Dennis Chew’s female bodysuit is the talk of the town in the new Jack Neo movie, “Take 2.” The comedy is about a group of ex-convicts who re-integrate into society.
The veteran actor plays six different roles in the film, and one of them is as the lady boss of a tuition centre. A specially made bodysuit was built for the 43-year-actor to play this part.
But Chew is no stranger to cross-dressing. He’s also known for playing Aunty Lucy in the Channel 8 variety show “Paris and Milan.”
“I used to play a woman too,” laughed 57-year-old Neo in Mandarin about the challenges of playing a cross-dressing character on “Take 2.”
Executive producer Jack Neo has also been in a dress in his roles as Liang Po Po and Liang Xi Mei on the Channel 8 comedy sketch show, “Comedy Night.”
As executive producer, Neo has handed over the directing reins to newcomer Ivan Ho, 49, since Neo has a son who’s taking the PSLE this year.
“Why wait until 2021?” said Neo of the impending PSLE 2021 changes. “They should have changed it this year. Then it would have helped my son,” he quipped.
The topic of education is particularly pertinent to Neo because “Take 2” involves an ex-convict who seeks re-employment as a tuition teacher, played by “Ah Boys to Men” star Maxi Lim.
Lim, who’s 29, plays the new hire of Chew’s tuition centre owner character.
“I used to teach film at some schools, so I have some experience with teaching,” said Lim in Mandarin.
But how about taking tuition classes when he was young?
“When I was young I used to have Maths tuition. But I only took E Maths (Elementary Mathematics) in school, and for this role I had to learn how to do A Maths (Additional Mathematics). It was only then that I realised how difficult A Maths is! I had to really show the formulas when I played this role.”
Neo joked that “you’re Maths C (a homonym of Maxi) leh,” in response.
“Take 2” will be out in cinemas during the Chinese New Year period of 2017.
“These are F cups,” said Dennis Chew in Mandarin to a disbelieving female crowd. “If F cups are already this size, then G cups would surely cover my face.”
“We didn’t ask for it to be this large,” added Jack Neo as a disclaimer. “But this was the only size left.”
“I was in another costume and I heard the audience murmuring to themselves, ‘Oh that’s Pan Ling Ling acting,'” commented Dennis Chew on how similar he looks to the actress. “But Pan Ling Ling is really beautiful.”
The bodysuit had to be custom made and ordered from overseas. “But we forgot to tell them how tall the wearer would be,” explained Jack Neo. “It would be proportionate for ladies from other countries, as they’re very tall.” The bodysuit costs a few thousand dollars.
It takes 1 hour and 10 minutes to finish the costume and makeup for Dennis Chew. “But it doesn’t feel heavy at all.”
“I have always believed it is very difficult to play a woman, and even more so a beautiful woman,” admitted Dennis Chew. But sometimes I’ll forget [I’m playing a woman] and when I feel a cool breeze between my legs, I’ll quickly close my legs.”
“I told the director that once I put on the bodysuit, I won’t go to the toilet,” he said. He added that the bodysuit included a prosthetic bum.
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