'I thought of my dad and I cried'

His father died more than two months ago from a ruptured aortic aneurysm.

But MediaCorp actor Elvin Ng is starting to deal with the grief only now.

The 31-year-old told The New Paper in an interview on Tuesday: "Whatever my family members felt 21/2 months ago, I'm only feeling it now...

"I have too many suppressed feelings.

"I went on a diving trip to Koh Lipe (in Thailand) with friends (early this month) and I looked up in the sky and saw a shooting star.

"I thought of my dad and I cried. I faced what I didn't dare to face before."

Ng was speaking to us at the press conference for his latest rom-com, Absolutely Charming, which he was filming when his father died in February at the age of 57.

As he thanked the drama's production crew and cast for their concern and understanding, emotions got the better of him and tears rolled down hisface.

Ng said his father had been hospitalised on the first day the actors filmed Absolutely Charming in the MediaCorp film studio.

He continued filming in the four days his dad was in the hospital and took only one week's leave when MrNg died.

He had two weeks to film his scenes originally.

Because of his leave, his scenes were rescheduled and crammed into six days.

"I had a lot of scenes with (leading lady and co-star) Cherry (Hsia) and (because I took leave), we worked 18 hours a day and slept one to two hours a day," said Ng.

"My heart was heavy, but I had to film such a light-hearted show. We persevered through it."

In Absolutely Charming, Taiwanese model and actress Hsia plays a fox spirit who is banished to earth as an ugly woman with body odour. She is supposed to find true love.

Ng plays a fashion designer who gradually falls in love with her despite her physical shortcomings. The drama, which also stars Rebecca Lim, Zhou Ying, Patricia Mok and Zhang Zhenhuan, premieres on Tuesday at 9pm, on Channel 8.

Mok said Ng matured from a boy to a man overnight, and he was constantly worried whether his acting was good enough.

Ng said he will be taking his mother on an eight-day holiday in Italy after Star Awards Show 2 tomorrow.

He said: "I can't do anything for the one who has left us, so I will do what I can for the person who's left here."

Last Sunday at Star Awards Show 1, Ng thanked his late father in his acceptance speech, after he won Favourite Male Character for his role as Zhang Guixiang in Channel 8's police drama C.L.I.F. He called his dad his favourite male character.

Ng also won the Systema Charming Smile Award and Favourite Onscreen Couple alongside his Code Of Honour co-star, Rui En.

His unusual outfit that night was also attention-grabbing.

A local newspaper sniped that he looked like he was going swimming with penguins in the Antarctic after the show because that's the only reason he would wear a mankini under a cropped sweater.

Ng told us he liked the Givenchy runway piece and chose it because he wanted to be edgier and unconventional.

It's the first time he's following fashion, he said, but it's not because he thinks his burgeoning popularity has allowed him to experiment and start dressing quirkily.

He was also influenced by his fashion designer role in Absolutely Charming.

"I didn't want change in the past.

"Now, I'm more open because of things that happened to me. I'm okay with change," said Ng.

"I realised things are not always in my control and I learnt to be more adaptable and to go with the flow."

For Star Awards Show 2 tomorrow, Ng said he would go for the classic look.

"If I'm dressed in my (usual) way, people say I'm boring. If I change my style, they say it's strange or that I'm arrogant," he said.

"I say this in a light-hearted way: It's your mouth, say what you want. It's just an outfit."

This article was first published in The New Paper.