Megan Zheng (also known as Megan Tay, ) is a

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

an actress who starred in the Singaporean movies: '' Homerun'' and '' One More Chance''. For her role in ''Homerun'', Zheng, then 10 years old, became the first Singaporean to win a Golden Horse Award, sharing her Best New Performer award with

Wang Baoqiang Wang Baoqiang (; born 29 May 1984) is a Chinese martial artist, actor and director. Wang first received recognition in the film '' Blind Shaft'' (2003), for which he shared the Best New Performer prize at the Golden Horse Awards. He went on to ...

Acting career

When Zheng was five, she accompanied her elder sister (who had a part in a

documentary A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

) to a TV station. Upon realising that the producer wanted her to play a part, a terrified Zheng hid behind a sofa."Marvellous Megan: 10-year-old shows S'poreans can win international awards",

Channel NewsAsia CNA (an initialism of Channel NewsAsia) is a Singapore-based multinational news channel owned by Mediacorp, the country's state-owned media conglomerate. The network is broadcast in Singapore on free-to-air terrestrial television and Mediacorp ...

, 15 December 2003

Jack Neo Jack Neo Chee Keong (born 24 January 1960) is a Singaporean filmmaker, comedian and actor who was a full-time Mediacorp artiste from 1983 to 2003. He established a unique presence with his genuine and relatable stories that highlight societa ...

, who wrote and

directed Direct may refer to: Mathematics * Directed set, in order theory * Direct limit of (pre), sheaves * Direct sum of modules, a construction in abstract algebra which combines several vector spaces Computing * Direct access (disambiguation), a ...

''Homerun'', placed a newspaper advertisement about

audition An audition is a sample performance by an actor, singer, musician, dancer or other performer. It typically involves the performer displaying their talent through a previously memorized and rehearsed solo piece or by performing a work or piece gi ...

s for a role in the movie, stating that he was looking for a "girl about nine, who is dark, skinny, and can cry and act". After seeing the advertisement, Zheng's father joked that she fitted the bill, prompting the girl to call Neo's J Team Productions and arrange an audition. Just before the audition ended, Zheng reminded Neo that he had yet to see her cry and she then proceeded to demonstrate her ability to do so. This anecdote, coupled with Neo's belief that Zheng could take direction and "her eyes could communicate", convinced Neo to select Zheng over 1006 other children."I just want to sleep",

The Straits Times ''The Straits Times'' (also known informally by its abbreviation ''ST'') is a Singaporean daily English-language newspaper owned by the SPH Media Trust. Established on 15 July 1845, it is the most-widely circulated newspaper in the country and ...

, 16 December 2003 During the school holidays, Zheng and the rest of the ''Homerun'' cast flew to

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

for on-location shoot. Although Zheng was usually able to cry on cue, the cast and crew once had to wait 20 minutes for her to begin. Seeing Zheng crying uncontrollably while shooting a particularly emotional scene, an impressed Xiang Yun commented "Wah, this little kid is very absorbed in her role". In an interview shortly after Zheng won the award, her mother indicated a desire to see her act again because "this is her interest".Foong Woei Wan, "Megan scores Homerun",

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...

, 14 December 2003 Neo intended to cast Zheng in his next film, '' The Best Bet'', but his plans never materialised. Instead, Zheng was given the role of Zeng Xiaowei in '' One More Chance''. She is scheduled to star in ''My Family, My Heart''.

Awards

For her role in ''Homerun'', Zheng was one of four considered for the Best New Performer Award at the 40th Golden Horse Awards. One of the other nominees, Ariel Lin, was subsequently disqualified after it was revealed that she had previously made an unreleased movie. ''Homerun'' was also nominated for Best Theme Song. At the awards ceremony, Zheng and

(of '' Blind Shaft'') were named co-winners of the Best New Performer award, making her the first Singaporean to win a Golden Horse Award."'Homerun' wins first-ever Golden Horse award for Singapore",

, 13 December 2003 Raintree Pictures' CEO

Daniel Yun Daniel Yun () is a Singaporean veteran film producer. He joined Singapore Broadcasting Corporation Radio as vice-president of Radio Sales in 1991 and became head of Programming in 1992. He was the head of Marketing Communications, and Programming ...

commented that Zheng's achievement "puts Singapore film-making on the Asian map", while Dr Wong Lung Hsiang, secretary of the Singapore Film Society, described it as "a landmark for the Singapore film industry".

Personal life

Zheng studied at Jurong Primary School and Fairfield Methodist Secondary School.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zheng, Megan Singaporean film actresses 1993 births Living people Singaporean people of Chinese descent 21st-century Singaporean actresses