Felicia Chin says communication is most crucial for cross-cultural couples
The Singapore actress shared how she only found out that the Lantern Festival was important to husband Jeffrey Xu after several years.
In her first leading role on a Channel 8 drama since she left Mediacorp, local actress Felicia Chin will be playing one half of a cross-cultural couple opposite fellow actor Jason Godfrey.
The drama, titled I Do, Do I?, sees Chin’s character meeting Godfrey’s character (Leonardo de Luca) while on a backpacking trip in Italy.
Speaking to 8world recently, the 38-year-old said that the role and script for this production drew her in.
“I never thought I’ll see a role like this this year, and I’m fortunate to be able to work with actors I’ve not had a chance to,” she said.
Chin is technically part of a cross-cultural couple in real life, too. Her husband, fellow actor Jeffrey Xu, hails from Shanghai. However, he is now based in Singapore with Chin and is managed by The Celebrity Agency, the talent management arm of Mediacorp.
Chin, though, departed Mediacorp last year and is now with Chinese-language faith-based platform Hai Hao Ma.
On the topic of couples from different cultures, Chin said that there will always be differences and that will even impact how they communicate.
She explained, “For example, when Jeffrey and I converse in Mandarin, some things I say aren’t necessarily what he thinks it is, so it causes friction sometimes. These things take time as couples get to know one another.”
A cross-cultural couple’s disparate backgrounds and upbringing will give rise to different personalities and this will require time to get used to, Chin pointed out.
“I’m glad we’ve been dating for a really long time, about seven years? This allowed us to have more time to understand each other and realise that we have a lot of differences. I feel that this period of time is good and healthy.”
Communication is the most important for cross-cultural couples, she said.
Chin referenced how Xu is someone who values the Chinese traditions and festivals - such as the Dragon Boat Festival or Mid-Autumn Festival - whereas she grew up in an environment that didn’t really celebrate these occasions.
As he was being considerate of her, he didn’t insist on having to celebrate them - something she only found out years later.
He was feeling very uncomfortable. After about four, five years, he finally told me ‘Actually I really like to eat tang yuan (glutinous rice balls traditionally eaten during the Lantern Festival).’ Only then did I realise that this festival is very important to him so we specially remembered it.Felicia Chin about husband Jeffrey Xu
Chin said that if you always keep things bottled up because you’re trying to be considerate for the other party, eventually you’ll ‘explode’.
“Whether it’s a couple in Singapore or a cross-cultural couple, I think the most important thing is to say what’s in your heart, but also to let go of your ego and understand others.”
Do you have a story tip? Email: sgnews.tips@yahooinc.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. Also check out our Southeast Asia, Food, and Gaming channels on YouTube.
