Malaysian pop star Lin Min-chen on starring in Table for Six with Dayo Wong and Stephy Tang, how she got scouted on Instagram – and why she once dreamed of being a chef

Jan 27 , 2022

The multi-talented Lin Min-chen is about to return to our screens as Ah Meow in Table for Six. Photo: @minchen333/Instagram

The Hong Kong-based singer-turned-actress says she shares similarities with her character Ah Meow in her latest film, Lunar New Year blockbuster Table for Six

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Mui choy kau yook, or braised pork with preserved vegetables, is the Cantonese phrase Malaysian actress Lin Min-chen recalls most clearly from her latest movie, Table for Six, directed by Chan Wing-sun and starring Dayo Wong, Stephy Tang, Ivana Wong and others.

In the movie, she plays Ah Meow – a foodie who joins a family of three brothers in a tale that is as much about gastronomy as it is about family, released just in time for Lunar New Year.

Lin Min-chen and the cast of Table for Six. Photo: @minchen333/Instagram

This is Lin’s fifth movie made in Hong Kong, and learning lines in her non-native tongue of Cantonese remains the Mandarin-speaking actress’ biggest hurdle.

“A lot of Ah Meow’s lines are funny – this added even more pressure to my Cantonese practice because my pronunciation had to be on point to deliver her humour. But I am grateful that the director has aligned a lot of my background with that of Ah Meow. For instance, she also moved from Taiwan to Hong Kong and was brought up in an unconventional family,” she says.

Lin Min-chen and her siblings. Photo: @minchen333/Instagram

Born in Penang, Lin is the second eldest sister to two half-brothers. She started working as a waitress at 14 years old, became a kindergarten teacher – her “happiest job yet” – and eventually started her own beauty salon before one of her Instagram pictures caught the eye of talent scouts seven years ago. Lin also dreamt of being a chef, though admits that mui choy kau yook isn’t one of her signature dishes.

“I can make really good honeyed pork ribs,” she laughs. “But not mui choy kau yook.”

Lin Min-chen signed with independent label Seed Music and went on to have a string of hits. Photo: @minchen333/Instagram

Lin’s career-change only took flight after her friend (Malaysian singer-songwriter) Yu Heng opened her eyes to the opportunities Taiwan record labels could offer her.

“My first thought was that I would be making a lot more money if I became a singer,” Lin jokes. “I already taught myself to sing and play piano, my mother sung in Singapore for a while, my sister was a model. So if I get free training from these companies, why not take the leap?”