Cynthia Koh was burnt out after filming shows consecutively
The Singapore actress talked about not having work-life balance in her 30s and requesting a few months to rest when she realised that.
Believe it or not, at one point in time, local actors in Singapore were taking on projects non-stop.
Each project took about three months to film and actors would jump from one drama to the next.
And yes, there weren’t any breaks in between each project, and wasn't great for work-life balance, if you were wondering.
The revelation was made on the latest episode of the KUNZversations podcast, released on YouTube on 2 Aug. The podcast is hosted by YES 933’s DJ Kun Hua, who invites celebrity guests to discuss various topics.
This time, Kun Hua was joined by veteran actress Cynthia Koh and singer Chen Diya.
While speaking about their busy schedules, Koh, 49, said that there were a few years in her acting career where she was filming consecutive dramas.
When asked by Kun Hua just how “scary” it was back then, she replied, “The moment we wrapped one show, the next day we’re on another show.”
Koh also said that there were no breaks in between, with filming lasting about five to six days before they got a day off. However, it wasn’t a real break either.
“Even if you have that one day off, you’ll have to read the script and prepare for next week,” she said.
She also admitted that in the past, actors would go straight from a morning shoot to a night shoot and back to a morning shoot again.
Needed a break
Koh said, “Just like that, it’ll go on for three months, then another three months, then another three months. In one year, you can take on four dramas. By the second year, I felt like I couldn’t take it.
“By the seventh show, it was very trying. The script would be there, I would look at the script [from afar] and I really didn’t want to touch it. I really didn’t want to understand the plot, the story, the character. I really didn’t want to.”
That was when Koh realised she needed to rest and she was in her mid-30s then.
Though she didn’t hit a breaking point, Koh requested for a break of a couple months to rest up.
“At that time, my contract was coincidentally about to expire, so I took a break and I came back when I was ready,” she said.
Koh also admitted to being very gung ho about taking on projects in her 20s, and would push on.
“I didn’t know what ‘tired’ meant. I was full of energy,” she commented, sharing it was only when she hit her 30s that she realised she had no work-life balance.
“My friends are going out. They’re getting married. They’re knowing people. What happened to my life? I’m just spending months after months after months just to film shows.”
The hiatus didn’t seem to have impacted Koh’s momentum, however, as a quick look at her past works showed that she consistently appeared in shows every year from 2004 till now.
In addition to being an actress, Koh is also reiki practitioner and most recently, delved into sound healing. This form of therapy uses aspects of music to improve physical and emotional health and well-being.
Speaking to Yahoo Southeast Asia separately in June, Koh shared that there were naysayers (some of whom are her friends) but she remains unbothered by the comments.
“What I'm doing is helping people who want to be healthy, it is obviously not for people who are criticising it. This is what I love doing and it has helped me. I'm sure it will help someone out there, and I'm going to continue to march to the beat of my own drum.”
She added, “Sometimes we may not do things that others will agree with, but you have to own it. You have to stand your ground.”
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