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SINGAPORE : From sassing about as a naughty desperate maid to chucking around as a spy — all on prime-time TV, no less — Gwendoline Yeo seems to be breaking through the seemingly-impenetrable Hollywood wall.
The niece of Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo — last seen in Desperate Housewives as Gabrielle Solis' maid, Xiao Mei — has a guest stint as a Chinese spy, complete with ammunition, in the new TV series, Chuck.
Speaking to TODAY over the phone from her Los Angeles apartment, the 30-year-old University of California, Los Angeles graduate, who has paid her dues with recurring roles in 24 and General Hospital, said snagging the new guest role was a cinch.
"My agent approached me with this role. So, I went in, met with the producers and we hit it right off. One of the producers of Chuck had directed me on an episode of Desperate Housewives, so they were already familiar with and liked my work. They were fans, so it all kind of worked out."
To think that this journalism major had thought the last thing she would be was an actress. "I was going to be a doctor or a lawyer. After all, that was the 'Asian' thing to do," said Yeo, who described herself as "a big, dorky geek" when she first moved to the United States as a teenager.
"I realised I couldn't do a nine-to-five job and that I had a lot of emotion in me I wanted to express in different ways. There was something unusual about me. Some people call me weird, but in Hollywood, they pay you to be weird!" said the seasoned beauty queen (she won the Miss Asian America Pageant and the Miss Chinatown USA Pageant).
Well, being weird has certainly paid off, most of all financially. But Hollywood success has not gone to Yeo's head, who also earns a good living as a voiceover artist and host.
"You need to save and think long-term. It's a marathon, not a sprint. This is a career." Spoken like a true Singaporean.
"Ya lor ... the practical side is coming out, already. It's the Asian girl in me," she quipped in a spot-on Singlish accent.
So, with such strong Singapore roots showing, will she give Singapore's entertainment scene a go?
"The short answer is: Absolutely! I am actually in the new Stars Wars series (for television) that is based in Singapore (under Lucasfilm Animation Singapore)," said Yeo.
"I can't get into the details, but what I can say is that I have worked with the producers at the Skywalker Ranch, who are working with the producers from Singapore. So, there is definitely a link there.
"At some point, if the right project presents itself, I will most definitely want to do something in or with Singapore."
Aw, her uncle would be so proud. - TODAY/sh
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