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Diva
updated 17 Dec 2012, 12:16
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Sat, Dec 15, 2012
The New Paper
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Too close for comfort
by Tan Kee Yun

One went into gruelling labour, the other had to take off her blouse.

For the two leading ladies - Elanne Kwong (left) and Cynthia Wang (right) - of wacky family comedy The Wedding Diary II, filming was a fun-filled experience, spiced with unforgettable moments of embarrassment.

Hong Kong doe-eyed star Kwong's episode involved an over-the-top painful labour scene, while Taiwanese lass Wang had to yank off her top in front of male co-star A-niu.

"It was awkward because as I lay on the bed in the mock delivery ward, my legs were spread open so wide," recalled 25-year-old Kwong, who reprises her role as the wealthy wife of A-niu's dorky engineer character.

"And the camera was positioned in such a spot that it was pointing directly at that area ... Even though I was wearing shorts underneath the blanket covering my legs, I still felt quite uncomfortable."

The Wedding Diary II, a Malaysia-Singapore co-production, is the highly anticipated sequel to this year's box-office hit The Wedding Diary.

Kwong and Wang were part of the cast - including A-niu, veteran Hong Kong thespian Kara Hui and local actors Marcus Chin and Zhu Houren - who graced the television and film trade event ScreenSingapore at Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre last Thursday.

The Wedding Diary II, which enjoyed the honour of being ScreenSingapore's closing film, will be officially released in local theatres on Valentine's Day, next February.

The story takes off where the first movie left off - happily married couple Weijie (A-niu) and Zhixin (Kwong) are basking at the birth of their son, but the sudden appearance of a mysterious girl Reese (Wang), claiming to be the half-sister of Zhixin, turns their lives upside down.

Preparing and shooting the scene gave Kwong, who is currently single, an insight into the immense pain mums-to-be have to endure when giving birth.

"It's quite intimidating, but I definitely want to have kids in future, I've always loved children," she told FiRST with a grin.

Wang, 26, whom some local audiences might find familiar from her previous roles in MediaCorp Channel 8 dramas Joys Of Life and Devotion, said her performance in The Wedding Diary II was the "most daring so far".

One particular scene, where she and A-niu appear red-faced and drunk, required her to pull off her top - she was wearing only a black bra - and lie on her co-star's chest.

"I was really nervous and both of us decided to drink alcohol in order to get into the mood," she said.

"We finished two bottles of red wine!

"I have to thank our director (Malaysian film-maker Adrian Teh) too, as he made it less difficult for me by clearing out the set. During the scene, there were only four people around, A-niu, myself, Adrian and our director of photography."

Chuckling, she added sheepishly that while she was stressed out then, she "took it out on A-niu and squeezed his nipples".

"It was very painful," quipped 35-year-old Malaysian singer-actor A-niu.

Embarrassment aside, both Kwong and Wang said it was a joy working on The Wedding Diary II.

"A-niu and I had several scenes with our onscreen baby, who was super adorable and cooperative," gushed Kwong.

"Like most babies, of course he would burst into tears and throw tantrums, but whenever our director shouted 'action!', he would miraculously stop crying."

Wang, the only cast member who didn't appear in the first movie, had no problems gelling with her co-stars - but was unfortunately "forced to be apart from them" by director Teh.

"My character in the movie is kind of an outcast of A-niu's and Elanne's family," she explained.

"Once, before we shot a particularly tense scene, I was chatting with Elanne and our director remarked that we gals were becoming too close. He was worried that I couldn't get into my character.

"I had no choice but to go sulk in a corner, while everyone else laughed and cracked jokes...I was totally envious."

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