BORN TO ENTERTAIN

YOU MIGHT RECOGNISE HER AS THE GENTLE AND LOVING MOTHER IN LEE CHONG WEI, THE BIOPIC OF THE BADMINTON LEGEND, OR THE VULNERABLE YET RESILIENT TEACHER IN WET SEASON, WHICH HIT THE CINEMAS IN MARCH. SOME OF US MAY HAVE SEEN YEO YANN YANN ON THE BIG SCREEN PLAYING VARIOUS CHARACTERS FOR MORE THAN A DECADE. STILL, SHE NEVER FAILS LEAVE HER AUDIENCE IN AWE OF HER ACTING PROWESS.

- LORRAINE CHAI

HER STORY

TOUCHING LIVES WITH EVERY TALE TOLD

I WOULD LOVE TO BREAK AWAY FROM THE CHARACTERS I’VE PLAYED, BUT IF THEY LINGER, I LET THEM BE. IT’S SOMETHING I FEEL ACTORS SHOULD ACCEPT – IT’S INEVITABLE, A CHARACTER YOU’VE PLAYED WILL SOMEHOW AFFECT YOUR LIFE.

When I ask Yann Yann what’s the most challenging part of her journey into becoming an actor, “Poverty, of course!” is her reply. Not an answer one would expect from an award-winning actor.

With much anticipation, I walk into a hotel room filled with people pacing up and down, preparing to shoot this issue’s cover. Amidst the bustle, Yann Yann and I seat ourselves by a window that overlooks the busy streets surrounding us, basking in the warmth of the morning lighting pouring in. “I’m not unlike the others who left their family home to eke out a living. Like many, I’ve been through times where I didn’t have any cash in hand and had instant noodles every day,” she says. Instead of an encounter with a movie star, the laid-back vibe she exudes puts me at ease and makes me feel as though I’m having a leisurely chat with my favourite friend over a cup of coffee.

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER