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Everybody loves Felicia
She may have changed her Chinese name to smoothen her way in life but JUSTINA TAN finds out that Felicia Chin’s success has more to do with her affable personality.
Back in 2006, David Gan, celebrity hairstylist and A-list star confidante, daringly touted Felicia Chin as the Next Big Thing. The self-proclaimed “mother” of Mediacorp’s creme de la creme must now be puffing up with pride as his latest muse ascends the ranks at Caldecott Hill.
The 24-year-old actress was only one of three of Mediacorp’s “Seven Princesses” who made it into the Top Ten Most Popular Female Artistes lineup at Star Awards 2007. And she also snared the coveted Screen Sweetheart accolade for this decade at the awards’ 25th Anniversary Special.
So, what is it about Felicia that puts her ahead of the rest of the pack? You get an inkling of what makes her so special – and successful – when you meet her in person. Dressed in a tunic top and ankle boots and wearing light makeup, Felicia isn’t as much a head-turner as your fresh-faced girl pal: that exuberant smile, that sparkle in her eyes, that chummy demeanour – what’s not to like?
“You want a sweet?” she offers. Indeed, the current media darling certainly knows her way around people’s hearts – which is perhaps her winning formula.
Not just book smart
When you see how Felicia punctuates every other sentence with peals of girly laughter, and fiddles with her hair in-between questions, you can’t imagine the affable starlet as a straight-A, triple-science student and national softball player from top schools like Tanjong Katong Girls’ School and Victoria Junior College.
Although she secured a place to read Arts and Social Sciences at the National University of Singapore, Felicia opted for a stab at stardom after winning the Star Search competition in 2003.
Such a waste of a young girl’s smarts, some said, but looking at how far she’s come – given all the young artistes she’s up against – it’s clear Felicia knows a thing or two about staying in the game.
And she’s not easily flummoxed by tough questions. She puts her hand lightly on yours as she throws her head back, chuckling, and hemming and hawing. When you probe further, you sense that she is searching for the right words.
“If not for Star Search, I think I would still be a softball player, playing in leagues in China or Japan.”
Faced with the topic of why she gave up her studies, she seems especially mindful of what to say: “I didn’t get into this line because of the glory. I didn’t see myself acting until Star Search. If not for it, I think I would still be a softball player today, playing in leagues in China or Japan.”
After winning Star Search, she had to sign a contract with Mediacorp, and she figured that her studies could wait. But she doesn’t deny the importance of a university education – especially since it’s something her late father had wanted for both his daughters.
“If you make a detour to do something that gives you the opportunity to learn more, it’s not a bad path. I feel that Singaporeans have a very fixed route in their minds. Looking back, I think I was a little rash, but brave,” says Felicia with a guffaw.
But she would have you know that she plans to fulfill her father’s dream. “I’m still hoping to go to university, and I really hope to study film, acting, theatre or production for two years in either China or New York,” she adds enthusiastically.
Moving on up
Felicia looks like the sort of girl a guy would want to bring home to mum. And her ability to win the hearts of the young and old with her string of likeable, sweet-young-thing roles has scored her lucrative endorsements with Vitagen, SilkyGirl beauty products, Tweety Bird apparel, and a posturecorrecting device – deals that some of the other “Seven Princesses” can only dream of.
Now that she’s in the big league, what’s changed in her life? “I have a lot more bags and shoes!” she says with a chortle. But not before adding contemplatively: “I don’t think I’m very successful or popular, but I’ve improved a lot from three years ago. I think I’ve also blossomed, looks-wise, and in my acting.”
While she agrees she’s been luckier than many, she adds that her path to fame hasn’t been rosy. “I’m a pretty naive person and the entertainment circle made me see a lot of sides of people. In turn, I grew to appreciate those who truly mean a lot to me.”
The sudden limelight and fan attention are things she has had to get used to. “My friends and family sometimes feel uneasy about the attention, but it’s difficult to turn down your fans. I always oblige because I feel bad about disappointing people, but a friend told me that there’s only so much I can do.
“One friend said this to me recently: ‘I don’t know what the key to success is, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.’”
“I can’t say I’ve had an easy life, but it’s toughened me up a lot.”
Just your regular girl
Despite her rising star, Felicia admits she’s a girl-nextdoor at heart. “I don’t want to feel detached from people, so I stay grounded by going back to my secondary school once a month to help out with softball training,” says the former pitcher for the national softball team.
Unlike other artistes, Felicia has no qualms about taking the bus or MRT when her eight-month old Mitsubishi Colt Plus is being serviced. “Like everybody else, I can take the bus!” she exclaims. The young starlet is determined to not let fame get to her head – after all, her life hasn’t always been about gala premieres and luxury handbags.
Felicia lost her father in 2001 to stomach cancer. Besides having to cope with his death, she had to prepare for her A levels the next year and help support her family by giving tuition. “I can’t say I’ve had an easy life, but it’s toughened me up a lot.”
While she may not have had it easy in the past, she’s looking forward to a better future, which was part of the reason she changed her Chinese name in February. “My original name meant ‘to be burdened from young’, so a Taiwanese fortune teller gave me a new name – Chen Jing Xuan, which is supposed to give me a more smooth-sailing life. It also means pretty.”
Spreading her wings
With things going her way, Felicia’s ambition is understandable. Currently filming a 110-episode Channel 8 drama series, she hopes to eventually cut an album. With remarkable candour, she says: “I think I can sing quite well and hope to cut an album after completing my studies. I can tell my grandchildren that grandma cut an album!”
She also doesn’t rule out expanding beyond our shores. “I think we should not always stay in the same spot. I have to improve a lot more before the chance comes along, and if it does, I would grab it.”
With Felicia so ready for her big break, we wouldn’t be surprised to see her star propelled further with a stroke of luck. Even if it doesn’t, you can bet she’ll come out stronger. “Even when I fall, I pick myself up. I don’t put too much stress on myself about the things that I get or don’t get.”
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