For Ivan Tai, work comes first. This means no balik kampung for the all-important reunion dinner on the eve of Chinese New Year. He also celebrates the first day of CNY with just his parents in Kuala Lumpur.
The 27-year-old has grandparents in Melaka and Pahang, but for the past two years, Tai and his parents have remained in KL on the first two days of celebration as he had to work.
A newscaster with RTM’s Mandarin News, Tai had ended up reading news on the festive days.
“My parents waited for me so that the three of us can balik kampung together to visit my grandparents. We went back on the third day of Chinese New Year for the past two years, ” recalled Tai.
Hence, this year – with Covid-19 cases increasing – Tai and his parents will continue celebrating CNY on their own once more.
“I have to work again this year, so it’s fine, ” said the Perak-born good-naturedly.
From there, he went on to take on the editor post and also the spot of a newsreader in 2018.
“It was a total surprise to me when they asked me to become a newsreader. I had to learn how to do everything – from script writing to reading the news.
“This job has definitely provided me with a great training ground to cover all kinds of news from general to entertainment, and how to deliver those news on TV.”
Although he’s been reading news for two years now, Tai is always looking to improve his Mandarin pronunciation.
“Different intonation means different things in Mandarin. It’s important to get the tone right, ” added Tai who grew up in China until the age of five as his father worked there for a period of time.
“I still go to Mandarin class to improve myself.”
Tai also worked on the pronunciation of Malay words when he was offered a guest starring gig in an RTM-produced miniseries titled A.I. In Love.
“My Malay isn’t so good. My father who grew up in a kampung environment would always scold me for speaking with a Chinese-accented Malay, ” shared Tai with a chuckle.
“When I was offered the chance to guest star in A.I. In Love, I practised my lines over and over again for two weeks so my Chinese accent was not too obvious.”
While Tai mentioned he aced most of his scenes in one take, there was one scene which took him three tries. “Maybe the lighting was off, ” he jokingly reasoned.
A.I. In Love is a four-episode drama starring Janna Nick and Dini Schatzmann, airing Feb 6 on TV2.
It centres on an influencer Audria (Janna) who quits social media after being trolled.
Meanwhile, Dini plays engineer Iskandar who is developing a spectacle that’s embedded with artificial intelligence technology.
“I play Roy, an IT specialist and Iskandar’s colleague. I appear in two of the four episodes, ” said Tai.
According to him, A.I. In Love does not only feature real-life actors but also CGI as well as animated characters.
“Due to the pandemic, the obvious challenge faced in the filming process was to avoid scenes in crowded locations and minimise the number of cast at one time. That’s why, the extra elements were added to the drama.
“We filmed separately even though we might have been in the same scene to ensure we adhered to the filming SOP (standard operating procedure), ” Tai said of the shoot which happened last September.
Tai is grateful to the RTM’s Unit Drama TV for giving him the chance to come back to acting, something that he did in 2014.
“Due to my commitments to the news department, I couldn’t get back into acting which is something I have always been interested in. I have had offers from Chinese productions to act in their dramas but I had to turn them down because of my newsreading duties. I am glad to be part of this production.”
Tai had appeared in Catherine Leong’s 2013 music video My Tiny Times and in the reality show Kampung Quest in 2014. He also acted in a radio drama.
He made his film debut in Edmund Yeo’s 2014 film River Of Exploding Durians, which was featured at the 2014 Tokyo International Film Festival. It stars Taiwanese actress Zhu Zhi-Ying (Lust, Caution) in the main role of a teacher.
“Making River Of Exploding Durians was an unforgettable experience. Edmund Yeo is a director who gives his actors freedom to play the character instinctively.
“Also it was amazing to get a chance to work on the same film as Zhu Zhi-Ying.
“The film also had actress Pearly Chua, of whom I am a big fan of ever since I saw the play Emily Of Emerald Hill.
“When we were on set together for a scene, I took the opportunity to talk to her and gushed to her that I’m a fan. She is such a kind person, ” said Tai gleefully.
When asked what he enjoys about acting, Tai said: “It allows me to become another person and walk in that person’s shoes. In River Of Exploding Durians for example, I played a student demonstrator which is something I would never do in real life.
“It’s interesting to become another person for a little while.”
While he is looking for the next role to come by, Tai has embarked on another project – being an entrepreneur and a designer.
“I love to draw and always had a keen interest in designing.
“In 2019, I established my personal label (Ivan Tai Studio), and launched my own brand, Extsence, in September last year.
“It’s an interesting process, ” said Tai on designing.
“Besides designing, I also have to look into making the product, liaising with the seller, the distribution part, etc. So far, I’ve only sold items online, but I am learning a lot, and it’s doing rather well.
“I am looking forward to learning even more new things in all areas of my life.”
A.I in Love premieres on Feb 6 at 8.30pm on TV2 and Feb 7 at 11.05am on TV1. It will be available on TVOkey from Feb 14-17, at 9pm.
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