After Cash On Delivery, a drama about food delivery riders in the midst of the pandemic, started airing, there were viewers who thought actress Jernelle Oh really had cerebral palsy.
The Star Search 2019 finalist played a spunky delivery rider who got around using a wheelchair, eager for a life of independence.
“I was talking to my friend, and he told me his colleague who watched Cash On Delivery said, ‘Oh, Mediacorp got a lady who really has cerebral palsy to act in a show’,” she recounted.
While she’s thankful for the compliment, she also downplayed it, saying she thinks it’s due to the fact that they “probably hadn’t seen me on screen before”.
Be that as it may, Jernelle's performance has earned her her first ever Best Actress nomination at the upcoming Star Awards, where she's also in the running for a Top 3 Most Popular Rising Stars trophy.
Jernelle has had roles in several dramas since her Star Search debut, but you could definitely consider her a newbie compared to fellow Star Awards 2024 Best Actress nominees Kym Ng, Rui En and Joanne Peh; and even Chantalle Ng, who’s been up for the award before.
“I’m very honoured because every year, I watch the Star Awards and I see them nominated,” Jernelle said. “Being nominated alongside them is an honour. I’ll be looking forward to the day.”
As for what she thinks her chances of winning are, “If it happens, it happens. It all depends on many factors – not only luck, but also the judges”, she demurred.
(Photo: Cash On Delivery)
That said, she has reason to have at least some measure of confidence: Her work in Cash On Delivery has already won her the Singapore trophy for Best Actress at the Asian Academy Creative Awards, which took place in September last year.
The Star Awards presents another tough fight against veteran award-winners, but, hey, let’s not forget it was just last year that newbie Richie Koh beat his more established peers to a Best Actor trophy for playing a character with a disability.
CO-ACTORS HELPED MASSAGE HER STIFF FINGERS
Jernelle Oh with co-actors Cavin Soh and Richie Koh in Cash On Delivery (Photo: Cash On Delivery)
Jernelle’s performance is certainly no less earnest. To prepare for the role, which was written based on a real-life delivery rider with cerebral palsy, Roszana Ali, Jernelle watched videos of what life with cerebral palsy was like, read books about the condition and spent many hours in her room with the door closed, practising movements and speech patterns. She also visited Roszana, who made a cameo appearance in the show, at her home.
Working on the character before filming commenced, “I recorded myself to see on video whether or not it was what the producer wanted”, she recalled.
While the character was “bubbly, lively and positive”, playing the role posed multiple physical challenges, from getting her speech patterns and the positioning of her hands right, to mastering the art of manoeuvring her way around in a motorised wheelchair.
“Getting into character was hard,” she recalled. “If I hadn’t done warmups for my tongue, my lines may not have been as realistic.”
And, “I developed very stiff muscles in my hands because I had to stay in position for a very long time. At the end of the day, my hands and fingers would be in pain. Sometimes, my co-actors helped me massage my hands.”
(Photo: Cash On Delivery)
The most challenging part was that “I had to be in a motorised wheelchair, and the wheelchair was very bulky”, she said. “Before filming started, I tried it out around the Mediacorp office to get used to it, and I tried to go to the restroom myself, without anybody’s help. It was not easy.”
What’s more, “When we were out filming, sometimes, I had to travel around in the wheelchair. I realised there are a lot of humps, slopes, curbs and things like that on the streets. That made me feel that (our environment) can be friendlier for people in wheelchairs.”
At the same time, she experienced the kindness of strangers. “Once, we were filming at Boon Lay MRT station, and it was very crowded. I was sitting in the chair at the side of the road, and I wanted to move away because I felt like I was hogging the road. People told me, “It’s okay” and started walking around me. It was very heartwarming to see that people are very nice.”
MIXED REVIEWS?
(Photo: Cash On Delivery)
Feedback for her performance has been positive, with encouraging comments from industry veterans like Chen Hanwei, Ann Kok and Paige Chua, Jernelle shared.
