Jeffrey Xu felt 'sexy & pretty' playing cross-dresser
In his first movie role, Jeffrey Xu plays cosplayer who cross-dresses as female characters
For China-born Mediacorp actor Jeffrey Xu's first movie role, he had to cross-dress as a woman and even wear a padded E-cup bra stuffed with tennis balls.
It boosted his chest so much he could even balance a cup of coffee on it.
The 27-year-old is best known for his roles in Channel 8 and Channel U series like Devotion, Marry Me, Gonna Make It and Scrum!
In a new local cosplay film, Young & Fabulous, which opens here tomorrow, Xu plays Chen Jun, a sassy, expressive and highly-opinionated cosplayer who cross-dresses as female anime characters.
The movie is a coming-of-age story of a group of friends (Aloysius Pang, Joshua Tan and Joyce Chu) who bond over their love for cosplay and are unafraid of pursuing their dreams.
Xu told The New Paper at the movie press conference yesterday: "Of course I don't like cross-dressing. It's just for work.
EXCITED
"But I was excited about this part because I hope to show the audience something different.
"I think they might wonder who is this person (when they watch the film) or people might think, 'Wow, this person is quite pretty'."
Xu, who is one of the eight Dukes of Caldecott Hill, said it took more than three hours to apply the make-up and get dressed for his scenes.
His favourite cosplay outfit was a bright red dress with the aforementioned bra, which he wore for a shopping mall scene.
"I felt sexy and pretty in the costumes," admitted Xu, who rated himself an eight out of 10 when it came to how good he thought he looked as a woman.
He recalled how when he was out buying coffee in his costume during a break and did not have anywhere to put the cup, he successfully balanced it on his fake chest as it was wide enough.
"When we went on (a) Love 97.2FM (radio show) to promote the movie, (its host) Mark Lee joked, 'Next time, you can try putting a tablet on your chest and see if you can use it'," said Xu.
"Of course I don't like cross-dressing. It's just for work."
- Actor Jeffrey Xu
'Quite busy', so no change to relationship status for now
It has been more than a month since the Star Awards 2016 Post Show Party, where Jeffrey Xu, 27, openly confessed his feelings for local actress Felicia Chin, 31.
He had told the media that he "likes" her and that there are "sparks" between them.
He even kissed her on the cheek after he won the Top 10 Most Popular Male Artiste award.
But when pressed for an update on their relationship status, he said they still have not made things official.
The budding celebrity couple attend the same church and became very good friends after filming the Channel 8 drama Life - Fear Not together.
Xu told TNP: "I think Felicia and I are quite compatible, even though some people might think we are not. But compatibility is ultimately up to us."
He said that since Star Awards, they've been "quite busy" with their own filming schedules.
"Felicia is busy filming her new show in Malaysia, but we do keep in touch. I don't know about our next step, but if there's any good news, we will share."
He added: "Even if Felicia and I are not together, at least I (have) expressed my feelings for her."
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