Qi Yuwu On Joanne Peh Baring It All For Last Madame And Their “Adult” Four-Year-Old Daughter

No one looks better in a lawyer’s robe than Qi Yuwu. But it’s a compliment the actor will brush off with his trademark cool guy smirk. Instead, he will offer an explanation, as he is wont to do, that everyone will look good in the robe too because “all uniforms have a charm to it”. But not everyone is Qi Yuwu.

The 42-year-old is the star of new Ch 8 legal drama Daybreak — his character’s name, Tian Liang, literally means ‘daybreak’ in English — where he plays a former convict who turns his life around and becomes a hotshot lawyer. (P/S: The last time 715 played a lawyer was in the 2002 drama Family Court for which he won his first of his two Best Actor awards. So who knows come Star Awards 2020?)

The 20-ep Daybreak, which also stars Ya Hui, Sheila Sim, Zhang Yaodong and Bryan Wong, sees Yuwu’s character navigating through the theatricalities of life while battling it out in the courtroom. One plotline sees him defending his sister (played by Kym Ng) when she gets charged for — dum-dum-dum — murder. That storyline just so happens to be 715’s favourite in the show, mostly because he’s acting opposite Kym. Though they share just a handful of scenes together, their on-screen chemistry has clearly left an impression on both stars, with Kym going as far as to joke: “I think I was your wife in your previous life… so you can say I’m your first wife.”

Speaking of wife, 715 recently celebrated his fifth wedding anniversary — in Morocco, no less — with Joanne Peh, 36. The couple has two kids — their daughter aka Baby Qi is now four while their son, #QiDidi, turned two in April. And the Qis are back in the news again, not just because Yuwu has a new drama but also because of Joanne’s gutsy, boundary-pushing performance in new Toggle Original series, Last Madame. But we'll get to that in a bit.

Here, 8days.sg speaks to the actor, who, under his imperturbable mien and cucumber-cool demeanour, is laid-back, funny and faultlessly genuine.

8 DAYS: The last time you played a lawyer, you won Best Actor. Would you say you have mastered playing a legal eagle?
Qi YUWU: I don’t think I have because I have to work very hard every time to get that feeling I want to portray. And it’s not an easy kind of role ’cos there are so many lines. And as a lawyer, there are many emotions involved that are very grey, which is very hard to portray.
Do you think playing a lawyer again might bag you another Best Actor award?
I really don’t know. I hope so but I don’t know ’cos it’s a different story with a different cast and crew.
Did your parents ever want you to be a lawyer?
(Laughs) Luckily, no.
Why not?
In China, doctors and lawyers are jobs that people look up to because of their status in society and the impression they give people. And also because their income is of a certain level. But after getting to the jobs better through my work, I realised that being a lawyer or a doctor is a huge responsibility because a person’s fate is in your hands. It’s not just a job.
So why didn’t your parents want you to be a lawyer?
’Cos from young, they knew I didn’t have what it takes to be one (laughs).
How come?
My school grades weren’t good so they didn’t have much hope in that aspect (laughs). And I was very playful.

Would you want your kids to be lawyers then?
If that’s something they want to do, I’ll support them for sure.
Are they good at arguing?
Not yet. But my daughter is growing up day by day and sometimes when I communicate with her, it feels like I’m talking to an adult. I’m not saying that she is very good with words but it’s her thinking and the way she expresses herself that makes me think, “Wah, she’s like an adult.”
How so?
I don’t have any example for you but I’m guessing she could have picked it up from her interaction with her classmates or from listening to what [Joanne and I] say to each other. And to hear her say things like that… it makes me feel like she’s no longer a child.
Do you think, in that aspect, she’s like Joanne, who has always been very articulate and vocal?
To be honest, yes. From the way my daughter thinks to the way she expresses herself, you can’t deny that it’s very connected to how Joanne and I communicate with each other every day. And it’s not like we guided her to behave like that.

You and Joanne were recently in Morocco for 12 days to celebrate your fifth wedding anniversary. So how life-changing was that trip?
Life-changing? Maybe not to that extent. But it was a trip we’ve been looking forward to for a long time because we became parents shortly after we got married. And after that, everywhere we went, the kids came with us. Don’t get me wrong, it’s always happy with them around. But, on the other hand, we realised that what was missing were opportunities where it’s just the two of us.
What was it like to go 12 days without your kids around?
At the beginning, we missed them a lot. But then slowly, we started to experience that feeling of being carefree again and what it was like when it was just the two of us. I think it’s something all married couples with kids should get to enjoy once in a while.
Do you miss the days when it was just you two?
I still enjoy having kids more but I really treasure the times when we get to spend time alone together.

Joanne has been in the news because her role in Last Madame required her to go nude for a racy scene. She has always been an actress who takes risks, so would you say you were not surprised that she decided to take on such a role?
I didn’t know the details of the show but she did tell me that there was such a role offered to her. I also didn’t talk to her in detail about the filming process but she did say it was going to be M18 so I knew that there would be a certain level of [provocation]. I’m an actor too and I’ve filmed similar scenes before. I was completely nude for a scene in [2002 Australian movie] The Home Song Stories but that scene didn’t make it to the final product in in the end. So, as an actor, I understand the pursuit of art. But of course, you can’t go nude for no reason too. I also believe that Joanne is able to judge for herself and decide whether this is something she is willing to do.
So there was no discussion between the two of you about the role?
Not too much. I feel, and we’re not even talking about being an actor, but as a woman, to take off your clothes in front of so many people and act in scene like that with a male actor… it’s really something. She is an adult and she is a very experienced and professional actor so I didn’t have too many considerations. I respect her decision. And I really applaud her ’cos in Singapore, there hasn’t been a role like that, especially in a Mediacorp drama. And for an actress, a mother, and a woman to dare to take this step, I really respect her.

Yuwu in The Home Song Stories, which he starred in opposite Joan Chen.

Does it make you want to do something as provocative?
I wouldn’t do it for just for the sake of doing it. I’m not scared of taking risks as long as it’s worth it and that it’s tasteful.
Have you watched Last Madame?
I have not but she did show me a few scenes.
Which ones?
The more revealing ones.
And what was your reaction?
I think, basically, there’s nothing much to it. It’s shot beautifully. I care more about what she feels about the show ’cos filming was hard and it was a huge challenge for her. So what she thinks of it matters more to me.

Photos: Alvin Teo/ 8days.sg, Qi Yuwu's Instagram and Joanne Peh's Instagram

Daybreak debuts on Oct 21, 9pm on Ch 8. You can also watch it for free on Toggle.

Click here to watch all 12 episodes of Last Madame on Toggle for free.