Her mum and dad, on the other hand, like typical Asian parents, gave her the highest possible Singaporean compliment: They said her acting was “not bad”.
Her extended family was a little more enthusiastic. “My grandmother was very interested – she asked, ‘How did you make your hands like that?’ and wanted me to show her in real life,” Jernelle chuckled.
When news of her nomination broke, she celebrated by going for Thai food with her fiance. The couple got engaged in November last year and are waiting for their BTO flat.
“We watched a few episodes together. He thinks it’s not bad,” she said, with a giggle. “We watched a few episodes together and analysed them scene by scene.”
She added, wryly, that he and her parents “are my harshest critics. But, I like it, because that’s how I improve”.
In her upcoming drama projects, viewers will get to see a different side of the actress (although whether she can top her “not bad” performance is anybody’s guess).
At the moment, she’s filming for the drama Undesirable Crimes alongside Jesseca Liu and Hong Ling, in which she plays an “irritating” reporter “people will hate once they see”.
She’s also been cast in the upcoming Little Nyonya spin-off Emerald Hill.
And, viewers can catch her on TV in the next couple of months when the drama Love On A Shoestring, a Singapore-Taiwan co-production, airs.
From now until May, she’s also doing a series of guests stints on the Mandarin radio channel Capital 985, on Mondays from 12pm to 2pm.
Of course, she’ll also be busy preparing for the Star Awards by “getting enough sleep and eating well to make sure I look okay on that day”.
“I’m still thinking about how I should react when they zoom in for the close-up” just before they announce the Best Actress, she quipped.
No matter the outcome, “I think I will remember this role for the rest of my entire acting career.”
Catch the Star Awards 2024 Live Show on Apr 21 at 7pm (Walk Of Fame at 5pm and Backstage LIVE starting 3.30pm online) on Channel 8, Channel U, mewatch and Mediacorp Entertainment’s YouTube Channel.
For more information and the full list of nominees, visit mediacorp.sg/StarAwards
Continue reading...
The Star Search 2019 finalist played a spunky delivery rider who got around using a wheelchair, eager for a life of independence.
“I was talking to my friend, and he told me his colleague who watched Cash On Delivery said, ‘Oh, Mediacorp got a lady who really has cerebral palsy to act in a show’,” she recounted.
While she’s thankful for the compliment, she also downplayed it, saying she thinks it’s due to the fact that they “probably hadn’t seen me on screen before”.
Be that as it may, Jernelle's performance has earned her her first ever Best Actress nomination at the upcoming Star Awards, where she's also in the running for a Top 3 Most Popular Rising Stars trophy.
Jernelle has had roles in several dramas since her Star Search debut, but you could definitely consider her a newbie compared to fellow Star Awards 2024 Best Actress nominees Kym Ng, Rui En and Joanne Peh; and even Chantalle Ng, who’s been up for the award before.
“I’m very honoured because every year, I watch the Star Awards and I see them nominated,” Jernelle said. “Being nominated alongside them is an honour. I’ll be looking forward to the day.”
As for what she thinks her chances of winning are, “If it happens, it happens. It all depends on many factors – not only luck, but also the judges”, she demurred.
(Photo: Cash On Delivery)
That said, she has reason to have at least some measure of confidence: Her work in Cash On Delivery has already won her the Singapore trophy for Best Actress at the Asian Academy Creative Awards, which took place in September last year.
The Star Awards presents another tough fight against veteran award-winners, but, hey, let’s not forget it was just last year that newbie Richie Koh beat his more established peers to a Best Actor trophy for playing a character with a disability.
CO-ACTORS HELPED MASSAGE HER STIFF FINGERS
Jernelle Oh with co-actors Cavin Soh and Richie Koh in Cash On Delivery (Photo: Cash On Delivery)
Jernelle’s performance is certainly no less earnest. To prepare for the role, which was written based on a real-life delivery rider with cerebral palsy, Roszana Ali, Jernelle watched videos of what life with cerebral palsy was like, read books about the condition and spent many hours in her room with the door closed, practising movements and speech patterns. She also visited Roszana, who made a cameo appearance in the show, at her home.
