Abigail Chay. What can I say that hasn’t been said about her? She’s arguably the most jovial out of the four speakers that came, which
I’m entirely sure had to come down with her complete merry
attitude in life.

 

Her talk was more personal and carefree. She didn’t show us any
clips of her acting during the whole talk but she more than provided
us with the stories she had working in the industry. From her humble beginnings to her pivotal role in ‘Under One Roof’, she spoke about
her past with such a fondness that makes it clear that she never regretted working in such a flexible industry. I wasn’t born when
she starred in ‘Under One Roof’ but I did understand her references
to Phua Chu Kang so I found her funny nonetheless.

 

She retold her dreams of becoming a singer in the Chinese Getai Theatres and how each casting either turned her away or was recommended to try another role other than the one that she
had wanted. I was envious to her perseverance, seeing how she
didn’t let every rejection get to her and instead, reaching out to the
next audition. Her tenacity and hunger was respectable and I commended her for it.

 

Her constant auditions to getai theatres soon spread to auditions
for acting jobs, ones that were recommended and supported by her mother. Abigail mentioned that she never thought of acting on local television and it’s that small leap of faith that solidified her entire entertainment career. From local sitcoms to local movies, she jumped and cemented herself as the quirky and lovable character that every Singaporean knew and adored.

 

What struck me more was her complete confidence in herself. She knew she wasn’t the prettiest actress around; she knew people never associated her with the word ‘beauty’. Instead, she embraced herself wholly and focused on the things that she excelled greatly in, such as her humour and down-to-earth personality. It amazed me how much confidence she had that it brought my self-esteem to shame. Her jokes mostly centered on herself, not in the snooty braggy way but in a way that lets people know that she acknowledges her weakness and turns that into her strengths. I was in complete awe at her totally when she shared her stories on her self-esteem until she quickly changed the topic, reprimanding herself for talking too much about, well, herself.

 

Abigail left us a couple words of wisdom during her talk. She told us to be confident in all of our future endeavors, a practice that was proven to work in her entertainment career and I made a point to catch her new film in the cinemas in the future.