Tay Ping Hui plays debt collector Thomas Teo on “The Hush” with a twist — he’s not the stereotypical Ah Beng.
“Normally we relate debt collectors to Ah Longs. But debt collectors nowadays are actually pretty professional. They don’t pour paint on your house or such activities. Thomas is not an Ah Long,” said Tay of his character.
In “The Hush,” Thomas’ background is that he didn’t finish his tertiary education, but still managed to make good in life.
“I can relate to that,” says Tay. “I come from a rather humble background, in that I didn’t have a car waiting for me when I was 18 nor did I live in a big house.”
Carmen Soo plays Tay’s onscreen wife Valerie, with Foo Fang Rong playing the eldest teenage daughter, and Arthur Eu taking on the role of young son Keith.
“Clara’s at a rebellious age, so there’s a natural curiosity to who she is. The youngest son, Keith, is taking is PSLE, and is just a really good boy,” said Tay of his fictional children.
“So on paper if you look at it, Thomas has got a really happy family.”
The beast within
But as with every character on “The Hush,” Thomas bears a dark secret behind that happy facade. His marriage is on the rocks, which is a situation he doesn’t deal with well. As described by series creator Lee Thean-jeen, Thomas is “very impulsive, flies off the handle easily, and goes into situations without thinking.”
“He has anger management issues,” agreed Tay. “He’s prone to snapping and his temper flaring. His wife is also depressed.”
“So I put myself in Thomas’ shoes. A person who’s working like that, who loves his wife, who’s not so good at communicating his feelings. How would he feel when he experiences certain situations? That anger has led to some form of violence, and threats of violence.”
“I don’t need to rationalise the situation as Thomas, because he is a very reactive character.”
But Tay is nothing like the character he plays.
“I’m extremely rational and objective. You can ask the people around me if I’ve lost my temper before, and it’ll be a resounding no. Thomas is nothing like me.”
“I’d rather convert that anger to strength and power.”
The demons without
To exacerbate matters, Carmen suffers from depression. As a mental illness, it still faces stigmatisation in Singapore.
“The issue of depression is not addressed in our country. Most of us do not know what depression is all about. Many will lose patience with depressed individuals after awhile, and can’t understand why they don’t just get over it. But this issue really needs patience and understanding,” Tay commented.
“Knowing depression helps me to put Thomas in a position where he doesn’t understand depression, or does he understand why Valerie behaves in the way that she does. It allows me to portray Thomas in his ignorance.”
Whether Thomas and Valerie manage to reconcile their differences in “The Hush” remains to be seen.
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