Mayjune on rape scene in new series

By Chew Wan Ying

Filming a rape scene can be awkward. Imagine doing it in the rain.

Mayjune Tan, the star of ntv7’s new drama series Footprints in the Sand, got a taste of that when she filmed her first rape scene recently.

The 30-episode drama series chronicles an independent and strong-willed woman’s strive for success. Viewers would see Yan Li, a young girl who is abandoned by her parents, braving a life of adversity while engaging in romantic entanglements with different men.

In a story that spans decades, the protagonist is portrayed by three actresses in different generations, with Tan playing the role from the age of 18 to 25.

(From left) Veteran actress Yenn Teoh and Mayjune Tan, the winner of Star Idol Malaysia 2007, portray Yan Li in the different stages of her life.

In a scene, an unconscious Yan is taken advantage of by a stranger on a deserted street on a rainy day.

Needless to say, the 26-year-old was all nerves before the shoot.

“I was wondering who would play the rapist, but my apprehension was gone as soon as I saw that it was a hunky actor with model-like build!” she quipped.

Still, that did not make it any easier. The fresh-faced starlet, who joined the industry after she was crowned the winner of Star Idol Malaysia in 2007, described the scene: “It’s tough not because we were embarrassed, but because it’s raining. It was so cold! In the scene, I had to lie on the floor and the water kept getting into my nose. I tried so hard to restrain myself from reacting to it, because I was supposed to be unconscious.”

The rape scene was not the only scene with rain, she said, adding that she had learned how to avoid falling sick during shooting.

“Make sure you drink something hot when you go back home,” she shared.

While she did not get fever, she ended up suffering from food poisoning instead.

“I kept vomiting and was so worn out. Moreover, the scene required (my co-star) Ernest (Chong) and me to do 1980s disco dance. So we watched a lot of Michael Jackson and Leslie Cheung to learn the moves. The shooting was supposed to wrap up at 3am, but we shot until 4am and still, there were not enough shots,” she recalled.

In Footprints in the Sand, Ernest Chong's role Dai Jing Zhou harbours feelings for Mayjune Tan's Yan Li.

Apart from those intense and emotional scenes, Tan’s latest role comes with certain perks, for instance, being surrounded by three handsome co-stars, Monday Kang, Chong and Vinx Lim, who play her caring foster brother, her loving handicapped husband and the man she loves respectively.

It was something she did not experience in real life, according to the pretty lass, who remained tight-lipped when we quizzed her about her love life.

“Life is tough for Yan, but look at it from the bright side, she’s so lucky to have so many people who love and care for her, such as her foster family and the guys she is romantically linked to,” she said.

* Footprints In The Sand premieres on Ntv7 next Monday. It airs from Mondays to Thursdays at 10pm.

http://www.dailychilli.com/buzz/10952-mayjune-on-rape-scene-in-new-series
Published April 15 2011