Taiwanese star Vivian Sung says everyday chats with locals helped her master the Malaysian Mandarin accent for ‘The Age of Goodbyes’

Detailed summary

Taiwanese actress Vivian Sung is no stranger to taking on different roles, but her latest film presented a challenge that required her to immerse ...

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 15 — Taiwanese actress Vivian Sung is no stranger to taking on different roles, but her latest film presented a challenge that required her to immerse herself in Malaysian daily life.

In the Malaysian-Taiwanese production The Age of Goodbyes, Sung plays Du Li An, whose story unfolds against the historical backdrop of Ipoh.

In an interview with Malay Mail she mentioned her biggest challenge was mastering the Malaysian Mandarin accent, which she worked on extensively before filming.

Besides working with an acting coach to practise her lines, Sung immersed herself in everyday Malaysian life to become more familiar with how locals spoke.

“Every day, I went outside to markets and shops to talk to local people.

“I tried having casual conversations with them to practise,” she said.

She even tested her progress by seeing whether locals could recognise her Taiwanese roots when she spoke in a Malaysian accent.

However, her attempts did not always go as planned, as many people quickly identified her as Taiwanese, much to her disappointment.

Despite this, she persisted with her daily conversations and gradually became more comfortable with the accent over the course of the month.

Opening of the article, excerpted from Malay Mail. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.