We all make mistakes and sometimes the guilt lingers for years.

For Mediacorp actress Denise Camillia Tan, one such moment has weighed heavily on her since the early days of her career.

In a recent episode of local musician Shin's podcast Shin Get’s Real, the 32-year-old Malaysia-born star opened up about a painful memory while filming 2017 drama While We Are Young.

Denise, who had joined showbiz just a year earlier in 2016, revealed she was instructed by the director to “genuinely slap Rebecca Lim” for a scene.

As a rookie still finding her footing, she took his words literally — and ended up giving Rebecca a hard slap.

"I was really stressed while filming that scene," Denise admitted.

"The plot required me to slap a particular actress. I was new to acting and had no idea how things worked on set. I didn't know who to go to for advice either," she said.

She revealed that during rehearsals, she had refrained from actually hitting Rebecca. But when the cameras rolled, she went through with it.

“I should have asked the director — in front of everyone — how to handle it properly. But I honestly didn’t know better back then,” she reflected, calling herself "really silly" for not speaking up.

It was only after seeing Becks' reaction that Denise realised how much her slap must have hurt.

“When I hit her the first time, the director suddenly yelled ‘Cut!’. But I couldn’t stop myself in time. So we had to do it a second time,” she recounted.

Riddled with guilt, Denise confessed she didn’t have the courage to approach Becks after the shoot.

"I was terrified. I didn't know how to bring it up and I had no idea how she felt or what she was thinking," she said.

Though eight years have passed, the memory still weighs on her. At Shin’s prompting, Denise finally took the chance to apologise.

Overcome with emotion, she broke down in tears. “It has been so many years, I was never able to say it," she sobbed.

"I was so new back then and I thought that was how acting worked. I know that slap must have hurt. Rebecca, I'm so sorry."

Denise also shared that she faced backlash when she first mentioned the incident at the drama’s press conference.

Some netizens even accused her of hitting Becks on purpose, which she found very hurtful.

"I really didn’t — it was in the script. I just didn’t handle it well," she said.

Don't worry Denise, we're sure Becks never held it against you. 

Catch Denise and Rebecca in While We Are Young on mewatch or in the video below:

Photos: Shin Get’s Real/Instagram, mewatch