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SINGAPORE : Film-maker Chai Yee-Wei sure knows how to pick his women. For his debut feature film, "Blood Ties", the 34-year-old local director enlisted the services of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon's" Jade Fox; a 14-year-old knife-wielding, blood-soaked teenager from Malaysia; and "Deal Or No Deal" hottie No 4.
That's Hong Kong veteran actress and erstwhile Yang Sister Cheng Pei-Pei, newbie actress Joey Leong and Singapore model Maggie Lee to you.
The hybrid "supernatural revenge tale", which opens next week, tells the story of a young girl named Qin who is possessed by the spirit of her older brother, brutally murdered along with his wife. Produced by Oak3 Films, it's the first movie to be completed under the Singapore Film Commission's New Feature Film Fund.
While the male actors in the film aren't exactly pushovers (Hong Kong vet Kenneth Tsang and Painted Skin's David Leong, who suffered a broken rib during rehearsals), the women hold pivotal roles - particularly young Joey.
"I was very worried about finding the right Qin who would make or break the film," said Yee-Wei. "Initially, I didn't think much of (Joey). But when she started to read the lines and you saw the maturity that she can portray, I was totally, 'Heng, wah we found the girl'. During rehearsals, I was wowed. And language-wise, she speaks Malay, Mandarin, English, Hokkien, Cantonese - she speaks every damn thing!"
Maggie, meanwhile, was a last-minute replacement called in to play the murdered wife. "It was very last minute - like one day before the opening ceremony. For a first-timer, she's very good and professional - and, thankfully, she allowed us to do painful things to her," Yee-Wei quipped.
Getting one of his dream actresses, Pei-Pei, was always in the cards. Yee-Wei had the screen legend in mind while writing the script and got her through his producers - they had previously worked on "House of Harmony", which the 62-year-old actress starred in.
For Pei-Pei, the veteran actress seemed quite impressed with the greenhorn director, particularly after seeing the original short film of "Blood Ties". She quipped that Yee-Wei might have been stressed directing some well-known and respected actors.
"I understand that it might be very stressful for him. But as I always say, because I'm a mother, I try to be nicer. I treat them like my children," she laughed, adding: "He's doing a pretty good job. I think he will surprise some people."
"Blood Ties" is out next Thursday, with sneaks from Friday until Sunday. - TODAY/rs
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