Counselling & Rain Fights: Emerald Hill Cast Spill on Favourite Scenes & BTS Moments

It's been 17 years since The Little Nyonya became a blockbuster, and the latest show that's been making waves on local TV is its spin-off, Emerald Hill. The series follows the new 'Little Nyonya', Zhang Xin Niang played by Tasha Low, alongside a star-studded line-up including Chantalle Ng, Zoe Tay, Jesseca Liu, Zhang Ze Tong, Romeo Tan, Tyler Ten, Dawn Yeoh, Chen Liping and Shaun Chen, among others.

Appearing at the Armenian Street Party: Peranakan Stars on Mar 15, cast members Chantalle, Tyler, Jesseca, and Dawn, as well as Zhu Zeliang who hosted the segment, took to the stage to share fun anecdotes and more behind-the-scenes tidbits.

Chantalle's first villain role

Taking on the role of the vindictive Zhang An Na (17 years after her mother Lin Meijiao played the iconic antagonist Lin Guihua), it's Chantalle's first time portraying a villain, but it sure hasn't been easy stepping into the role.

"It's my first time acting as a villain and it's very refreshing. But it's also one of the biggest challenges I've in my career," she admitted. "I realised that I can't hold on to a character for that long. And because our production period was more than six months, it started to feel very heavy. And I decided that I had to let it go in other ways. When it's not 'action', I have to be someone else. If not, I think I would be drowning in that character."

The emotional strain even led her to seek counselling from the show’s executive producer, Loh Woon Woon — major kudos to her for pushing through.

As for her favourite scene? The tok panjang (traditional Peranakan feast) scenes, of course, because she got to enjoy all the delicious food. The actress also let on that she picked up a few dishes from Peranakan celebrity chef Philip Chia and the show’s food consultant, including the iconic ayam buah keluak.

Tyler fights seven guys at one time — in the rain

For Tyler Ten, 28, who plays street gangster Bai A-Li, it was the action-packed fight scenes that left the biggest impression. He recalled, "I had to fight under the rain. We filmed this for over two nights in Malaysia and I had to fight seven people at once. It was fun because it was my first time fighting while drenched, and we were soaked for both nights. It was cold but the production crew was very considerate and made us ginger tea."

The actor also tackled another first: wire work. "It was also my first time getting rigged on wires. I'm quite heavy so it hurt a little bit, but it's also fun because I got to experience the adrenaline of being lifted."

Tyler, who has shared clips of his Muay Thai training on social media, also shared another dream, “I started martial arts because I watched action movies. Hopefully, one day I’ll get to be involved in an action film.”

Expect complicated love triangles

"We get into a complicated triangle with Ze Tong's role (as Huang Zuye) and Xin Niang's role played by Tasha," Chantalle said. "But actually, in secret, I'm in love with Bai A-Li," she joked. "It's a different triangle" Tyler quipped. "Oh yes, I created a triangle of my own because I realised Tyler is such a cute sweetheart', she said with a laugh.

“It’s a pity we didn’t have a single scene together,” she let on, while Tyler chimed in, “Most of my scenes were with Tasha and Ze Tong, because of our (characters') love triangle.”

“I’d love to be Ze Tong,” he joked. “He’s surrounded by so many girls — he’s overlapping all the triangles! Everyone’s fighting over him, instead of Xin Niang.”

The costumes are a nod to the characters' personalities

Food and set aside, central to this world are the costumes worn by the characters, especially the sarong kebayas. Each was created by Raymond Wong, a master kebaya maker from Rumah Kim Choo, and a Steward of Intangible Cultural Heritage, together with Mediacorp’s senior image stylist, Tee Yu Yan. Every design is tailored to match the personality of each “Little Nyonya”, all while paying homage to the rich traditions of Peranakan culture.

The costumes are on display in the Performing Identity showcase at the Peranakan Museum’s Fashion Gallery, a section dedicated to the role of costume in Peranakan theatre and television. And if you look closely, you’ll notice the hidden Easter eggs woven into every design:

Zhang Xin Niang (Tasha Low)

Designer Raymond Wong crafted 10 kebayas for Tasha Low's Zhang Xin Niang, weaving wild daisies into the designs to symbolise both her orphaned past as well as her innocence and optimism.

(Zhang An Na) Chantalle Ng

To reflect the duality of Zhang An Na, Wong embroidered rabbit motifs on her costume, descending into a rabbit hole — a subtle nod to Alice in Wonderland. Rabbits also embody conflicting traits in Chinese mythology: the Moon Rabbit is docile, while the Jade Rabbit can have deceptive characteristics.

Zhou Hong Yu (Ferlyn G)

Wong drew inspiration from the opening lines of the Song dynasty poem "Breaking Through The Ranks," which describes the changing seasons — swallows returning with the start of spring and pear blossoms falling after Qingming ends. The swallow motifs on the kebaya subtly hint at a later scene, where the character’s mother embroiders the same design onto a kebaya.

Yue Niang (Jeanette Aw)

Reprising her role as Yue Niang, Jeanette Aw's kebaya features motifs that reference the character's past and present. The figures symbolise her bond with Ah Tao, a loyal servant from The Little Nyonya, while the pineapples represent her new life as the owner of a pineapple plantation.

Emerald Hill is now on Netflix, Mewatch and Channel 8.