Fun facts about the Star Awards 2025 Best Actress nominees

With the highly anticipated Star Awards 2025 happening this 6th of July, excitement is bubbling over for what promises to be a night of unpredictable performances, unforgettable wins, and electrical moments. 

Celebrating their 30th anniversary, this year’s Star Awards is set to be more grand and exciting than ever before.

Among the award categories, one of the night’s most anticipated would be the Best Actress category – a stacked lineup featuring a compelling mix of seasoned veterans and rising stars from Mediacorp. 

While they are all familiar faces with outstanding on-screen performances, the competition is tighter than ever, and spectators are eager to see who will bring home the desired trophy. 

Curious about who’s in the running for Best Actress? Here are some fun facts to get to know this year’s nominees a little better!

Felicia Chin, 40

She was part of the national softball team

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Acting wasn’t Felicia Chin’s first passion, it was actually softball. In 2000, she became the youngest member of Singapore’s national softball team and went on to help Victoria Junior College win the National Inter-School Girls’ Softball Championship. Interestingly, she was also schoolmates with fellow actor Lee Teng during her time at VJC. Felicia eventually left the national team in 2003 and soon after pursued acting.

She won Star Search 2003

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Felicia Chin’s career first took off after she was discovered on Mediacorp’s Channel 8 talent search programme, Star Search, where she emerged as the final female champion. At the young age of 18, she rose to fame and landed her debut acting role in “Always on My Mind.” alongside Shaun Chen. Her career quickly gained momentum, earning nominations for awards such as Best Supporting Actress in 2006 and Best Actress in 2009.

She is the Goodwill Ambassador for World Vision Singapore

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Beyond her acting career, Felicia Chin is also known for her big heart and compassion. She sponsors six underprivileged children from Bangladesh, Myanmar, West Bank, and Zambia, with the hope of bringing them joy, stability, and a brighter future. For Felicia, there is nothing more meaningful than helping a child break free from the cycle of poverty and grow into their full potential.

Jessica Hsuan, 54

She’s always “held hostage” on screen

With an acting career spanning over 30 years, Jessica Hsuan has been “held hostage” at least 27 times on screen – an unofficial record that fans have tracked closely. Impressively, she boasts a survival rate of 92.86% in these roles where being kidnapped is part of the plot, earning her the lighthearted title of being a ‘specialist at being taken hostage.’

Jessica has taken the distinction in stride, joking that she’s honoured to hold the record for the highest survival rate as a hostage. And with numbers like that, it may be a while before anyone comes close to claiming her crown.

She’s an animal lover

Jessica Hsuan is a devoted pet mom to two dogs and three cats. She has even turned down acting projects that would require her to leave her beloved pets alone at home. As an ambassador for the Society for Abandoned Animals Limited, Jessica passionately advocates for pet adoption, having personally adopted over 10 dogs and cats. Beyond her acting career, she’s simply an animal lover at heart.

Spot her at Hong Kong Disneyland’s Antman Attraction

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Jessica Hsuan stars as Leslie Lam, a local hero in Hong Kong Disneyland’s Marvel-themed ride, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Nano Battle!. Her character, the chief engineer of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Science & Technology Pavilion, leads riders on a mission to defend Hong Kong against an invasion of swarmbots. Visitors can spot Jessica Hsuan as Leslie Lam throughout the attraction, which uniquely features this Hong Kong–specific character.

Jesseca Liu, 46

She is a successful businesswoman

Jesseca Liu has proven her flair not only in acting but also in business. She currently manages two spas, three Airbnb homestay accommodations, and a café in her beloved hometown of Langkawi.

Truly a beauty with brains, her entrepreneurial spirit doesn’t stop there. Together with her husband, Jeremy Chan, she co-founded a home fragrance brand called ‘You’ – inspired by the custom scents they gifted their wedding guests, which received enthusiastic feedback. With the help of an expert, the couple personally curates each scent.

She’s the queen of versatility

From playing a tomboy to a Vietnamese bride, Jesseca Liu has played a wide range of roles throughout her acting career. She made her debut in the 2004 Mediacorp drama The Champions, portraying the sporty He Yi Xuan – best remembered for the iconic bikini run scene that stirred buzz at the time and remains a memorable moment.

Over the years, Jesseca has portrayed vastly different personalities: the shy Vietnamese bride Ruan Mian Mian in “Portrait of Home”, the boyish Zheng Zi Hui in “Falling in Love”, the cold divorce lawyer Guan Xin in “The Queen”, and most recently, a generous, warm-hearted mother in “Emerald Hill”.

She’s in a sweet and supportive marriage

With endless affection for each other, Jesseca Liu and Jeremy Chan have shared a happy marriage since 2017, and are also proud pawrents to two adorable cats. Known for their strong bond and mutual support, they often encourage fans to vote for each other during award seasons and occasionally share heartwarming glimpses into their relationship, delighting fans with their love and affection.

Hong Ling, 30

She is of Chinese-Thai heritage

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Born to a Thai mother and a Singaporean Chinese father, Hong Ling was originally known as Somaline Ang, but later adopted her Chinese name to make it easier for others to pronounce.

While she now goes by her Chinese name, Hong Ling remains deeply connected to her Thai heritage and embraces both sides of her identity. Following the recent passing of her mother, she honored her memory by recreating her mother’s Thai-style laksa from scratch with the help of a chef, a dish rich with irreplaceable memories and unexplainable love and longing.

She was discovered from a talent search programme

In 2007, Hong Ling emerged as a semi-finalist on the 13th edition of the talent search programme, “Hey Gorgeous”, which scouted young talents from tertiary institutions. Competing alongside fellow artistes such as winner Alfred Low, Carrie Wong and Richie Koh, she eventually signed with Mediacorp and kick started her career with “Against The Tide”, where she made her acting debut.

She is in a happy and loving marriage

Happily married to fellow Mediacorp actor Nick Teo, Hong Ling and her husband recently set off on their honeymoon to Switzerland. The couple have been enjoying the scenery, cuisine, and each other’s company, moments they’ve shared with fans on social media.

Earlier this year, Hong Ling bravely opened up about experiencing a miscarriage, in which she has been taking time to cope with. Beyond her talent as an actress, she continues to show strength and resilience in her personal challenges.

Chantalle Ng, 30

She is the polar opposite of her hit role Zhang An Na in Emerald Hill

Having a naturally bubbly and positive personality, Chantalle Ng faced significant struggles in portraying Zhang An Na, the main antagonist in Emerald Hill. She openly admitted that she disagreed with many of the character’s actions and decisions, and found it difficult to respect her, even though it was a role she had to play.

While she was initially excited by the opportunity to play the villain Zhang An Na, finding it a refreshing change, the emotional conflict of portraying such a morally complex character eventually drained her mentally. The constant struggle to align with Zhang An Na’s unrelenting cruelty led to multiple emotional meltdowns. She found it difficult to perform and go along with Zhang An Na’s consistently malicious behavior.

She has stage fright

Despite being a well-regarded actress, Chantalle Ng actually experiences immense stage fright and needs time to recover after appearing on stage and being in front of cameras at events like the annual Star Awards. However, she copes with it well by mentally preparing herself beforehand.

She’s germophobic

According to Chantalle Ng, she is a self-diagnosed germaphobe and cannot work without a bottle of hand sanitiser readily available on the filming set. She even has to sanitise her hands between takes.

She revealed that on drama sets, she would even need to have mouthwash ready for kissing scenes and using Dettol wipes to disinfect the ground before lying down for certain shots.