Joyce Chu Takes on First Leading Role in Malaysian Chinese Drama, Gets "Scolded" Nonstop by Daniel Fong and Thomas Kok

Joyce Chu takes on her first role as the leading actress in a Malaysian Chinese TV drama, Astro Originals' newest dark romantic comedy "One Heart, One Billion", where she challenges herself with a character vastly different from her real-life persona. She plays a glamorous, much-admired star who gradually loses herself in the whirlpool of fame and fortune. Talking about the filming process, she couldn't help but complain: “Throughout the whole show, I kept getting scolded by Daniel Fong and Thomas Kok. It felt like I was being sprayed in the face with their saliva every single day!”

The press conference for "One Heart, One Billion" was held on Tuesday (the 23rd), with main cast members Daniel Fong (Daniel), Joyce Chu (Joyce), Thomas Kok (Thomas), Kim Tang (Kim), Joe Chang (Joe), Daryl Chan (Daryl), Xair Peng (Xair), Jack Ng (Jack), Olio Chan (Olio), and Judy Fu (Judy) all in attendance, sharing filming stories with the media.

Joyce Chu revealed that her character, a celebrity, is full of idol burdens and skilled at pretending, forming a stark contrast with her usual sunny and approachable image. She joked: “The celebrity in the show is really fake, really pretentious, super vain—but honestly, I didn’t even have to act, because this is just our daily life as artists.” Her self-deprecating humor immediately sparked laughter in the audience.

In recent years, she has mostly worked abroad, and she admitted that returning to Malaysia to act was particularly meaningful. “Being in a familiar environment, speaking my native language, and collaborating with a group of really in-sync actors, I felt especially happy.” The cheerful atmosphere on set even led director Chen Liqiang to tease: “It’s like I’m filming with a group of lunatics!”

Daniel Fong, also taking on his first leading role in a Chinese drama, plays a mortuary makeup artist living on the edge of life and death. To make his character more distinct, he purposely gave him a “sharp tongue”, with many of the insulting lines personally revised and designed by himself. He disclosed that there was one scene where he had to say extremely venomous things to an older actor, and after the shoot, he felt so bad that he went out of his way to apologize.

Mentioning his first collaboration with Joyce Chu, Daniel Fong laughed and said the most memorable part was their kissing scene. During filming, he was running a high fever, while Joyce Chu had a sore throat. Both pushed through with the intimate scene while sick, and it seemed like there was cross-infection: after the scene, both of them “caught it”. On top of the hot weather and feeling unwell, he struggled to get into the right mood, resulting in multiple retakes for the kissing scene.

Since many scenes were filmed in a funeral home, Daniel Fong was advised by his family to take “protective measures”: he went to work every day with gold jewelry and pomelo leaves, and had to perform a series of rituals before entering his home after work. When asked if he shared these tips with the other cast members, he replied: “There's only enough for myself!”

On another front, Thomas Kok, who plays Joyce Chu’s manager, experienced his first ever on-screen kiss in 18 years, with Kim Tang as his partner. He joked that he finally gave away his on-screen first kiss, but was immediately exposed by Kim Tang: “He had no self-control during the kiss—it was so rough my lips almost got chafed!” Confronted with the complaint, Thomas Kok hurriedly explained that when he saw her put her hand on his shoulder, he misunderstood and thought the director wanted a more intense emotional expression, so a misunderstanding led to the comical situation.

Aside from the cast’s amusing stories, scriptwriter Chee Kang Chan also shared about the creative process. He revealed that "One Heart, One Billion" was actually completed five years ago, and the story draws heavily from his own real-life experiences and those of people around him. Because it involves topics like life and death, as well as personal trauma, he admitted to falling into depression during creation: “Joe Chang said he cried for five days filming this show, but I cried for five years for the story.” He also confessed that he always felt unable to visit the set because he couldn’t detach from the story’s emotions; it wasn’t until the cast wrap party that he appeared for the first time, and the crew, seeing that he was still immersed in the world of the story, started to worry about his wellbeing.

The 10-episode series "One Heart, One Billion" uses black humor to explore real societal issues, revolving around the boundary between lies and truth. It delves deeply into topics like cyberbullying, the pressure of public opinion, and human desires. The series will air starting June 28, every Sunday at 9:30pm on Astro AEC, Astro GO, On Demand, and sooka, all broadcast simultaneously.