Chantalle Ng is in her villain era: “My superpower is saying no”

It’s 2009, and some 1.67 million Singaporeans are tuning into the two-hour finale of the hit Chinese language series The Little Nyonya, transfixed by the multi-generational saga of three Peranakan families. But for actor Chantalle Ng, the real magic happened behind the scenes, when the series – in which her mother, actor Lin Mei Jiao, featured as the lead villain – was still in production.

Just a teenager at the time, Chantalle, who grew up hanging out on set while her mother worked, remembers standing in the “kitchen” created for the series, awed by the scale and meticulous detail of the production.

“I remember thinking if I ever had the chance to be in a production like that, that would be so awesome,” says Chantalle. “I remember exactly where I was standing when I had that thought. So when I was cast, it immediately brought me back to that moment.”

The 29-year-old is one of three rising Mediacorp actors to be cast in Emerald Hill, a lavish spin-off of The Little Nyonya. Currently slated for a 2025 release, Emerald Hill’s heavyweight cast includes Zoe Tay, Jesseca Liu, Jeanette Aw, Chen Liping, Tasha Low, Ferlyn G, Romeo Tan, Shaun Chen and Sheila Sim.

Not only is Chantalle following in The Little Nyonya footsteps of her mother, she is also playing a villain: Anna, who tries to sabotage the main character, Xin Niang, at every turn. When shooting began in May this year, Chantalle initially revelled in her villain era.

“I’ve always played happy, upbeat characters, and it’s quite draining sometimes, when you have to be high energy the whole day. But for this role, I can walk onto the set and I don’t have to smile, and people are like, ‘Ok she’s getting into character.’”

Before long, however, the complexity and bitterness of her character began weighing her down. “This girl, she’s very complicated. Her parents caused a lot of unhappiness in her, and she grew up craving love, but she doesn’t understand what love is. So she creates her own rules, and if people don’t live by that, she’s vengeful,” explains Chantalle. 

If Anna had been born in a different time, she might have been quite successful, muses Chantalle. “She’s very clever, very ambitious. In today’s society, there would be more support for her. But back in the 1940s and 50s, women just didn’t have the opportunities.” It’s a far cry from Chantalle’s buoyant positivity, which bubbles over even through our phone interview. “I grew up with a lot of love surrounding me,” says Chantalle. “So I had to strip away all this love that I have to get into her headspace… I really had to check in with myself many times, more than any other roles I’ve played.”

Chantalle shares an extremely tight bond with her mother Mei Jiao, whom she refers to as her “best friend”. Mei Jiao divorced her father, former actor Huang Yiliang, when Chantalle was just a few months old, and while Chantalle demurs when asked about her difficult relationship with her father, she is effusive when it comes to her mother.

“I think no matter what your experiences might be, there are a few people in your life who feel like your guardian angels, and growing up, my mother was my guardian angel,” says Chantalle, who lives with her mother and chats with her every night before bed. “I think my confidence, my values, the way I look at life, the way I want to work hard for my mum and me – it’s all because of the love she showered on me.”

Raised by a village

Not many Singapore actors can say they grew up mugging for directors and producers, humoured by her mother’s co-stars, and coddled by the managers and crew on set.

“Everyone was kind, and always made time for me… that’s why I say I was raised by the ‘Caldecott’ village,” says Chantalle, referring to the former location of Mediacorp’s production and broadcast studios. Watching her mother skilfully disappearing into various characters inspired in Chantalle dreams of doing the same. “I saw her being really good at her job, and this was something I respected,” says Chantalle.

“She is so passionate about her craft… when you talk to them [veteran actresses] about acting, there’s this sparkle in their eyes that is different from when it’s just a normal conversation. I really enjoyed seeing my mother on set because I just felt like, ‘Wow, this is my role model.’” 

Despite her insider view of the acting life, Chantalle did not assume success as an actor was a given. Describing herself as someone who “always needs a back-up plan”, Chantalle completed her university studies (she has a Bachelor of Science – Information Systems degree from Singapore Management University) to ensure that she had other options if acting didn’t pan out. “But I’ve been very lucky – I’ve gotten every role I wanted,” she says.

And having an actor mum has advantages. Recently, while relaxing at home one evening, Chantalle, on a whim, asked Mei Jiao to read her Emerald Hill lines with her, for a scene that required her character to switch from laughing to weeping within two lines. “You know, my mum has been in ‘retirement’ mode right? Like, it’s been a while since she’s been acting… and she just acted it out immediately,” recounts Chantalle, the awe and pride evident in her voice. 

“I was just like, wow, this woman is so passionate about her craft, and after so many years, she was able to just come out with a performance like that out of the blue. It was amazing.” She is just as impressed by her veteran Emerald Hill co-stars like Jeanette Aw and “ah jie” Zoe Tay. “Working with [Zoe Tay], I can understand why she is the undisputed ‘Queen of Mediacorp’,” says Chantalle, who plays one of Zoe’s granddaughters in the series.

“Once, when we were between takes, I was like, ‘Wow, your aura is very strong, very good.’” She bursts out laughing. “I don’t know why I did that, commenting on her aura. But I just wanted her to know that she has this presence that is very strong, and you’re drawn to getting to know her better. It’s just such an honour to work with her.” 

Chantalle is also a dog lover. She adopted two dogs from local shelter SOSD – one of which passed away earlier this year. She says: “I’m like a golden retriever. I have golden retriever energy, but I need to have alone time.” When she does go out, she prefers the company of people who are “funny and dare to make a joke”.

“I’ve joked that as long as a person is witty and fun to be around, it’s ok even if their morals are not aligned with mine, because I can enjoy a good time… I will 100 per cent be very attracted to the person,” shares Chantalle. But she draws the line at dating someone who is unkind. “When they’re not kind towards their family or their friends, it’s a deal-breaker,” she says. “Especially if they’re unkind to animals – I judge people by how they treat animals.” 

Her superpower is saying no

Asked where she thinks her preternatural sense of confidence came from, Chantalle attributes it to the support she had growing up in the industry. “I think I’m getting too good at saying no,” she says with a laugh. “If I were to see something that doesn’t feel right to me, I wouldn’t hesitate to voice my opinion on it. And I have to thank the environment that I’m in, because I feel safe enough to be open about how I feel.”

She also points out that she has learnt to be open to criticism. “Over the years, I’ve also evolved… People don’t feel like they are unable to give me feedback, and that’s how I’ve survived so far.” Her star may be on the rise, but when asked what she hopes to achieve before she turns 30, Chantalle had more than career goals in mind.

“I want to work on my mental health, so that I can be more aware, and more mindful as a person,” she says. “I feel like we do a lot of things, but we don’t understand the motivation behind our actions and choices. If you were to dig deeper, I think there’s really a reason why we’re like this, and it’s worth exploring.”

She adds: “There’s this quote that I love, which goes something like, until you make your unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate. But it’s not fate. So I am very interested in this journey to discover myself better on the inside.”

PHOTOGRAPHY Zantz Han
CREATIVE DIRECTION & STYLING Lena Kamarudin, assisted by Priyanka Patel & Jeon Jae Won
ART DIRECTION Adeline Eng
MAKEUP Rina Sim, using Dior Beauty
HAIR Christvian Wu