Working on the character before filming commenced, “I recorded myself to see on video whether or not it was what the producer wanted”, she recalled.
While the character was “bubbly, lively and positive”, playing the role posed multiple physical challenges, from getting her speech patterns and the positioning of her hands right, to mastering the art of manoeuvring her way around in a motorised wheelchair.
“Getting into character was hard,” she recalled. “If I hadn’t done warmups for my tongue, my lines may not have been as realistic.”
And, “I developed very stiff muscles in my hands because I had to stay in position for a very long time. At the end of the day, my hands and fingers would be in pain. Sometimes, my co-actors helped me massage my hands.”
(Photo: Cash On Delivery)
The most challenging part was that “I had to be in a motorised wheelchair, and the wheelchair was very bulky”, she said. “Before filming started, I tried it out around the Mediacorp office to get used to it, and I tried to go to the restroom myself, without anybody’s help. It was not easy.”
What’s more, “When we were out filming, sometimes, I had to travel around in the wheelchair. I realised there are a lot of humps, slopes, curbs and things like that on the streets. That made me feel that (our environment) can be friendlier for people in wheelchairs.”
At the same time, she experienced the kindness of strangers. “Once, we were filming at Boon Lay MRT station, and it was very crowded. I was sitting in the chair at the side of the road, and I wanted to move away because I felt like I was hogging the road. People told me, “It’s okay” and started walking around me. It was very heartwarming to see that people are very nice.”
MIXED REVIEWS?
(Photo: Cash On Delivery)
Feedback for her performance has been positive, with encouraging comments from industry veterans like Chen Hanwei, Ann Kok and Paige Chua, Jernelle shared.
Her mum and dad, on the other hand, like typical Asian parents, gave her the highest possible Singaporean compliment: They said her acting was “not bad”.
Her extended family was a little more enthusiastic. “My grandmother was very interested – she asked, ‘How did you make your hands like that?’ and wanted me to show her in real life,” Jernelle chuckled.
When news of her nomination broke, she celebrated by going for Thai food with her fiance. The couple got engaged in November last year and are waiting for their BTO flat.
“We watched a few episodes together. He thinks it’s not bad,” she said, with a giggle. “We watched a few episodes together and analysed them scene by scene.”
She added, wryly, that he and her parents “are my harshest critics. But, I like it, because that’s how I improve”.
In her upcoming drama projects, viewers will get to see a different side of the actress (although whether she can top her “not bad” performance is anybody’s guess).
At the moment, she’s filming for the drama Undesirable Crimes alongside Jesseca Liu and Hong Ling, in which she plays an “irritating” reporter “people will hate once they see”.
She’s also been cast in the upcoming Little Nyonya spin-off Emerald Hill.
And, viewers can catch her on TV in the next couple of months when the drama Love On A Shoestring, a Singapore-Taiwan co-production, airs.
From now until May, she’s also doing a series of guests stints on the Mandarin radio channel Capital 985, on Mondays from 12pm to 2pm.
Of course, she’ll also be busy preparing for the Star Awards by “getting enough sleep and eating well to make sure I look okay on that day”.
“I’m still thinking about how I should react when they zoom in for the close-up” just before they announce the Best Actress, she quipped.
No matter the outcome, “I think I will remember this role for the rest of my entire acting career.”
Catch the Star Awards 2024 Live Show on Apr 21 at 7pm (Walk Of Fame at 5pm and Backstage LIVE starting 3.30pm online) on Channel 8, Channel U, mewatch and Mediacorp Entertainment’s YouTube Channel.
For more information and the full list of nominees, visit mediacorp.sg/StarAwards
Continue reading...