is just another predictable run-of-the-mill story line that has lots of plot holes. Think of the 60s Hong Kong Cantonese mama drama movies and you’ll get the drift.

The very sultry, yet sometimes infamous MARILYN MONROE once said:

“Beneath the make-up and behind the smile, I am just a girl who wishes for the world.  I am selfish, impatient and a little insecure.  I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to  handle.  But if you can’t handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don’t deserve me at my best.”

Believe this or not, most – if not all actresses, wear a facade behind that endearing smile.

Sometimes it may be hard to separate the artiste from the myth or the actress from the role.

JEANETTE AW has come a long way since her first foray into acting many years ago.  She’s a subject of fascination because she manages to maintain her aura of privacy, and becomes the star on the ascent that’s unlikely to dim. At least not for the time being.

 Because she is alluring and basking in that allure, she can be whoever she wants to be.  She may be sweet and endearing, but she has her fair share of bad press like any other celebrity.

She looks vulnerable and in that vulnerability she exercises her latent strength.

I contacted three of her leading men from the soap DESTINY IN HER HANDS (断掌的女人) for their comments on JEANETTE AW.

Let’s hear what they have to say about working with the Singapore veteran actress.

Top Malaysian Actor and Model STEVE YAP played the PHILANDERING HUSBAND who sexually and physically abused the JEANETTE AW character.

“JEANETTE was very PROFESSIONAL, the less-talk-more-work type” he offers. “All of us liked her on set. We had an affable working relationship, but we did not share a lot of common interests, aside the script.  IT WAS GREAT WORKING WITH HER and I certainly HOPE there will be ANOTHER CHANCE of a COLLABORATION.”

MONDAY KANG, up-and-coming MALAYSIAN ACTOR cum ENTREPRENEUR is taking a HIATUS to focus on his newly established PUB, his latest business venture.

“JEANETTE AW is a wonderful actress. Just by studying her moves I could pick up a lot and learn from her,” enthuses MONDAY.

EARNEST CHONG is the BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR winner of the GOLDEN AWARDS 2010 organized by NTV7.

He is in the role of JEANETTE’s autistic son.

EARNEST makes this lovely tribute:

“JEANETTE AW kept very much to herself in the beginning.  This could be her way of getting “into character” of the demanding role she commanded as the lead actress. “But once we got to know her better, she let her guard down and was basically a very warm person inside.”