Producer-director of “Young & Fabulous (最佳伙扮)” Joyce Lee set out to help people understand cosplay better.
Cosplay is a portmanteau of the words “costume play,” where participants wear costumes in the likeness of a particular character. In Singapore’s context, cosplay is often used in relation to Asian pop culture characters (such as Naruto, a manga about an aspiring ninja). Cosplay conventions are held every few months in Singapore, with Cosfest, CharaExpo, Anime Festival Asia, and Singapore Toys, Games, and Comics Convention being some of the larger names that host these events.
“Many of us think that cosplayers are weirdos. We wonder what on earth they’re doing when see them,” said Lee in Mandarin at the “Young & Fabulous (最佳伙扮)” press conference on 24 May.
“But if you examine it carefully, it’s a pretty normal and respectable hobby.”
“Young & Fabulous (最佳伙扮)” is a movie about a trio of teenagers who aspire to be cosplayers in conformist Singapore. It stars Aloysius Pang, Joshua Tan, Joyce Chu, Gurmit Singh, Quan Yi Fong, and Henry Thia. It is co-directed by Michael Woo and Joyce Lee.
Challenges in the cosplay community
Lee faced resistance in garnering the support of the local cosplay community after the “Young & Fabulous (最佳伙扮)” team held a press conference to announce that principal photography had started in April last year.
“When the news first came out [that we were shooting a film about cosplay], the cosplay community voiced their concerns online. They were worried that cosplay might be misrepresented, especially since [the cosplay community] wasn’t consulted beforehand,” said Lee.
“I was quite upset when I heard that because I wanted to change audience perception of cosplay. So I hope that the cosplay community will be supportive and understand that we’re trying to give an accurate portrayal of their hobby.”
Inspiration for “Young & Fabulous (最佳伙扮)”
The premise of the film was born out of a desire to create a film by Singaporeans, for Singaporeans.
“We interviewed some teenagers in a focus group as part of the brainstorming process for our film,” Lee shared. “But when we asked them what sort of local films they would like to watch, they said they didn’t watch local films, and preferred Hollywood fare.”
“I felt this was very unjust. So I thought I should make a local Singaporean film for local Singaporean teenagers to watch, otherwise in 10 years’ time nobody will watch Singaporean films.”
This led to the youth-focused subject of cosplay for “Young & Fabulous (最佳伙扮).”
Chemistry and awkwardness between the three young leads
The three young stars of the film, Aloysius Pang, Joshua Tan, and Joyce Chu, shared good chemistry while working together on the “Young & Fabulous (最佳伙扮).” The two young men are 26, while Chu is 19 this year.
“Our personalities are quite compatible. Aloysius is quite shy while Joshua is quite loud,” said Chu in Mandarin. Tan also agreed that they had good chemistry during the shoot, as they still tried to keep in touch with Malaysia-based Chu in Kuala Lumpur.
Thanks to their good chemistry, an affectionate scene between Pang and Chu wasn’t as awkward as it could have been.
In the film, Pang and Chu’s characters accidentally find themselves in a romantic situation, while Tan’s character is oblivious to what’s happening.
“We’re both quite liberal, and it’s for work after all,” said Pang. But he admitted that “when we were on the bed, my heart really did race. Maybe because it’s been a while since I’ve been so close to a girl.”
Chu also agreed. “It was a little nervous for me because it’s my first time doing a film, and also because my parents were on set watching as well!”
“It was the worst for me, because I’m like a lamp post in the scene!” laughed Tan. “But there were a lot of ‘feels’ in the scene.”
Lee had to chime in with a disclaimer though. “The scene isn’t what you think by the way! I’d like to emphasise that the film is rated PG.”
The three actors play the teenage protagonists in the film. Pang plays the shy, studious student Royston who meets the boisterous and opportunistic Haoren (played by Tan), all while falling in love with the Violet the school belle, played by Chu.
“Young & Fabulous (最佳伙扮)” opens in cinemas 26 May, 2016.
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