Lianhe Zaobao visited the set of Singapore drama R.I.P on 12 November. At a filming facility in eastern Singapore, the production team has built two of the drama’s main sets: an autopsy room and a funeral parlour.
Inside the chilly autopsy room stands an autopsy table, with instruments and equipment neatly arranged alongside it. Dressed in protective gear, Richie Koh stands beside the table, looking focused and serious.
Centred on forensic pathology, R.I.P also explores funeral services and real-life issues. Xie Shaoguang plays Gao Tianming, a veteran forensic pathologist with a neurodegenerative disease who has no choice but to work with the lackadaisical mortuary attendant Li Younan, played by Koh. Li performs the dissections on his behalf.
Following The Gift of Time, this is the second drama in veteran Best Actor winner Xie’s return to television, and it once again deals with life and death. Asked by Lianhe Zaobao whether he had deliberately chosen similar subject matter, he said no. “I think it’s a matter of timing and opportunity, because this is a subject that interests me greatly and feels very close to home. Besides, as I get older, death is something I cannot avoid.”
His past experience with end-of-life care taught Xie to think of life in five-year stages. “I used to meet many cancer patients, and five years is usually the benchmark for seeing whether the disease has returned. So I thought, let me first make these five years count. If life is going well, take each year as it comes. It’s no longer about whether you fear death, but whether you cherish yourself.”
Asked whether any particular experience had brought him to this realisation, Xie shook his head. “Not really. Unless something hurts you personally, unless you’ve suffered a setback, you won’t feel the pain. Many people say they understand the reasoning but just can’t put it into practice. Of course, that understanding doesn’t come immediately. But if you can gradually look back and see that the setback has happened and the pain has been felt, yet you’re still dwelling on it and making yourself suffer, I think you’re only short-changing yourself.”
Listening to Xie’s expressive delivery felt almost like tuning in to a podcast. Asked whether he had considered starting one to share reflections on life, he laughed. “No, I wouldn’t presume to have anything worth offering. Besides, there’s plenty of similar material out there, especially now that information is so readily available. Everyone already knows what I’m saying. It’s nothing new.”
Koh plays mortuary attendant Li Younan, who also serves as Gao Tianming’s hands at the autopsy table.
He said he had taken lessons from Malaysian forensic pathologist Chen Ranzhi before filming began, learning the basic principles and procedures of an autopsy. Dr Chen had also flown to Singapore specially to supervise filming on the day of the visit. Demonstrating the movements as he spoke, Koh explained: “We’re filming autopsy scenes this week, and he checks our technique. For example, with the aorta, you need to cut here to determine whether there’s a blockage…”
During the lessons, Koh was also “forced” to look at some case studies. Asked whether anything had been particularly difficult to take in, he replied without hesitation: “Of course! I’m actually afraid to look at organs. I was made to do it!” Was he afraid of blood? He joked: “Not blood, but seeing organs makes me feel rather uncomfortable. It’s all right now, though. The more I look, the more comfortable I feel. They’re actually quite similar to the organs of animals such as pigs and sheep.”
Working with Xie for the first time, Koh admitted that he had initially found him rather serious. After spending a few months together, however, he discovered that Xie was quite fond of joking. “We have something of a mentor-and-protégé relationship in the drama. If my respect for him kept us at a distance, we might not be able to bicker with each other on screen. Getting to know each other better helps with the acting. At first, we kept chatting to break the ice — about the drama, our lines and his earlier work.”
The other main set on the day’s visit was the funeral parlour built by the production team. Cheryl Chou, who plays embalmer Gao Yifei, took the media on a tour of the Gaoren funeral parlour.
Chou explained that the funeral parlour is a family business passed down through the generations. As a result, Gaoren has a more old-fashioned feel than other funeral parlours, and its tools are less advanced.
In the drama, Gao Yifei has an unusual habit: she likes sleeping in a coffin. During the visit, Chou revealed that those scenes had yet to be filmed. “I may only be able to tell you later what it feels like to sleep in a coffin. After all, very few people get to do that while they’re still conscious. Being an actor is quite nice — you get to experience so many different things.”
The 20-episode R.I.P is executive-produced by Luo Wenwen, with the story by Zhong Jinjun and Huang Zixi. It is scheduled to air in August 2027.
