At a local movie premiere a few nights ago, an industry veteran who relocated here from China, pointed an artiste out in the crowd from across the cinema hall at the Capitol Theatre. “It is easy to over or underdress this evening. Her dressing is appropriate for the occasion,” he said. He was referring to Zoe Tay, fresh off winning Best Actress at the Stars Awards, 21 years after her first win.
I took a long hard look at her, almost rediscovering this acting icon. Have we, the entertainment industry and the public, perhaps taken this evergreen actress for granted? I also started thinking – how has she stayed on top through the years? Is she still relevant? Hers is probably the career that most closely mirrors the ever-evolving local media and entertainment scene in the last three decades. Suddenly I wanted to know more.
I made arrangements to meet her. We worked together many years ago, and have not met for a while. When she turned up, she was immediately disarming. We started talking like old friends. The years have been more than kind to her, she looks almost the same, and during our nearly three hours chat, I noticed her English has improved by leaps.
Zoe is quite an unusual name in the 1990s. But this girl from the pig farms of Lim Chu Kang would make it a household name. Now, this country owns the name – Zoe Tay.
