By Elisa Chia, TODAY
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/entertainment/view/202781/1/.html
Every so often, a determined messenger attempts to dethrone the
Queen. The Queen of Caldecott Hill, Zoe Tay, that is.
"Aiyah, that will never stop," the 38-year-old told TODAY last
week, dismissing the idea with a wave of her hand. "I know because
I've been in the industry for so long.
They give you the title one day, and the next day, they're waiting
for you to fall."
It's been 18 years since the former top model won the first Star
Search talent quest in 1988, thus launching her acting career.
Today, she is well-established as Singapore's best-loved
actress.
Zoe's enormous popularity makes her a hot favourite among casting
directors and producers and helps draw high ratings for every drama
serial she stars in.
Her midas touch extends beyond television. Magazines that have Zoe
on their covers tend to sell like hotcakes. The same goes for the
products she endorses.
"When did the media start calling me the Queen? I can't recall.
What I do remember is that when they first started, I was, like
'Why call me that?'
"I was so not used to it. I could feel the goosebumps when they
called me that. And I've had to work very, very hard to live up to
the name."
Over the years, her reign has been challenged by a long list of
eager successors-inwaiting.
And whenever the ratings on her small-screen outings dip, critics
jump at the chance to wonder openly if her drawing power is on the
wane.
More recently, Zoe made headlines for her unscheduled appearance on
December's Star Awards, which triggered a number of critical
reports in the media.
Some even seized the opportunity to take a broad swipe at the
actress, claiming that the roles for her were drying up and that
she was using her baby to land commercials.
"In the earlier years, such criticism frustrated me a lot. I mean,
how should I address that? They're putting pressure on me and I'm
still working so hard - I don't even have time to rest or
sleep."
But rest she did, particularly in the past two years when she took
on fewer projects.
But she said matter-offactly that it was because she was expecting
her first child.
"Am I still the Queen? It doesn't matter, really. If you think it's
over, it's over. If you think it's not, it just remains. You can't
control such things."
QUEEN OF BROKEN HEARTS
If Zoe sounded nonchalant in conversation with TODAY, she said the
reason is that learned the hard way not to take the criticism to
heart.
"There are so many things I've learned over the years. For
instance, when a show was not doing well, people would point
fingers and compare it to the previous shows I've done. I'd get
upset. I'm not the main issue, you know.
"But after some time, I just learned not to take it to heart. The
truth is," she said, "You always try to tell people the facts, but
sometimes they just don't want to listen."
Then there was the rumour in the early 90s that - "That I was a
kept woman?" she interjected good-naturedly before this reporter
could finish asking the question.
"I didn't do it. I'm not ashamed. Singapore is so small. If I had
really done it, there's no way I could have escaped. And because
I'm a public figure, people could have challenged me if I had done
it."
Of the rich businessman in question, she said with a chuckle: "I've
really never met him. I don't even know what he looks like. "To
this day, it's a mystery how that rumour got started. It's so
funny. I wished, however, that I owned those things that people
said I did."
Like that luxurious apartment she supposedly shared with
"him"?
She nodded, saying: "I was living with my mum and dad in an HDB
flat for over 10 years. I lived there until I got married. I'm not
ashamed of it. That's my parents' house."
Zoe, the daughter of a Lim Chu Kang pig farmer, has been earning a
salary since she was a teenager, when she became a model.
A turning point came in 1988 when her father - disapproving of her
modelling career - suggested she take part in Star Search.
"He thought an acting career was more stable in terms of income and
working hours. He thought, lah - he thought," she said, a mega-watt
smile lighting up her face. "I think Xiang Yun and (Huang) Wen Yong
portrayed a very good image to him. During that time, they were the
ah ge and ah jie. And they were always very well-mannered and got a
lot of positive press from the media."
Taking the advice of her father - who died in 1998 - she quietly
picked up a registration form. It wasn't until the press reported
that she was one of the finalists, however, that her family found
out.
"My father's words meant a lot to me
But I didn't tell my parents
because I had no confidence that I could win. I've always had stage
fright. I can't tell a story on stage - I get speechless. Even in
modelling, you could ask me to do the catwalk but don't ask me to
act. I just couldn't!"
The rest is well-documented history. Zoe shone during the finals
and received the top award from then-First Deputy Prime Minister
Goh Chok Tong. Besides bagging a three-year contract, she also won
$100,000 worth of prizes, including a car. She let her father use
the car until she earned her driving licence the next year. But
that led to her first run-in with the rumour-mongers.
"At that time, my dad always drove me to work. So people would be
saying behind my back: 'Eh, Zoe is with an old man'," she said,
tossing her head back and laughing.
TALK TO THE HAND
Even with all the gossip that has swirled around her - she remains
the only Singapore star to have a pop song named after her, never
mind that it poked fun at her - Zoe's approach is to dismiss the
talk with a laugh.
"It's not crucial for me to answer it. But sometimes, it's
important to the people around you, your family and your closest
friends. But all this bad press only made me stronger."
She continued: "Now, when I hear a rumour, especially about an
artiste, I don't judge. Because it happened to me before. I was the
victim.
"When you rise too fast, there's a lot of pressure and you don't
know how to handle it."
She has also stopped reading articles about herself. "I don't read
them, especially if they're not true. What for? You argue, no
point. You try to explain, you can't do it.
So just don't read it. Ignore it. Why make it a bad day for
yourself?"
These days, all eyes are on Zoe's upcoming sitcom The Perfect Wife,
which debuts on April 29 on MediaCorp TV Channel 8. It marks her
first acting project in almost two years.
Is she worried about its ratings?
She replied matter-of-factly: "It's not that it doesn't matter, but
right now, it doesn't work that way any more.
"It doesn't mean who's hot or who's good will definitely get
viewers and ratings because TV-watching patterns have changed.
There are too many things to distract viewers.
They no longer just watch programmes at the telecast time. They
record it or they watch it online.
"It's not fair to judge one's popularity based on ratings."
And of course, Zoe is well aware of the new faces in Singapore show
business. Asked to name some actresses who she reckons could go on
to enjoy careers as enduring as hers and Xiang Yun's, she quickly
replied: "Fiona Xie, Felicia Chin, Jesseca Liu, Dawn Yeoh
..."
"You don't have to go on record to say if you work hard or not. I
mean, everyone is working hard. Even Xiang Yun is working very
hard. Take my word for it. Everyone wants to do their best in a
role and be appreciated."TODAY/ra
