In the upcoming Channel 8 drama series ‘You Can Be An Angel Too’, it’s all about shedding light on our ‘unsung heroes’.
We know nurses as ‘bai yi tian shi’ (Angels in White), but what goes behind the profession is something we have little knowledge of. In words of Sheila Sim, who plays a nurse in the upcoming drama, “being a good nurse is beyond showing care and concern to a patient; it’s about taking care of their mental health and being positive to pull you along at your lowest point in time.”
Sim, who experienced the human touch and compassion of nurses first-hand, shared that they were her pillars of strength when her brother was diagnosed with cancer when she was seven. “It was day in, day out for me at that point of time…. and everyday I see them, they are like a ball of positive energy.”
Playing the Advanced Practice Nurse Guan Xin Ni is Rebecca Lim, who says she’s ‘very proud to be in this show’.
“Everything in this show is very real, so hopefully the audience and everyone who watches it will know that it’s really what goes on… because it’s not like not the dramatic saving and all.”
She added: “It’s about time we focus on nurses in Singapore. Nurses are kind of under the radar and yet they are giving so much yet there isn’t much of a payback for them. So hopefully this will put them on a pedestal they deserve to be on.”
Ah Jie Zoe Tay might have played countless of roles during her time in MediaCorp; from the queen of gambler in The Unbeatables to the cold, aloof head director in The Dream Makers, but never a nurse. You Can Be An Angel Too marks her first-time playing a role as a nurse.
“I enjoy acting in shows with uniforms and nurse was one of my dream jobs when I was younger, but had to drop the idea as I was afraid of needles and blood,” Tay said.
“I overcame my fear during my pregnancy where there were lots of blood tests to do. Now I’m better with it (fear of blood and needles). There’s still a tingling sensation at that moment when the needle comes in contact with my skin but other than that, I’m quite okay with it.”
When asked about future roles she would like to try, you might think the reigning Queen of Caldecott Hill would reply along the lines of a futuristic character clad in weird shimmery costume or perhaps a superhero from outer space to save Singapore from some magical villain, but Singapore’s Ah Jie still wants to try out ‘many, many other roles’.
“I feel that as an actress, there isn’t one specific character, but the story and motivation behind each written role is something I look forward to. When I’m watching a show as a viewer, I wish to enjoy it thoroughly and it’s the same notion I want to bring across - for others to enjoy it as well.”
You Can Be An Angel Too also stars Xiang Yun, Bryan Wong, Elvin Ng, Sheila Sim, Xu Bin, Aloysius Pang and Zheng Ge Ping, and debuts on 5 January, 9pm on Channel 8!