'I'm past my expiry date so nobody cares anyway': Gurmit Singh no longer self-conscious as he strips down to boxers in new movie

Instead of causing bodily harm to its exorcist, a demon in the new local movie The Chosen One decided to vanquish local actor Gurmit Singh's clothes instead. 

The comedic sequence takes place when Master Bai Yun (Gurmit), a monk who is "rusty" with his skills, tries to exorcise a Japanese demon. Not pleased with the menial offerings Bai Yun was presenting, the demon decided to blast his clothes off, leaving him clad only in his boxers.

When AsiaOne asked Gurmit, 59, recently if he felt self-conscious about the scene, he responded that he would have if the movie was shot 30 years ago.

"I did struggle with this thing called an inferiority complex and, back then, when I first came onto the showbiz scene, I wouldn't even take off my shirt even if I was wearing a singlet," he said.

"I was body-shaming myself but now, at this age, I realise that I'm past my expiry date so nobody cares anyway and it doesn't matter."

Gurmit added that, compared to his previous movies when he was at most shirtless, this has been the most exposed he's ever been on the screen.

"And I'm getting older, so I don't think I'll expose even more," he said.

Age isn't stopping Gurmit though, as he also shared that he enjoyed doing stunts for The Chosen One and wished he had the opportunity to do more.

"I love how you can challenge your body to do things like that, so much is possible," he explained.

He added, however, that a slow-down in terms of his physicality is inevitable due to his age. 

"I'm almost 60 years old, but in the early days I would run, I was athletic in school and very active in the school community."

'Santa Claus-ish' beard

Gurmit's favourite aspect of his character, Bai Yun (meaning "white cloud"), was the fluffy grey beard he had on, and he explained to AsiaOne in great detail how the prosthetic was applied.

"The moustache and beard took one hour to put on, I'd just lie down and they (the makeup team) would paste it neatly, make sure it's centred," he said. "Then after that, to make it natural, they would take a little toothpick and poke, poke, poke."

He added that the process took so long that he would be "ready to go to bed and not act" when it was done.

Nevertheless, he really loved having a beard and wished he could grow his own like that.

"I tried before but I can't because I'm mixed," he shared.

He added that his three kids also told him he looked "Santa Claus-ish" and approachable like "a friendly uncle".

Thankfully, it didn't make him too approachable as they shot scenes from the movie in a public place and people around them didn't realise it was him at first.

"I was so scared that people would say, 'Eh! Gurmit Singh' and I asked the director what would happen if they did that. She said, 'Oh, then cannot shoot, lah'," he recalled. 

"But nobody recognised me, so it was great! It was only after filming during the playback that people realised there was a camera crew and they started crowding around us [exclaiming],  'Eh, Phua Chu Kang, Phua Chu Kang!'"

He added that the moniker from the sitcom Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd (which aired from 1997 to 2007) sticks to him to this day, and he gets called that "even at the immigration office".

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'My grades told me you're gonna amount to nothing'

The Chosen One follows gangster Ah Jie (Zong Zijie), who has the power to see supernatural beings and exorcise them, but he chooses to cheat, con and fight instead of using his powers for good. When paranormal vlogger Sora Ma (Angel Lim) begins posting about unexplained events in the neighbourhood, it's up to Ah Jie to turn a new leaf and solve the issues.

Master Bai Yun tells the reluctant Ah Jie that it's his "destiny to be a Ghost Master", which had us wondering if Gurmit himself believes in fate.

"I believe everything happens for a reason. If it's meant to be, it will come back to you," he responded.

He explained that he came from a poor family and his biggest dream back then was to "own a motorcycle, perhaps". He was also doing so poorly in school that he felt that he couldn't "make it that far".

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"I actually prayed when I was 13 years old, I asked God not to make me a night watchman. My father was a night watchman, my grandfather was a night watchman," he added.

"Nothing wrong with that for sure, it's a job," said Gurmit, noting however, that the pay was too low to support a family.  

"If you're a bachelor, that's fine, but if you're trying to sustain a living, with a wife and three kids in the house... So I prayed to God that I didn't want to be a night watchman."

Having achieved success despite his poor grades and upbringing, Gurmit likes to tell students and his own kids during exam periods to take it easy.

"My grades showed me and told me literally to my face that you're gonna amount to nothing," he said.

Instead, he thinks there's always a job for "somebody, somewhere".

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The Chosen One, which also stars Kuo Shu-yao, will open in Singapore and Malaysian cinemas on May 30.

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Additional reporting by Lim Kewei.

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