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Leading a charge of Mongol warriors on horseback, laying waste to an entire village and making a wall of water explode out of a raging river with a single gesture are just some of the things Tay Ping Hui has been doing of late.
Those pursuits are a little more intense, you might say, than schlepping down to the kopitiam for a kopi-o gao kosong – which, by the way, is also something the Singaporean actor loves.
It’s famously known that Tay has been developing his career by taking on acting roles in China in the last few years, but what exactly has he been up to there?
The answer is getting kitted out in stick-on whiskers and period armour, pulling off martial arts stunts and eating xiao long bao when the camera’s not rolling, for his roles as legendary historical figures such as Genghis Khan in the drama The Condor Heroes, which aired last year; and Huo Yuanjia in the drama Fearless, which has yet to air. He has shot two other dramas that are presently in the editing stages.
Tay Ping Hui in Handsome Siblings
Tay Ping Hui on the set of the period drama Handsome Siblings. (Photo: Tay Ping Hui)
“Thanks to director Guo Jing Yu, the characters I play are always superhero types. He says – and these are not my words – I fit the bill of an alpha male… which is a bit lacking in China right now,” the 48-year-old explained.
“There are a lot of pretty boys; a lot of boys who look like girls. In China they call them xiao nai gou: ‘little milky dogs’. Their skin is fair and smooth. So, the characters I’ve been playing are masculine, middle-aged, ancient heroes with a hint of royalty. I can’t play the sweet young thing any more!”
Tay Ping Hui
At 48, Tay Ping Hui fills a niche in the actors' market. (Photo: Aik Chen; Hair and makeup: Dax Lye)
FALLING OFF A HORSE AS A MONGOL WARRIOR
He can, however, play the father of the Mongol Empire, it seems – even if there were times he had to fake it until he made it.
“On the first day of filming for The Condor Heroes, they said, ‘Can you ride a horse?’ I said yes, so they brought me the biggest horse. I had 15kg of armour on and we were supposed to do a cavalry charge. The others were true blue Mongolians and horse handlers, and I was this Singaporean guy who hadn’t ridden in 10 or 15 years. On one hand, I was freaking out. On the other hand, I was like, ‘Let’s do this.’
“On the first take, I fell off the horse. My right foot was caught in the stirrup and I was dragged. I remember I was like, ‘This is the end of me and my wife’s going to get all my CPF money.’ No, I’m kidding! I landed on my head, but I was wearing a huge wig and my armour was quite thick.” All things considered, though,
“How many times in your life do you get to do a full cavalry charge with 100 horses all decked out while you pull out a big sabre and shout, ‘Mongol warriors, charge’? I loved it.”
He continued: “I love the thrill of it. What I’ve learned in fighting or choreography or acting is that if you hold anything back, you’ll never be 100 per cent. Maybe, in some demented way, I enjoy the thrill when I put myself in harm’s way or when it’s risky. It’s like when I go skydiving or racing.”
Filming in China, “There are many nights I go back to my room all bruised and can’t even lift my arm. But you go home and you rest and then you fight another day – which I enjoy. I think I’m weird that way, lah.”
The biggest challenge might not actually be the physically demanding scenes, but having to deliver two-page monologues in ancient Chinese.
“It’s like Shakespearean Chinese,” Tay said, admitting that he had never studied the language before. “The stress level I would say is easily 50 or 100 times (higher). There are 50 or 100 people waiting for you to finish your lines so they can have lunch. And there’s a sense of stress everywhere because if you screw up, there are like 50 guys waiting to take your place.” What’s more, “I have OCD and I’m a perfectionist, so I expect the best from myself.”
https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/trending/tay-ping-hui-china-11869786
