Fish Liew recently admitted that one of her main concerns when starring in her new movie was her changed accent.
The Johorean actress, who made her comeback into Malaysian cinema with Chong Keat Aun’s “Pavane for an Infant”, stated that after being accustomed to the language and work style of Hong Kong, especially Cantonese, she was worried about her own use of the language.
“Generally, Malaysians have a different accent when speaking Cantonese. But in the past few years that I have been working in Hong Kong, I deliberately adjusted my Cantonese so that I wouldn’t have the accent,” she said.
Fish said that because of that, she had unconsciously delivered her lines in a Hong Kong accent and had to reshoot it.
Aside from that, the actress said that she has mainly acted in commercial films in recent years, while the new film is more artistic.
“At first, I was worried, not knowing whether I was qualified, and I was worried that I would not be able to interpret the confused and depressed emotions of the character. But after watching the movie, I finally put my mind at ease and felt that the acting is not bad. You can achieve the feeling you want.”
Fish said that director Chong did not give her any instructions during the filming and allowed her to express herself freely. Looking back, she believes that the director did so on purpose.
In “Pavant for an Infant”, Fish plays Lai Sum, a woman who works at a baby hatch, where she intervenes to support a pregnant underage girl contemplating abortion. Their lives become entangled in a perilous struggle against patriarchal and theocratic forces that threaten their safety.
(Photo Source: Fish Liew IG, Janji Pictures IG)