Joan Chen in a scene from Serangoon Road
Singapore – Internationally acclaimed movie star Joan Chen headlined a press conference held by HBO Asia in Singapore yesterday for Serangoon Road, the broadcaster’s first original co-production with Australia’s ABC TV. Chen is the lead in the detective drama TV series, currently still in production and slated to premiere on HBO in the third quarter of this year.
Chen says her love for classic detective stories is what drew her to Serangoon Road. “[Serangoon Road] is a very exciting piece with a lot of action, a lot of human touch – stories you can relate to; everyday losses, everyday joys in life,” she adds. “But it’s a little bit different from the hardcore detective stories. The crime-solving is more ‘neighbourhoody’; it’s neighbourhood things that I know, gossips that I have heard.”
Chen has starred in critically acclaimed films such as Mao’s Last Dancer (2009), The Home Song Stories (2007), and the 9-time Oscar®-winning film, The Last Emperor (1987). She has appeared in the cult crime/drama TV series, Twin Peaks (1990), and was recently acted alongside Nicole Kidman and Clive Owen in the Emmy®-winning HBO Original Movie, Hemingway & Gellhorn (2012).
“We are very proud that Joan Chen is starring in Serangoon Road. Although filming has started, the series continues to attract additional talented cast and crew from around the world. HBO Asia is playing a valuable and significant role in contributing to global television entertainment through the cross-pollination of knowledge, skills and expertise in our very first HBO Asia original series co-production,” said Jonathan Spink, Chief Executive Officer, HBO Asia.
Rising Indonesian star Ario Bayu joins a cast also led by Australian actor Don Hany (East West 101; Offspring), while US-based Russell Wong reunites with Joan Chen following their joint appearance in the 1986 movie Tai-Pan. Wong guest stars as Chen’s character’s late husband.
Other new guest stars of the series that were announced today include Melody Chen (The Teenage Textbook Movie), Randall Tan (Twisted) and Joshua Tan (Ah Boys To Men). Cast members that were previously announced include US-based Singapore actor, Chin Han (The Dark Knight, Contagion) Singapore’s Alaric Tay (The Noose) and Pamelyn Chee (Little Nyonya); Australia’s Maeve Dermody (Rake; Bikie Wars: Brothers in Arms) and Rachael Blake (Wildside; The Straits).
Guest stars also previously announced include Singapore acting veterans Lim Kay Tong (The Photograph), Tan Kheng Hua (The Blue Mansion), Edmund Chen (Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li) and local television and film legend Xiang Yun (We Not Naughty). Other guest stars include television drama regulars Priscelia Chan (My Sassy Neighbour) and Bernard Tan (Point Of Entry), Singapore Idol finalist, Nurul Huda and theatre mainstay Timothy Nga (The High Cost Of Living).
For the production, scenes have been shot across various locations in Singapore such as Raffles Hotel, former colonial houses and heritage buildings in various parts of Singapore to get the authentic look of Singapore in the 60s in which Serangoon Road is set. In addition, replicas of certain parts of old Singapore, such as Bugis Street and Chinatown, have been built at Infinite Studios’ facilities in Batam, Indonesia.
