You’ve seen him on stage playing various characters, and now you can watch Lucas Chia on TV in The Band.
If you tune in to the series The Band on Okto channel every Wednesday night, you might spot a familiar face among the cast—that of Lucas Chia, 21, who is a regular cast member in City Harvest Church’s drama productions. In what may well be his breakthrough role in TV, Chia plays the charismatic lead singer Ethan in the 10-episode series.
Having been involved in countless theater productions since age four, Chia made his foray into television when he clinched a part as a co-host on Kids Central’s Do What You Want series in 2008. Along the way, he did show hosting for commercials, and introduced prizes and promotions in between cartoon programs. When Kids and Arts Central merged and the Okto channel was formed, the producers called him to audition for The Band.
Going from stage to screen isn’t all that easy. Chia says, “It’s so different. On stage, you have to do everything ‘big,’ while on TV it’s a lot of internalizing the characters, and many times it’s ‘less is more.’ It’s the little, subtle things that the camera really picks up. So, I have had to fix a lot of the old habits I picked up from my theatre training. I was told my eyebrows moved too much, that I had too many facial expressions and that my actions were too ‘big.’ So I had to cut down on a lot of that for TV.”
So what’s in store for Chia on the road ahead? Currently in National Service and waiting to enter university, Chia hopes to expand upon his three-year experience in hosting and be involved in more theater productions in future. “When I perform on stage, seeing the audience smile, laugh and even cry along with me, feeling what I feel, that is so fulfilling.”
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Chia hopes to touch as many lives as he can through this industry. Beyond the prospect of fame or recognition, he says, “It feels good knowing that I can be a role model to the kids, to entertain and inspire them.”
For budding performers, Chia shares, “Go for lots of auditions. Take the risk and don’t be afraid of rejection—it doesn’t mean you’re no good, but it may just be that you are not what they are looking for in particular. I went through many auditions myself before finally getting the role in The Band. It takes a lot of guts, and you must be bold, courageous and prepared to work hard, but know that all big-time artists started small, so don’t despise the humble beginnings. I,too, hope I’ll get there one day.”
The Band airs every Wednesday at 8pm on Okto.
4 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT LUCAS …
His childhood dream is to be a rock star. “I’ve always wanted to form a band with my buddies but never got around to it, due to either a lack of commitment or time. So being in this series has in a way helped me live out my dream!”
What’s in his iPod. Switchfoot, One Republic and Coldplay (on lazy days, it’s acoustic music like John Mayer and James Morrison).
He is a shy guy in real life. “A lot of people don’t know that but I’m actuallyquite shy. It’s only when I’m placed on stage when I have to do my job that Lucas comes alive. If I were on my own, I like to just be quiet and enjoy the solitude.”
He’s nothing at all like his character Ethan in The Band. “I’m more of a funny, easy-going kind of guy, definitely not a Casanova nor the ‘emo’ type.”
