Local actor Elvin Ng got to tap into a crazy and more rebellious side of himself for his latest character, a flirtatious and witchcraft-using psycho monk.

After being cast mostly as a "boy-next-door" for the past 20 years, he told AsiaOne in a recent interview: "I felt like I've been in prison."

Elvin acknowledged he's in a transitional phase where he's no longer cast in the youthful roles he once played, but not yet stepping into older characters either.

While he described it as an "awkward situation", he also saw it as a welcomed shift that brings more balance to his career after years of intense, non-stop work.

So when he got his first-ever villain role Ah Lin Ta in the new drama The Spirit Hunter, he felt his "other side came out".

"There's actually a very dark side to me that I wanted to bring up, a bit crazy, a bit more rebellious," he said. "I love the anti-hero more than the hero."

The 44-year-old shared that he auditioned for other roles in the drama but was looking forward to Ah Lin Ta the most.

"I felt like it was more fun, more complicated and just more fluid," he said.

In The Spirit Hunter, Hong Ling plays protagonist Tian Nana, a 20-year-old girl burdened to carry a toy sword infused with the spirit of Jian Ling (Richie Koh), which curses her to see supernatural entities that she must defeat.

Ah Lin Ta is an all-powerful monk who stays young by transforming during solar eclipses. He's also an escaped magician who creates illusions in battle, making many people — including Nana — question reality.

"I finally get to be a psycho," Elvin said. "I was super excited."

He revealed the scriptwriter and producer summed up his character in two words: "Flirtatious" and a "killer".

Elvin imagined his character being entertained through the chaos he creates, explaining: "Because if not, what entertainment is there for him, if he's already so powerful?"

He added: "The more confused people are, the more fun he has."

Inspiration

Elvin shared he was inspired to play his character in a "crazy" and "I don't care anymore" manner thanks to the Joker from The Dark Knight, adding he loved the chaos and anarchy that the latter brings.

Eventually, he told the producer he wanted his character to be bigger, louder and crazier, more than just the "crazy monster" that the character was initially described as.

"To only label him as a crazy monster is very one-dimensional, and too loyal to one definition," he explained.

Elvin added that it was tougher for him to prepare for Ah Lin Ta. In his previous roles, he just needed to "continue with the flow" according to the character's emotion at that point.

However, because Ah Lin Ta's personality shifts so drastically and unpredictably, Elvin initially didn't know how to approach the role.

His late theatre teacher Jonathan Lim helped in the process.

"When I worked with Jonathan, we started with how he walks. He's a bit serpent-like."

He also chose a song for the character — in this case, Titanium by David Guetta — and listened to it for around three months.

"I chose that song because it feels like it takes me out there somewhere very far away," Elvin said.

"When I started, it wasn't acting anymore. It was just me, being him, playing him, and having fun. So I think it changed me."

When asked whether he would consider playing another similar role, Elvin said: "I'm in that period, that era, where I just want to be fluid and fun and I can't care too much anymore. For a while, I've been caring a bit too much."

The Spirit Hunter, which also stars Ferlyn Wong and Tyler Ten, will be available on demand for free on Mewatch from June 30. It will also premiere on Channel 8 on July 3, airing weekdays at 9pm.

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liv.roberts@asiaone.com

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