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SINGAPORE: It can be fun – very fun, to play a badass on film, the cast of ‘The Days’ will have you know.
After all, it is not everyday regular youths get to act like an ‘ah beng’ (local slang for a male gangster) or an ‘ah lian’ (female gangster), swear like sailors, beat somebody up, throng the streets in mobs with weapons, and not be hauled off to the police station at the end of the day.
And the irony is - most of the cast are good kids who have never done most of the things that they have acted out on film.
Lead actor Justin Chan, who plays protagonist ‘Tai Zi’ in the show, claimed the closest thing to gangsterism he has ever committed in his 20 years was to round up a couple of friends to terrorise (without physical harm) a classmate back in primary school.
Ivan Lim, who plays Tai Zi’s brother ‘Baby’ in the movie, was not any worse. The 18-year-old said the worst things he ever did was to “destroy stuff” during his younger, rebellion days.
But the cast said it was not too difficult to get down and dirty into their respective roles as angsty punk kids because according to Derrick R., who acts as a gang member named ‘Dog’, it is always “easier to act as an 'ah beng' than as a good kid.”
Jason Ho, who plays 'Rat' in the movie, explained: “I think that everyone has their evil or naughty side that is just waiting for the right time to show. It’s like deciding when to be evil when you already are evil. So during shooting, it’s time to show that other side.”
The cast acknowledged that it was great fun to legally do things they would never do in real life, and recounted parts which were the most memorable to them.
Female lead Adele Wong, who acts as the main character’s love interest ‘Shan Shan’ in the movie talked enthusiastically of her fight scene.
“I enjoyed my one action scene so much that I did my own stunts!” she said. “I’m supposed to be this stern, rational girl in the film and I hoped it could be more exciting.
"So I kidded to the director that the boys had action scenes but I didn’t and it wasn’t fair, so they scripted a scene for me and it was great to be able to get some action in!"
While Adele’s fight scene was still more of a good deed than a bad one – she had to go to the rescue of ‘Tai Zi’, the same cannot be said for the rest of the cast.
Exclaimed Jason: “I get to smash someone’s head – four times. So four times the fun! I even took pictures of it!"
“I got to break three solid baseball bats,” said Kevin Tan, who acted as another punk kid. “Usually if you do it in real life, you have to pay S$300 for each bat, but (in the shoot) people still said I did a good job.”
“And I got to beat people up,” said Derrick. “Playing the fighter of the clan, I got to learn and use different kinds of cool moves to fight and that was really cool.”
Actress Yeo Yann Yann, who takes on a rather different role this time as a beer lady, acknowledged with a hint of regret that the punk kids get more kick out of the film than she does.
“Yes, action-wise they had more fun than I did, because I have lesser scenes and I don’t get to see the fights in process,” she mused.
In the movie, Yann Yann’s beer lady is also the mother of an 18-year-old.
“Initially I didn’t want to take it up because I didn’t want to look weird, and play a mother,” she said. “But after listening to Director Boi Kwong’s story, which really touched me, I took up the role.”
'The Days' is based on Boi’s life story, of days between 1989 and 1990 when he roamed the streets with his clan of 'Ah Bengs'.
According to the director, he joined a gang when he was 13 as he “was an insecure kid”, and he wanted “backing” in his school and neighbourhood.
“The bad things we did...” the director recounted during an interview with Channelnewsasia.com.
“We used to throng Orchard Road in groups of more than a hundred punks, from the Forum Shopping Mall to Far East Shopping Centre, bashing up members of rival gangs along the way.
“At night, we’d dance or fight in clubs, or loiter at arcade centres as we would use wires to steal tokens and play for hours. Of course, I regret those days now.”
Boi said he had three reasons for documenting his wayward days onto film.
First, although being a unruly punk was less glamorous than he used to think, Boi said that street gangs was a part of a lesser known culture in 1990s Singapore which he wanted to share with the later generation.
“(The gangs) are very unique in the way they behave and the way they dress,” said Boi. “The way we tuck in our shirts, how we wear our clothes, how we comb our hair... it can actually be said as a part of history. And I want to share with the general public, the experience I have gone through.”
Boi said he has also never quite come to terms with the fact that he roped his younger brother into the gang even though he had done so to protect him at that age.
“(My brother) just came out of prison last year, and I feel that even after all these years, it’s still my fault because I was the one who got him to join in the first place,” he said.
“I’ve never been able to (overcome the emotional barrier) to tell him how sorry I am and how much I love my brother so I hope when he watches this show he will understand.”
Boi said he targets audiences who are of his age - about 30-years-old to 50-years-old – who have lived through times when street gangs were popular; as well as the youths, who may think that gangsterism is cool.
“I hope I can let the youngsters know through the film that it is a wrong move to get into gangs and hopefully they will not repeat the mistake that I have made,” he said.
The fun of throwing all caution to the winds while they play their badass roles to perfection aside, the cast said they hope youth audiences can take a leaflet from the movie.
“While it was great experiencing what it was like to be an ah beng in the 90s because I have never been this naughty, I hope youths can know the difference between right and wrong, and never go down the wrong path,” said Ivan.
Kevin added: "I hope that those thinking of joining gangs can be coaxed out of it after watching this movie. It really isn't as glamorous as many think it is."
'The Days' opens in cinemas island wide on September 11.
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