IT'S ironic really. Because the Malaysian's star has actually been shining brightly now for 24 years. Put it down to the ever-evolving nature — and reach — of the global entertainment industry, but it took a starring role in the Mediacorp series Titoudao: Inspired by the True Story of a Wayang Star, and the fact the series was picked up by streaming giant Netflix, to thrust Koe Yeet firmly into the spotlight, and to showcase her considerable talents to a wider audience.
The fact that Koe's journey started when she was just 5, with a part in an advertisement for Danone Biscuits, makes the now 29-year-old's journey all the more remarkable. So too does the fact that she hasn't only continued to develop her acting career across the decades that have passed, but she has also — somehow — found time to train and qualify as a barrister.
But, first to the awards and Koe's thoughts on being "discovered" all over again, with her prize handed out (virtually) at the Busan International Film Festival in South Korea, Asia's largest and most esteemed cinematic event.
"I got really lucky because I've been acting for a very long time," confides Koe from her home in Kuala Lumpur during our Zoom interview. "But the thing about a 'new comer' award is that if you've never taken part in any other film festivals — and I'd never been nominated or been submitted before — you're allowed to submit for it."
A pause, and she adds: "It was a surprise. You know the industry in Malaysia is still pretty small but I guess more of us, more of our works, are being discovered. Especially with the growth of streaming platforms and more content being produced everywhere. I feel, in Malaysia, we do have a lot of actors, a lot of amazing films and series… It's an exciting time!"
BOXES OF EMOTIONS
In Titoudao, Koe plays the real-life character of Singaporean wayang star, Madam Oon Ah Chiam, who's dramatic life story saw her rise out of abject poverty to become a star of street opera. That Koe fully embodies the character, and the full range of emotions needed for such a role, speaks volumes about her own development as an actor.
Madam Oon — now 77 — was on hand during the shoot to ensure that everything looked just so, including Koe. "I have little boxes or drawers of emotions where I keep them," explains Koe, adding: "So if I see a certain scene, I'll have to pull out the drawer and source my emotions from it. But when I read the script, tears, emotions, and feelings just flowed naturally because her life itself was very hard."
Oon's story, shares Koe, really touched her. "I felt like, you know what, I'm just going to really do a good job and try my best. She was also there to visit on set and would certainly tell me if she didn't think something was right, or if I did something she wouldn't have done. I think in the end she was happy."
Continuing, Koe admits there were a few quiet echoes from her own past during production. That role Koe took in the Danone advertisement led to more work — in adverts, films and on TV — and to having to learn at an early age how to deal with a degree of stardom, including the pluses and minuses that outside attention can bring.
Fellow students at the Catholic High School Petaling Jaya were aware of the two lives she was leading and, kids being kids, sometimes made sure she knew. "Some of them liked it," remembers Koe, adding: "Some were pretty proud of me but some were like, 'Oh, this girl's so cocky.' So, I did have quite a hard time going through high school."
Adding, she recalls the time when she was 15 and in one of her first proper roles, under director Jack Neo in Ah Long Pte Ltd, she was required to cut her hair short. "I was laughed at in school at one point and I didn't feel like I had a lot of friends," muses Koe, continuing: "But that's just high school and how things happen sometimes. You realise that these things pass and I got over it quickly."
PLAYING TO HER STRENGTHS
The grounding that comes with life in a "typical Chinese family" is also a factor that Koe believes has helped her. Her father is an accountant, and her mother runs the home. The star chuckles when she recalls having to convince her dad that she'd maintain her studies so that "even though I'm a girl, I still have to ensure that I can be independent".
So Koe decided she'd study law. Today, she holds a law degree from the University of Reading, and suffice it to say, has made her family very happy. "I have strict parents," she confides, adding: "My dad made sure that I did well at school first and only then would he allow me to go for shoots. But now I have my degree and I can also be an artist… so all the hard work has paid off."
While Koe has alerted audiences outside Southeast Asia to her talents, she has also made a name for herself in these parts through roles such as in Neo's action-comedy Ah Long Pte Ltd (2014) and the wildly popular web series Wind Chimes In A Bakery.
If there's one thing her journey so far has taught her, it's "to play to your strengths." Concluding, Koe surmises: "I feel like hard work trumps talent. You have to audition, and a lot of the time is spent waiting. And most of the time it's also getting rejected. But that's part of an actor's job."
Adding, she shares: "I received so many rejections;. Some said I wasn't tall enough or I don't have the face of a main character. I get that all the time. But don't get beaten down by it because if you don't suit one role, another will come up. Go experience failures and learn from it."
