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When 8days.sg first tried to get Mediacorp actor Jona Chung on the phone to chat about his first big role in the water polo drama, The Cellphone Swap, we were told that he could only speak to us the following week. In the series, Jona plays Talon, a mysterious transfer student who turns out to be a star water polo player.

And what was the 26-year-old Star Search 2024 second runner-up busy with, you may ask?

A water polo competition — a real, not reel, one, might we add.

Turns out, Jona had jumped straight from the drama set to the competition over the weekend, where he and his teammates snagged third place.

Did he get inspired after filming the drama to start playing water polo, or what?

According to Jona, he was the only The Cellphone Swap cast member to take part in the Men's Open of the Pesta Sukan national competition held at Our Tampines Hub.

It was their water polo coach and consultant on set who had asked him if he wanted to join the competition.

“They also asked me to continue joining them for training after that. I would if [my schedule] would allow,” says Jona, who used to swim competitively for a swim club when he was in living in Taiwan.

And yes, while Jona is comfortable in trunks, he admits there was still plenty of pressure to look camera-ready.

He tells 8days.sg that he had only a month to hit the gym to bulk up before filming started, and credits fellow Mediacorp actor Zhai Siming for an important tip.

“While most people avoid carbs, he actually taught us to eat carbs before shooting each day as it can pump us up a little bit more,” he shared.

“We were in the water for about 12 hours each day. Even between takes, we would just be floating in the water waiting for the crew to set up the next scene,” he says.

Did he or any of his castmates… pad their swimming trunks during filming?

“What?! No! But everyone did joke about it. But I think most of us were just thinking how our chest looked on camera,” he says. 

Those marathon pool sessions during filming did come up with some unique side effects, though.

Specifically, serious tan lines, and a very cheeky IG story shared by Siming where the cast flaunted their swimming trunk tan lines.

“While I was used to it, the stark difference [in skin colour] on some of the guys from when we started at 8am to 8pm was crazy,” he muses.

Photos: Mediacorp, jonachung_/IG

Catch Jona in The Cellphone Swap on mewatch or in the video below: