8_Days__June_1_2017

STORY
NEU WEE TEE MAIN PHOTO EALBERT HO
8 DAYS: In the rom-com Lucky Boy, your character,
Lin Yu, has bad luck at work and in love. Do you
identify with him?
WANG WEILIANG: All I can say is if I want something
[or somebody], I will do what I can to get what I want —
I’m a go-getter. He and I are actually very different. Lin
Yu is a very sheltered person. The important decisions
are made for him by his parents. That's where we're
opposites. I started working when I was young, and
I made all my decisions myself. Maybe that's why I
remember so clearly what the director [Boris Boo] told
me during filming: Don't be yourself — be Lin Yu, do
what Lin Yu will do. One key difference: Lin Yu lacks
confidence, whereas I don't.
Why do you think you were cast to
play him?
I don't really know why I was chosen
to be Lin Yu, but I suppose I gave
off a certain vibe that matched [the
director’s vision] of Lin Yu. Think about
it: A person who’s as unlucky as Lin
Yu can’t possibly be too handsome
(guffaws)! But yes, I'm really lucky [to
land the role].
Lucky Boy is your sixth movie, but
your first as a leading man. How does it feel
to be the main guy for a change?
I've been told [by my co-stars] that they didn’t
see me as Lobang [my character in Ah Boys
to Men] in this movie. They thought that I had
stepped out of Lobang’s shadow. In some ways
Lin Yu is actually similar to my character in The
Lion Men, because both of them had it tough.
Did you learn anything new from making
Lucky Boy?
[Hongkong actress] Venus Wong [who plays my love
interest] and I were filming at the playground. We
spoke a lot during that scene, and I remember
clearly what she said: “Acting is not just acting
[and saying your own lines], you need to have a
genuine reaction to what your co-star is saying."
That really struck me. That was one of our first few
scenes together, and we started to bond after that.
We hear that you were really shy around her.
She's too pretty! Even if she is just looking at you
normally, not trying to flirt or anything, your mind will
still go haywire. She's very straightforward. She doesn't
play games or have any motives. It's very easy to be her
friend, as long as you don't be a hypocrite around her.
But I still can't get over how pretty she is. Any camera
angle works on her!
What was it like to have Chew Chor Meng, the
original Lobang King from Don’t Worry Be Happy,
play your father? Did you guys compare notes on
who’s the better Lobang King?
To be honest, when I first found out that Chew Chor
Meng was going to play my father, I [was nonchalant]
about it. He was an idol, the leading man in several
Ch 8 classics. At least, that was my first impression.
But when filming began, it started to get really surreal.
The actor I grew up watching is now my co-star! I was
starstruck.
Which Lucky Boy co-star is the most fun to hang
around with?
Jeremy Chan and Terence Then, of course! I love to disturb
them by smacking them in the butt or groin. It's what
boys do. But the thing is, their reactions never fail to be
hilarious. Jeremy is really funny, both on- and off-camera.
He is a born comedian. But I can feel that he also wants
to avoid being typecast as just the funny guy because he is
really serious about his craft. Terence, on the other hand,
is quieter, but he does play along. But girls
cannot anyhow play lah. Later police
catch, how?
Your Ah Boys to Men bud Maxi
Lim is in Lucky Boy as well. Do
you miss acting without the other
Ah Boys like Tosh Zhang and
Joshua Tan?
Yes, I missed them very much [during
the filming of Lucky Boy]. I
missed the camaraderie.
I'm really grateful for
[Maxi’s] support [in the
movie], and the rest of the
Ah Boys who turned up for
the movie's premiere.
You guys will be
reunited in Ah Boys to
Men 4, which deals
with your characters as
reservists. How many more Ah Boys sequels
can you do?
I’ll definitely still be interested in any further
instalments. I love making movies. From
the bonding of the cast to the screening of
the final product, I’d get a satisfaction that’s
hard to explain. Every new movie is a new life
experience, and I can’t wait to give my best in any
future projects, not just in the Ah Boys movies.
In Lucky Boy, there’s a very short scene of Lin Yu's
NS days, which is actually footage of Lobang in
Ah Boys to Men. Do the two movies exist in the
same time and space?
Since the movies share the same executive producer,
Jack Neo, we thought it would be fun that the scene
was put in to account for Lin Yu's NS days. But no, Lin
Yu is not the same person as Lobang. It's a fun scene
for the audience lah. If you've seen Ah Boys to Men, you
would have noticed it. If not, then it's just another NS
scene.
Getting lucky:
Wang Weiliang
with Venus Wong
and Chew Chor
Meng in Lucky
Boy.
Lucky Boy (PG) is in cinemas now.
PHOTOS: GOLDEN VILLAGE
8 DAYS | 13