Tortured for his craft

MALAYSIAN-born actor Lawrence Ong (left) is tied and tortured mercilessly in his latest role for his new Mandarin film, The Very Last Day.
The film by director Cedric Jouarie will soon be heading to several international film festivals.
Ong, 43, who was born and raised in Kota Baru, Kelantan, is currently based in Taipei, and has been working on commercial and independent projects from Taiwan, Hong Kong, China and Japan.
His latest film sees him playing a successful novelist, Raymond Ho, who has just finished writing his latest novel, A Very Cold Summer.
The book is about 15-year-old Millie who goes on a date with Alan, a boy she admires. But the date turns into a nightmare when she is raped brutally.
While Raymond's latest book is doing well, his marriage to wife Viola is crumbling. So when one of his fans, Melanie, seduces him, they start an affair.
The two decide to get away for a romantic weekend.
But for Raymond, it is the start of his nightmare.
He finds himself tied to the bed and tortured by Melanie, who claims to be the Millie from his book, while Raymond pleads that the story is a work of fiction.
So who is lying?
The Very Last Day, shot entirely in Taiwan, is said to have have some daring scenes featuring violence and nudity.
As an actor, Ong feels he should not shy away from performing those scenes, and will go to any length to make his character believable.
So which one was more difficult to perform – the sex scenes, or the violent ones?
"Both scenes have their own challenges," Ong says. "When you have to do violent scenes, you need to be physically fit. You need the stamina to perform all those stunts.
"For nude scenes, they are more mentally challenging.
When you walk in the nude in the privacy of your home, no one is watching and you feel confident doing it.
"But when you are on a film set doing a nude scene, it is a totally different experience.
There are people on the set watching you and slowly, you become conscious of your body.
"You might think you are comfortable in your own skin and you will realise you are not. You need to overcome that if you want to make your character believable."
He points out that sometimes a director inserts explicit scenes just to bait the audience.
But here, he feels these scenes are necessary to make this particular film effective.
Asked to dissect Raymond, Ong says: "As an actor, I feel I am the only one in the world who will be speaking on behalf of my character.
So, I try not to judge my character."
Ong explains that the film explores Raymond's relationship with the four women in his life – his wife, his daughter, his publisher, and his fan.
"He is a different person with each one of them," says Ong.
"For example, Raymond can have a hostile relationship with his wife but, at the same time, he can be a loving dad to his daughter.
"I think all of us are like Raymond – we are different people when we deal with different people in our lives."
Asked if he will ever be good friends with someone like Raymond in real life, Ong says: "I think Raymond is the kind of guy who will have more female friends than male friends.
He loves attention from the fairer sex, and wants constantly to be praised."
Ong has come a long way within a relatively short time. He discovered his love for acting late in life, when he was 35.
That was in 2009 when he was working as a United Nations communication officer based in Beijing, China.
That day, he saw his first surrealistic theatre production.
"I did not understand what was going on, on the stage," he recalls.
"But I was totally captivated with what I saw. I knew then that I wanted to explore what acting is all about."
He quit his job with the United Nations and took up courses in acting.
His friends thought he was mad, or suffering from a mid-life crisis.
But Ong was adamant to follow his heart's desire, and he has never regretted his action.
He counts it as a blessing to be able to work as a full-time actor in a very competitive business.
It certainly appears his gamble has paid off.
"I always see the possibilities in life, not the restrictions," he adds.