Staying fresh

Since the time she emerged as first runner-up of the Malaysian edition of Star Search in 1999, Apple Hong has not only made Singapore her new base, but has been busy working as an actress and singer.

From 1999 to 2011, she was signed on to Mediacorp. After the contract was over, Hong continued to remain in the limelight.

Hong is married to a Singaporean businessman, and often travelled back to visit her family in Cheras, before the recent pandemic put a halt to that.

During our interview with Hong at her home in Singapore, she said acting was not something she initially set out to do.

“Actually, my dream since I was young was to become a radio DJ. Before Star Search I was studying mass communications, because I had planned to work in media.

“My minor was theatre. So one of my seniors, who had already graduated, came back and noticed me. He said I could be an emcee on TV or do infotainment. He was the one who gave me the form for Star Search, and encouraged me to take part.”

She was in the last semester of her studies when she took part in Star Search. She admits it was a smooth transition to landing her first job even before she completed her studies.

Sadly, a lot of her plans were put on hold.

“I actually had a drama series that was supposed to start production at the end of August. I might give it a pass, because it will now take longer than usual. I also had a musical collaboration with a Hong Kong TVB artist in July, but that has now been postponed to the end of the year. Right now everything is on hold. I have no idea if it will happen next year.”

She was a signed artist under MediaCorp Studios for many years before she left, but continues to work with them on an ad hoc basis.

“After my contract ended, I went to China and was based there for three years. Now I can pick the roles I like and have more freedom to choose.

When you are signed to a studio, you have to fulfil certain hours, and do certain jobs. So we can’t really reject any projects.

“Now that I am married, it is not just about my career anymore. So now when there is an offer, I would read the script first and see how I like the project before I commit to it.”

When asked to name her favourite actors she quickly said: “Brad Pitt! Oh, now he is single, but I am married.

“I like Meryl Streep a lot. I admire her acting, her work. I think she is really someone who can give life to all the characters she portrays. She is the actress I respect the most.”

Hong said that she had flown to Japan during Chinese New Year. When she got back to Singapore, she noticed the rise in Covid-19 cases, especially in Singapore.

“Actually my family is based in Malaysia, and I am the only one in Singapore. So I thought I should travel back to be with my family. But my father got me worried when he asked if it was safe to take a flight because of the [risk of getting infected].

“But I am glad I did fly back to see them before returning to Singapore, because by March and April, the whole world went into lockdown.”

Despite having most of her projects put on hold, Hong has managed to keep herself busy.

“I kept myself occupied. From my social media posts, you can see that.”

She follows the Keto diet, which is all about comsuming foods that are low in carbs and sugar. She is also big on keeping herself fit.

“You know that as an actress I have to stay slim so that I look good on screen. So far, this diet is the easiest way for me to stay healthy and fit. I also did a lot of exercises.”

During Singapore’s restricted movement period (which was known as the Circuit Breaker) people were still allowed to go to the park and exercise, as long as they maintained social distancing and wore masks.

“During that time, since we could not have gatherings or meet at restaurants, I had more time to exercise and I was also learning things on social media, and taking online courses.”

Hong learned to cook via YouTube. “Before the pandemic I was learning more about how to prepare food, and to bake following keto diet requirements. I also took courses on how to build my own website, and live streaming.

“With everything going digital, this is all something new to me as an actress. Since I had so much time on my hands I decided to learn something new.”

What does she miss most about Malaysia?

“Oh I miss nasi lemak. I miss Malaysian food. For my last stop when I am going out through KLIA2, I would go to Pappa Rich and order nasi lemak. It is a must-have for me.”