Tyler Ten And Zhang Ze Tong On Their Career-Making Roles In ‘Emerald Hill’

Flash back 17 years ago, to 2008, when all anyone could talk about was the one show that played each night on our television screens: The Little Nyonya. Over 30-odd episodes, families and viewers fell in love with the angst-driven drama of Peranakan women who sought to thrive in a patriarchal society.

It’s no small feat for a locally made television series to captivate audiences and gain critical acclaim the way The Little Nyonya did. Sure, we didn’t have the slew of streaming platforms back then to diminish the viewership pie, but it also came at a time when fewer people were tuning in to free-to-air television. From The Little Nyonya, we saw the likes of Jeanette Aw and Dai Xiangyu catapult to household names, and all anyone could talk about at the office pantry was how the drama unfolded the night before. It also went on to spawn a remake on China’s CCTV in 2020, named The New Little Nyonya, and even till today, it’s warmly regarded as one of Singapore’s most iconic television shows to ever air.

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So, there’s going to be plenty of eyes watching the new series, Emerald Hill. Written as a continuation of the storylines first introduced in The Little Nyonya, Emerald Hill sees a brand new cast, where actors Tyler Ten and Zhang Ze Tong will command the screen, taking on the mantle left by the cast before.

One would think that Ten and Zhang both face monumental pressure to deliver top-notch performances, given how beloved the series is to local viewers. Yet, as they settle down for a chat on an overcast Friday afternoon, their easygoing demeanour and charismatic charm give none of that anxiety away.

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“Sure, there is pressure to tell the stories in the right way, but you can’t let these thoughts distract you from delivering your performance,” says Ten. “You’re playing a character, so you have to be in the zone. I try to tune out all of these emotions because in doing so, I’m present and I’m able to connect with the other characters.”

We talk about how the two young actors—Ten turns 28 this year, and Zhang is 32—first got involved with the production. Zhang tells us that almost 99 percent of actors in Singapore signed up to audition.

“The whole audition process took about three to four months,” adds Ten. “We had two rounds of auditions, and our agent had the idea to dress us up in costume and with hair and makeup to allow the casting panel to envision us better in the roles. The whole process was nerve-wracking.”

Zhang agrees, adding that he knew from the get-go that getting his character right was non-negotiable. “I told myself from the start that there was probably little to no room for error,” he muses. “I felt fortunate to be able to get my role, so I also knew that I had to nail each scene and deliver my best performance.”

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In Emerald Hill, Ten plays Bai A-Li, a street gangster who’s constantly on survival mode. “He has to fight for food, for a place to sleep, for his existence, basically,” Ten sums up. In contrast, Zhang will portray Huang Zuye, the foster son in a well-heeled and sheltered family. “We are basically complete opposites,” Zhang laughs, patting Ten on the shoulder.

But their roles didn’t come without unique challenges. Ten, a self-professed introvert, says he had to step out of his usually calm exterior to play someone brash and loud. “I did a lot of character study on who A-Li is, and part of this required me to look at how gangsters would behave in those days so that I could understand their motivations, the way they talked and moved.”

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Zhang, who won the Best Supporting Actor at last year’s Star Awards, recounts how he had gone into the production of Emerald Hill fresh off the back of another show that had just wrapped. In the latter production, he played a character that was expressive and loud, basically “the antithesis of my character on Emerald Hill”.

“I had to find the composure of Huang Zuye, and be comfortable in the silence and the quietness that this role demanded, so it took a bit of time for me to get into it. I had to dive into the inner emotions of this character to understand his stoicness.”

Emerald Hill also marks the pair’s first collaboration, since they were first signed as new actors after competing in the Star Search talent show five years ago. A lot can happen in five years, as most would agree, and Ten feels that teaming up on Emerald Hill after half a decade has been the opportune moment for them.

“It feels like a reunion to me,” Ten reflects. “We’ve grown so much in the last five years. This is a blockbuster production, so I feel like after five years, we are better versions of ourselves and we are better at portraying the roles we’ve been asked to play.”

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“It’s kind of heartwarming, and it’s been a great experience to act with this guy,” Zhang adds. “Not many actors are keen to meet up outside of the production hours to discuss ideas and methods on approaching certain scenes, but Tyler was always a DM away and he was so willing to bounce ideas around.”

It’s also worth noting that Emerald Hill has become the first Singaporean free-to-air television show to premiere on Netflix before hitting the meWatch platform and showing on regular programming, giving the show a chance to find new fans amongst today’s modern audience. Compared to 2008, the television landscape of today has evolved by leaps and bounds, with shows from different countries dropping in every day, and viewers spoiled for choice. One click on your laptop brings up an endless library of shows from China, India, South Korea, Thailand, and the US. Does this worry our two actors?

“I think I speak for us when I say I’m more excited than worried,” Zhang chuckles. “We’re in the same catalogue as shows from China, South Korea and Thailand, so I’m curious to see how audiences beyond Singapore would react to our work.”

He also ruminates on the state of local television, saying that he knows the stereotypes that exist out there with regard to locally produced stories. “It’s a label that’s hard to shake off, but I’d hope that more people give locally made TV a chance. If you want to criticise it, at least give it a shot first and form your opinions after you’ve watched it.”

For Ten, Emerald Hill presents a golden opportunity for the world to learn more about what it means to be Peranakan in a bygone era. “At the heart of the show, we are telling stories that relate to our Peranakan culture. Outside of Singapore and Malaysia, there aren’t any stories that relate to this, but in making Emerald Hill, we are able to bring those tales onto a global stage.”

Editor-in-Chief: Kenneth Goh
Photographer: Joel Low
Stylist: Aaron Kok
Makeup: Lydia Thong / Makeup Entourage using Gucci Beauty
Hair: Sylin Yer / Shunji Matsuo using Oribe
Photographer’s Assistant: Eddie Teo
Stylist’s Assistant: Ynez Loh
Location: The Fullerton Singapore