Last Madame: Sisters of the Night is the prequel to the 2019 award-winning series Last Madame. Set in the 1920s, the series stars Fang Rong as Qing Ling (also known as the young Fung Lan, the titular character played by Joanne Peh) and Gini Chang as Nozomi (who eventually becomes Ah Yoke).
Sisters of the Night, which is produced by Ochre Pictures and currently streaming on meWATCH and Mediacorp’s YouTube drama channel, follows the two young women from different backgrounds as they overcome shared tragedy and rise above their dire circumstances to take charge of their lives.
SG Magazine sat down with the two lead actresses during the production to find out how they tackle their characters in a story of sisterhood, survival and espionage, including the challenges of doing nude scenes.
Tell us about the characters you play in Sisters of the Night.
Fang Rong: I play the younger version of Fung Lan, also known as Qing Ling from Last Madame, so this story explains how she actually became the last madame of Singapore. She’s a very wealthy well-to-do girl, a very idealistic and progressive character, way ahead of her time and very strong willed.
Gini: My character is Nozomi, which means “hope”. She is a servant girl and was sent to Singapore from Japan. She didn’t expect that she would turn into a prostitute.
Do you feel any pressure to live up to Joanne Peh’s role in Last Madame?
Fang Rong: I don’t feel pressured. I actually feel very honoured. Fun fact, I acted with Joanne Peh when I was very young, when I was around nine. It’s like a full circle moment that I get to now fully embody the younger version of her. I just feel grateful to have this opportunity to take on a role that has been so well-loved.
How did you prepare for your roles?
Fang Rong: I rewatched Last Madame a few times! And there were a few things like learning the accent which [the producers] wanted Qing Ling to have, like a colloquial English accent, very British but localised. That took me a while to get adjusted to. It helped that the producers and director gave me some references like interviews of Lee Kuan Yew, and how he spoke.
Gini: I watched Last Madame of course. But I also tried to learn some Japanese phrases to spice up this character. I also went for Japanese etiquette class, to learn how to walk, sit and pour the tea or sake properly. I did some research; I watched documentaries and movies about karayuki–san (women who went overseas to work in prostitution), and read a lot of articles to learn about this era, and how people live in this particular period of time.
What do you like about your characters?
Fang Rong: I like [Qing Ling’s] confidence. I like that she always knows her worth and how much power she has. She’s actually a very capable young lady, and that’s something that I really admire. One common theme that we realised during the script reading was that our characters are both very resilient. We go through a lot of ups and downs, but in the end, we will rise.
Gini: [Nozomi] is able to overcome a lot of difficulties, that’s one part of it. But the other part is that I kind of get into different phases. This is challenging because maybe in the morning, I’m Nozomi, but in the afternoon I’m Ah Yoke. So there’s two different mindsets. It’s the same person, but two different characters.
What’s the biggest challenge when taking on this role, especially with the depiction of physical and sexual violence?
Fang Rong: Our characters are supposed to be around 14 and 16 years old. That’s like more than a decade where we have to “reverse and go back in time”. So for me, the challenge was to make her character convincing in a manner that is not overdone.
Regarding the sexual and physical intimacy, I’m actually filming that scene tomorrow. But I’ve had experience doing intimate scenes with Ochre Pictures and it has always been a very safe environment. Usually it’s a closed set, so it will only be like the director, assistant director, maybe wardrobe, makeup and sound persons. And to their best ability, everyone will be female. This is the “most” that I’ll be doing, for the first time ever. It’s quite exciting.
Gini: It’s a breakthrough for me so I don’t see it as a challenge. Of course, I needed some mental preparation. But that’s about it. I think, okay, tomorrow, you need to do sex scenes so just drink some coffee!
The challenging part is that my co-actor and I didn’t know each other before this drama, so trying to build a chemistry to that level was quite fun. We talked a lot, and then we tried to know more about each other – but not physically! We did a lot of rehearsals before shooting the scenes, so we had an understanding of the movements and how intimate we had to be.
Share one thing that you’ve learned or something that surprised you about this period production.
Fang Rong: In the 1920s, electricity only ran in government buildings or maybe public areas like town halls and stuff. So in our houses, we did not have any electricity, which meant all our night scenes had to have candles.
Gini: I didn’t know about this part of Singapore’s history, let alone the prostitution. I don’t think it is taught in textbooks. I was also surprised and impressed by the set itself because it’s so real. Even my co-actor, who is Japanese, says it brings him back to Japan as it reminds him of his grandparents’ house.
What message do you want the audience to take away from watching the show?
Fang Rong: Through all the trials and tribulations, if you are clear on what your intention is, and you are resilient and courageous, you will eventually rise. I’m reminded of one of our last scenes, where it’s just us watching the sunrise. It was a very visual reminder of all the ups and downs that we went through in the whole show.
Gini: I feel that when people are at rock bottom in life, they will either give up on themselves and wallow in sorrow, or are able to break through and see beyond [the problems]. These are lessons in life to make you a stronger person. So it’s down to the individual’s mentality, either you can blame the whole world or change the way you think and how you deal with the issue.
With regards to the two main characters, no matter how many lemons or stones life throws at them, they grit their teeth, survive and build something for themselves. I believe that everyone has strength within themselves, and that strength will tell you that you can do it. But of course, if you need help, do seek help. Most importantly, once you cross the hurdle, you will see the silver lining behind the clouds, the sunshine after the rain.
Watch Last Madame: Sisters of the Night on meWATCH and Mediacorp’s YouTube drama channel now.
For an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the set, read our interview with CEO of Ochre Pictures and executive producer Jean Yeo here.
