Jeanette Aw survives Sumatra squall to wrap filming on Little Nonya sequel: 'One for the memories'
Jan Lee
The Straits Times
Sept 20, 2024
Local actress Jeanette Aw is once again bidding goodbye to her most famous role.
The 45-year-old actress posted on Instagram on Sept 19 that she has wrapped filming on Mediacorp's upcoming blockbuster series Emerald Hill. It is a sequel to the 2008 hit The Little Nyonya, a period drama that traces the ups and downs of a Peranakan family.
Aw starred as the protagonist in The Little Nyonya and reprises her role as Yamamoto Yueniang in the sequel.
Aw posted several photos of herself in a kebaya holding a bouquet of flowers, as well as photos with members of the cast and crew of Emerald Hill, including actor Zhang Zetong, who plays her son in the sequel.
She wrote: "Returning to the role of Yamamoto Yueniang after 16 years has made me realise that she never actually left. So many experiences, memories and emotions are etched deep in my heart. Yueniang is a character I love deeply.
"Perhaps no one can understand how it is possible to love a character so much. I'll let audiences decide whether it was the right decision to bring her back on-screen. Yamamoto Yueniang wraps her scenes. The work is done, and I leave proudly."
Aw's final days with the production were not all sunny, as she encountered the sudden Sumatra squall that swept Singapore and the neighbouring regions on Sept 17, the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival. She had been filming in Johor with the Emerald Hill team.
The actress posted on Instagram about the crew getting hit by the storm while having a celebratory outdoor dinner, and called it "the most unforgettable Mid-Autumn on set". In the video, which was posted on Sept 17, crew members can be seen frantically setting up tents, while food and cutlery were being blown off the table.
Aw told Shin Min Daily News that several members of the drama's production team had prepared performances as part of the celebration, but the squall hit unexpectedly.
"All of us were holding onto the tents tightly because the wind was so strong. But it seemed the situation was worse in Singapore. I saw the news the following day and it looked like a lot of trees were uprooted," she said.
She added that no one was hurt and that the storm came and went quickly.
Emerald Hill is slated to air on Channel 8 in 2025. The story, like The Little Nyonya, will focus on the lives of those in a big Peranakan family, with Tasha Low set to play the protagonist. While Aw will be making an appearance, the story will not focus on Yueniang.
