Singapore's Pierre Png, Cynthia Koh and Hong Huifang to star in new Thai co-production thriller

Some of Thailand and Singapore’s brightest stars will come together in a new co-production for which filming is currently ongoing in Bangkok and Singapore.

Decalcomania is about two women, one a privileged socialite in Singapore and the other a hardened nightclub owner in Bangkok, who discover they are long-lost twins after a car accident causes them to mysteriously switch bodies. Both characters are played by Thai actress Mookda Narinrak.

Other stars include Master Of The House’s Chai Chatayodom Hiranyatithi and Mad Unicorn’s Thaneth Warakulnukroh, while Singapore is represented by Pierre Png, Cynthia Koh, Hong Huifang, Amy Cheng and new talent Gladys Ng.

The show is slated to debut on Thai TV channel ONE31 and the OneD app at the end of the year, as well as on mewatch early next year.

Png, no stranger to international productions thanks to his role in Crazy Rich Asians, plays a “very dedicated policeman” who is hardcore at work but deferential to his wife at home, he told us. The character is determined to take down a wealthy businessman with whom his family has a personal vendetta.

Although he knows only a few words of Thai, most of which are unprintable – “as with every new language, you learn the bad things first, right?” – he appreciates Thai productions such as How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies, he said.

“It’s the twist – how you assume it’s going to go down this way, but along the way, there are a few clever detours.” In addition, “Thai comedy works for me. It’s very cleverly plotted out.”

Png feels he’s quite similar to his character, not only in terms of being respectful to his wife, but also when it comes to feeling for the marginalised, he said, sharing that he recently took up sign language and also started a movement called SPEAK, standing for Suicide Prevention through Empathy, Awareness and Kindness.

“I feel that not enough is being done to educate or bring awareness to youths who are very troubled in this day and age with the influx of information that is so readily available,” he said. “I don't have children, but I have many nephews and nieces, and many friends who have children. I made it my goal to use whatever mileage I have to bring attention to these things.”

On the professional front, Png was the first and only choice to play the Decalcomania role, said executive producer Michelle Chang of Singapore’s Mocha Chai Laboratories, who had brought the story to Thai entertainment giant The One Enterprise, resulting in the collaboration.

Chang, together with director Chai Yee Wei and writer Chance Wanlass, who co-created the concept, also brought us the award-winning film Wonderland starring Mark Lee and Peter Yu.

“I wanted Pierre from the get-go,” she said. “I knew, from his days in Phua Chu Kang, that he could do comedy, and I also know he could do serious drama, because of Zero Calling.” And when showrunner Nipon Pewnen (Thicha, Spare Me Your Mercy) saw Png’s audition, he knew they had their guy, she said. “Pierre has this ability to play that dual personality – tough cop at work, sweet husband at home. Everyone loved his audition.”

She was also keen to work with Thai collaborators as productions like Master Of The House and Mad Unicorn convinced her they were “next-level” creators, she said.

Scripting the show, with the contributions of a Thai writing team, involved a lot of time and back-and-forth as scripts were translated from English into Thai and back into English.

Once filming commenced, though, crew from both countries instantly got along in spite of not speaking the same language, thanks to “movie magic”, she quipped.

The story will resonate with audiences, Pewnen said, because “rich or poor, everyone has their own problems. Why? If you’re begging for what you don’t have, it will cost you a lot. The world is very chaotic right now, because we can never get enough wealth, power, everything. But, if you can find satisfaction within yourself, you won’t have to fight for anything”.

Creatively, he said, it’s important to make shows that represent Southeast Asia.

“You see Korean series; you see American series. We have to put Southeast Asian series on the map. Let's make Singapore proud. Let's make Thailand proud. Let's make Southeast Asia proud.”