Megan Zheng
Encyclopedia
Megan Zheng is a Singapore
an actress who starred in two 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
.
) to a TV station. Upon realising that the producer
wanted her to play a part, a terrified Zheng hid behind a sofa.
Jack Neo
, who wrote
and directed
Homerun, placed a newspaper advertisement about audition
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.
During the school holidays, Zheng and the rest of the Homerun cast flew to Malaysia 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". 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.
, 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 Wang Baoqiang
(of Blind Shaft
) were named co-winners of the Best New Performer award, making her the first Singaporean to win a Golden Horse Award.
Raintree Pictures' CEO Daniel Yun
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".
and Fairfield Methodist Secondary School
. She is a fan of Lord of the Rings, Legolas
and Gunbound
.
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
an actress who starred in two Singaporean movies: Homerun
Homerun (film)
Homerun Chinese: 跑吧！孩子 pinyin: pǎo bà háizǐ) is a 2003 Singaporean Mandarin-language film. A remake of the award-winning Iranian film Children of Heaven, Homerun is a drama about two poor siblings and their adventures over a lost pair of shoes...
and One More Chance. For her role in Homerun, Zheng, then 10 years old, became the first Singaporean to win a Golden Horse Award
Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards
The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards is a film festival and awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. It was founded in 1962, by Government Information Office, Republic of China...
, sharing her Best New Performer award with Wang Baoqiang
Wang Baoqiang
Wang Baoqiang is a Chinese actor. His debut role was that of Yuan Fengming in the movie Blind Shaft, for which he shared the Best New Performer prize at the 2003 Golden Horse Awards with Megan Tzengwon...
.
Acting career
When Zheng was five, she accompanied her elder sister (who had a part in a documentaryDocumentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
) to a TV station. Upon realising that the producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
wanted her to play a part, a terrified Zheng hid behind a sofa.
Jack Neo
Jack Neo
Jack Neo Chee Keong , PBM, credited as Jack Neo on screen, is a Chinese Singaporean film and television actor, host and director...
, who wrote
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
and directed
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
Homerun, placed a newspaper advertisement about audition
Audition
An audition is a sample performance by an actor, singer, musician, dancer or other performing artist.Audition may also refer to:* The sense of hearing* Adobe Audition, audio editing software...
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.
During the school holidays, Zheng and the rest of the Homerun cast flew to Malaysia 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
Xiang Yun
Xiang Yun ) is a Singaporean actress from MediaCorp. She is considered as one of the veteran actresses in MediaCorp with 27 years of her career in the Singaporean entertainment industry. She is also deemed as MediaCorp's first "Ah Jie" ....
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". Neo intended to cast Zheng in his next film, The Best Bet
The Best Bet
The Best Bet is a Singaporean film as well as a Singaporean television series. The film was written and directed by Jack Neo, and produced by MediaCorp Raintree Pictures. The film, with a different cast than the television series stars Richard Low, Mark Lee, Christopher Lee, Chen Liping and Joanne...
, 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 LinAriel Lin
Ariel Lin |Hakka]]: Lim2 Yi3 Sen2) was born 29 October 1982. She is a Taiwanese actress and singer, who won Best Leading Actress in a Television Series at the 43rd Golden Bell Awards...
, 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 Wang Baoqiang
Wang Baoqiang
Wang Baoqiang is a Chinese actor. His debut role was that of Yuan Fengming in the movie Blind Shaft, for which he shared the Best New Performer prize at the 2003 Golden Horse Awards with Megan Tzengwon...
(of Blind Shaft
Blind Shaft
Blind Shaft is a 2003 film about a pair of brutal con artists operating in the illegal coal mines of present-day northern China. The film was written and directed by Li Yang , and is based on Chinese writer Liu Qingbang's short novel Shen Mu .-Production history:Most of the filming took place 700...
) were named co-winners of the Best New Performer award, making her the first Singaporean to win a Golden Horse Award.
Raintree Pictures' CEO Daniel Yun
Daniel Yun
Daniel Yun is a veteran Singaporean film producer, presenter and managing director for MediaCorp Raintree Pictures. He has gone on to co-produce and finance over 20 films made in China and Hong Kong.-Biography:...
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 SchoolJurong Primary School
-Description:The school merged with Boon Lay Primary School. It is located along Jurong East St 32 which was relocated in 2006. School programmes to help students achieve better marks and scores in exams include STAR and TAF. Its uniform and PE T-shirt are in blue...
and Fairfield Methodist Secondary School
Fairfield Methodist Secondary School
Fairfield Methodist School is an autonomous co-educational Methodist secondary school in Dover, Singapore. It covers Secondary 1 to Secondary 5 inclusive .-History:...
. She is a fan of Lord of the Rings, Legolas
Legolas
Legolas is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, featured in The Lord of the Rings. He is an Elf of the Woodland Realm and one of nine members of the Fellowship of the Ring.- Literature :...
and Gunbound
GunBound
GunBound is a free-to-play, turn-based, room-to-room, multiplayer online game with many similar features to the popular Worms game series....
.