Taiwanese Actor Jerry Yan gets to be himself in drama series Hot Shot, Premieres Tomorrow

The Straits Times, Friday, Life! - 14 November 2008

Yen can Joke ~~ Taiwanese Actor Jerry Yen gets to be himself in drama series Hot Shot

There is no big-name female lead in the new basketball-themed Taiwanese idol drama Hot Shot.

Instead, the 16-episode series stars three of Taiwan's hottest male artists - boyband JVKV's Jerry Yen, popular TV host Show Luo and boyband Fahrenheit's Wu Chun.

The series, which premieres tomorrow on E City (StarHub Channel 56), is about a group of outstanding basketball players who compete in inter-school competitions and vie with one another for the coveted Most Valuable Player award.

For Yen, acting in the show was a breakthough because it was his first comedic role, one which required him to make funny faces and act in an exaggerated manner.

The 31-year-old tells Life! in Mandarin over the telephone from Tapei recently: "I am quite cheeky and playful in real life, so I am glad I finally have the chance to play such a character."

The good-looking actor reveals he was the happy-go-lucky one in class during his secondary school days and would often crack jokes to tease his teacher when she was talking.

Among the three male leads, Yen thinks Luo, 29, is the funniest with his jokes and sociable character, while Wu, 29, is a "caring" and sophisticated gentleman".

He recalls: "There was once when I injured during a basketball match with Wu came to ask me about it and even recommended me clinics to go to for my injuries."

Comparing himself to the rest, Yen says he is quieter and more stern during filming.

"I am very tense and serious on set, which is why I may appear aloof and cold to others, but I do have a friendly side, especially when I am not filming," he says.

The model-turned-actor, whose band JVKV was formerly known as F4, became famous in Asia after acting in the phenomenally successful idol drama Meteor Garden (2001).

Yet, with no hint of an ego, he says he thinks Wu is the most handsome among the three hunks in Hot Shot.

He says: "Wu is very muscular and he has a very good figure. When he plays basketball, he has a serious and focused look in his eyes which is very attractive to women."

When it comes to the fairer sex, Yen says he prefers gentle women with soft, sweet voices as they make him feel "very comfortable and at ease".

Interestingly, his rumoured ex-girlfriend, 33-year-old model-turned-actress Chiling Lin, has a baby-pitched voice.

The now-single Yen, who last released his solo album Jerry For You four years ago, is currently working on his second solo album. Three songs have already been recorded and he hints that the album may include fast dance numbers.

As for now, he has these words for his fans here: "I hope to be able to make time and go to Singapore and meet all of you soon."

watch it: Hot Shot
When: Premieres tomorrow, then every Saturday at 7pm
Where: E City (StarHub Channel 56)

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Jerry Yan jokes that he plays basketball like a construction worker but praises Wu Zhun as a macho muscle-man!

Taipei Telephone Interview by Huang Jing Jing

The three handsome guys Jerry Yan, Show Luo and Wu Zhun are starring in the Taiwanese Idol serial ‘Hotshot’ together. Jerry Yan said that Wu Zhun is the most handsome, Show Luo is the most mischievous and he himself is the toughest nut to crack! {ie he means he is difficult to understand.}

To promote ‘Hotshot’ which will be shown locally in November, Jerry Yan was interviewed over the phone yesterday.

A departure from his previous image of being cool, shy and a man of few words, he was chatty, lively and humorous over the phone. When the interview ended, I was anxiously wondering, ‘Was that really Jerry Yan?’

When asked about his collaboration with Xiao Zhu (nickname for Show Luo) and Wu Zhun, Jerry Yan said, ‘Xiao Zhu is very comical and very cute. Furthermore, he gets along with everyone very well. Wu Zhun is very obedient and a very gracious gentleman. He is very considerate of others too. If someone gets injured during the game, he would show his concern and even recommends a doctor. ’

Who is the most handsome amongst the three? Jerry Yan chose Wu Zhun, ‘His body is in great shape. When he plays basketball, he is really a macho muscular guy!’

He describes himself as ‘someone who is hard to understand. Those who know me personally knows that I can be rather mischievous. But when I’m working or reading a script, I am very serious and austere. My crew members might feel that my temperament changes a lot. At times, I am very ‘cool’ so nobody dares talk to me but in fact I will play around with my make-up artiste and with the crew.’

Jerry Yan admits to lose out to Wu Zhun in basketball skills. ‘In private when we play, he is better than me. Actually he was a member of the National Team in Burnei.’

Even when playing basketball with Jerry, Jay Zhou wants to act cool. He feels that he is like ‘construction worker ball player’. ‘When I play with Jay, he will do all sorts of ‘cool’ shots but I won’t pay attention to whether I look good or not. My attention is on how to score so in comparison, I’m like a construction worker ball player who is serious about his work.’

The clown in class

The character that Jerry Yan plays in ‘Hotshot’ is more comical than before and it has him makes faces as well. He said, ‘I want to try more interesting roles. Furthermore in private I am a rather mischievous person so I could take to the role. Like in one scene when Xiao Zhu fell down, I ran over and dragged him by his legs. That was something I thought up on the spot.’

During his school days, he was in fact the class clown. ‘When the teacher said something, I would rebuke on purpose and the whole class would be roaring in laughter. I was very popular then and very mischievous like an odd-ball pupil.’

‘Hotshot’ will be televising every Saturday at 7 on Starhub cable from the 15th of November.

My mother is the most important person in my life

To promote ‘Hotshot’, the Taiwan TV station had key rings, transit cards, frames and the best sellers were bolster covers with Jerry Yan, Show Luo and Wu Zhun. So if Jerry Yan were to choose which female artiste would he like to have on his bolster case?


He thought for a while and replied, ‘I don’t pay attention to any artiste in particular but I will notice a lady’s voice. I remember I was at the Karoake once and the girlfriend of a friend had a very shrill voice. She thought she sang very well but I felt that she was very noisy. Like some ladies feel that their voices sound very nice and they speak loudly. Actually I think speaking softly and gently is better.’


F4 had their concert in Japan last month. When he mentioned on stage of ‘the most important person in my life’, he suddenly said ‘Zhi Ling San’. So everyone’s guessing that he wanted to publicly declare his love for Lin Zhi Ling. Regarding this, he said, ‘That person is my mother. She came to see our performance. I was sad and happy all at once. In this line, we are under a lot of pressure and my mother has been always encouraging me. So every time when I see her, I think of how hard it was for her to bring us up. Her appearance gave me a lot of encouragement.’

Jerry Yan is taking a new serial and is also preparing for his new solo album. Three songs have been already recorded. He laughed saying, ‘It makes me happy just thinking about how the new songs don’t sound that they are sung by me.’

~ THE END ~