Megan Zheng

Megan Zheng (also known as Megan Tay, Chinese: 郑智允; pinyin: Zhèng Zhìyǔn) is a Singaporean actress who starred in two Singaporean movies: Homerun and One More Chance. For her role in Homerun, Zheng, then 10 years old, became the first Singaporean to win a Golden Horse Award, sharing her Best New Performer award with Wang Baoqiang.

Acting career

When Zheng was five, she accompanied her elder sister (who had a part in a documentary) to a TV station. Upon realising that the producer wanted her to play a part, a terrified Zheng hid behind a sofa.

Jack Neo, who wrote and directed Homerun, placed a newspaper advertisement about auditions for a role in the movie, stating that he was looking for a "girl about nine, [who is] dark, skinny, and can cry and act". After seeing the advertisement, Zheng's father joked that she fitted the bill, prompting the girl to call Neo's J Team Productions and arrange an audition. Just before the audition ended, Zheng reminded Neo that he had yet to see her cry and she then proceeded to demonstrate her ability to do so. This anecdote, coupled with Neo's belief that Zheng could take direction and "her eyes could communicate", convinced Neo to select Zheng over 1006 other children.