SHE may play scheming, bitchy and loud-mouthed roles on television.
She may even rant and rave in public when she feels wronged, shortchanged or is upset.
But local comedienne Patricia Mok insists: 'I am not a diva.'
The outspoken 36-year-old television actress, who will reprise the selfish, rude and pompous role of Yun Caixia in Love Blossoms 2 that will air in December, told The New Paper: 'I've got people telling me, 'it's so you.' But sorry lor, I'm not someone who'll backstab others.
'I believe in speaking my mind - to voice my thoughts and opinions without mincing words.'
But Patricia has accepted that the impressions all add up, and 'unless you know me personally, you probably won't like me at all'.
She said: 'I also know that my personality is the kind that the 'traditional Chinese' probably disapprove of - I don't know how to be diplomatic.'
Being too outspoken was exactly what caused Patricia recently to lose her cool at some film extras when she was filming for another new drama, tentatively titled Reunion.
She had turned down our request for an interview on this matter when we first approached her.
She explained: 'I felt it was unnecessary since everything had been settled and I didn't want people to say, 'Why is Patricia Mok always in the news?'
'But I realised it was a good thing to clear the air properly after you persuaded me. And frankly, it was because you used the 'diva' word!'
I'm just a D-lister
It was a label she objected to - so much that she declined to strike a mock diva pose during the photo-taking for this report.
'It's because I'm really not a diva,' she explained to photographer Jonathan Choo.
She said later: 'I think the only other possible reason (why people think I'm a diva) is because I call myself the shopping diva in my blog.'
She had an explanation for that: 'It's my entitlement, if I pay money, I expect (quality and) service.'
It was on this blog that Patricia had poured out an expletive-laden rant three days after the Stylo Fashion Grand Prix Singapore party on 24 Sep.
It was a follow-up to the hissy fit she had thrown at the party after she - along with some 1,000 guests - had to wait for an hour to leave because the valets had misplaced their car keys.
Her blog is now open only to invited readers.
On 29 Oct, Patricia found herself at the receiving end when a netizen wrote a post on a forum about her treatment of 'calefares' (extras).
The responses followed fast and furious.
One said, 'She really thinks she's a Yi Jie-lister (A-lister) or a superstar ah! Ask her to save it!'
But Patricia insisted it was just 'one big misunderstanding.' She blamed the assistant producer for the foul-up with the extras, but conceded she was at fault for blowing her top.
Said Patricia: 'Wrong means wrong. I was really in the wrong, which is why I readily apologised when I found out what really happened.'
On the thread, 'Singapore artiste Patricia Mok has no quality but behaves like a diva', one of the three unhappy extras shared their encounter.
The woman wrote that she and her friends had received a call only at 7.45am that morning to report for the job at 8.30am.
'Our team leader was not even told what roles we were supposed to play, just that the director needed someone urgently,' said the woman.
It was only when they reached the location - in Geylang - that they found out they had to appear as prostitutes. After 'walking the street a few times', they were told to take a break.
It was then that Patricia, who was upset with a delay in the shoot, confronted them - hands on her waist - and asked angrily: 'Oi, Miss! Do you know what we're waiting for?'
She reportedly became angrier when they said they didn't know and were just told to wait.
She told them: 'That's because you didn't do your make-up and now the director has to send someone to buy the cosmetics!' She then gave them a dirty look and walked away in a huff.
Patricia did not dispute what happened, but said she had 'scolded the wrong person'.
A self-confessed stickler for punctuality when it comes to work, Patricia said: 'I wasn't given the whole background. All I knew was, because they were late, they could not get their make-up done.'
She had two scenes to film that morning and was also expected to be back at the studio by 4pm.
Having completed one scene, she was anxious to get on with the next one - only to be told that her change of attire was in the bus.
No excuse
While Patricia acknowledged it was no excuse for her behaviour, she said: 'We'd finished late the night before. And it didn't help that I was already feeling hot and flustered from the morning heat.'
When told that she had blamed the wrong person, Patricia said she was upset with herself - and even more so after reading the thread.
Determined to set things right, she went about trying to find out how to contact the women.
She managed to track down the boss of the talent management company and called him to apologise.
'He was quite nice about it and actually brushed it aside. But I insisted on speaking personally to any one of them,' said Patricia. 'You must know your mistake, admit it and learn. And I am the kind who prefers to do it personally.'
She finally got to speak to the woman, who even went online to say that she had accepted the apology and that Patricia was not to be blamed.
Patricia said: 'Frankly, I don't care about what other people say, it's just between them and me. But I can understand how they felt.'
Patricia said she did not bother to confront the assistant producer, whom The New Paper was also unable to reach, despite leaving several messages.
She insisted she does not look down on extras. 'I'm not a mei nu (beauty) and I'm only here because I can and don't shun acting stupid or being made to look really ugly.
'And hey, for that matter, I don't even look down on prostitutes. It's just a job - you think they want to be one if they can help it?'
But Patricia said she has learned one valuable lesson from this incident.
'Instead of counting to 20, now I'll count to 50 before losing my cool,' she said.
She also felt it was important to clarify another point: 'I've never been a B- or C-lister actress, hor.
'I'm more likely just a D-lister.'
Erh... as in Diva-lister, we asked.
She broke into her trademark laughter: 'Oh my gawd! No, no, I am not a diva lah!'
This article was first published in The New Paper on Nov 8, 2008.
