Cherie Lim Returns to Acting After 32 Years — But Her New Role Is Nothing Like Her Old Life

SINGAPORE — Former Singapore actress Cherie Lim is making a surprise return to acting more than three decades after stepping away from showbiz.

But her comeback role could not be more different from the life she has lived away from the cameras.

Cherie, who left the entertainment industry in 1994, will play a nosy fried chicken stall owner named Bing Bing in the upcoming 100-episode microdrama BingBingBiangBiang Kopidiam.

The comedy series brings together a group of familiar Singapore entertainment veterans, including Huang Yiliang, Cassandra See, Jason Oh, Constance Song, Apple Hong, Jin Yinji, Tang Miaoling and Joy Yak.

For Cherie, however, the return is especially significant.

After decades away from television, she is stepping back into the entertainment world not as a glamorous celebrity character, but as an ordinary kopitiam stallholder who loves getting involved in everybody else’s business.

From former TV star to kopitiam’s nosiest fried chicken seller

Cherie Lim was once a familiar face in Singapore television.

She graduated from the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation’s drama acting course in 1989 and appeared in Channel 8 productions including The Future Is Mine, Sweet Dreams and Young Justice Bao.

But she left showbiz in 1994 and largely stayed away from the entertainment spotlight for decades.

Now, at 56, Cherie is returning with a role that deliberately strips away any expectations associated with her public image.

In BingBingBiangBiang Kopidiam, she plays Bing Bing, a fried chicken stall owner with a reputation for being nosy.

According to Cassandra See, Cherie was invited to take on the role of an ordinary person running a food stall.

Cherie reportedly embraced the idea immediately and was even interested in playing a character with a more colourful and meddlesome personality.

It is a striking choice for a woman who has spent much of the past three decades living a low-profile life away from showbiz.

Why Cherie Lim disappeared from the spotlight

Cherie’s departure from public life was not accidental.

After leaving showbiz, she worked in public relations and later founded a modelling agency.

She married Singaporean billionaire Peter Lim in 2003 and became even more guarded about media attention.

In a rare interview previously reported by AsiaOne, Cherie said she became disappointed by stories written about her personal life and decided to maintain a safer distance from the media.

That makes her latest decision to join a public entertainment project all the more surprising.

Rather than returning through a traditional television drama, Cherie is entering the rapidly growing short-form entertainment space through a social media microdrama.

And she says her involvement is also about supporting Singapore’s local entertainment industry and giving back.

Cassandra See’s idea brought the stars together

The new project grew out of a gathering involving several former actors and actresses.

Earlier this year, Cassandra See and several Singapore entertainment personalities visited Huang Yiliang at his seafood zichar stall, Old Fisherman, at Circuit Road Hawker Centre.

Among those who joined the group were Cherie Lim, Jason Oh, Apple Hong, Joy Yak, Amy Koh and Celine Neo.

The group filmed videos supporting Huang after he became involved in a series of public disputes at his hawker stall.

During a meal with Huang and the group, the idea for a microdrama emerged.

What Huang initially thought would simply be a few friends filming videos eventually turned into something much bigger.

A 100-episode comedy series.

“I didn’t know what that was,” Huang told AsiaOne about microdramas.

He said he initially thought his friends only wanted to make a few videos together before discovering the scale of the planned project.

Huang Yiliang is also making an acting comeback

Cherie is not the only familiar face returning to acting.

The series will also mark a major acting comeback for Huang Yiliang, who plays the lead character, Ah Liang.

The veteran actor portrays a first-time hawker who rents what is believed to be a “cursed” stall at a neighbourhood coffee shop to sell crab bee hoon.

The stall comes with an unusual reputation.

When it is occupied, the coffee shop supposedly thrives.

When it is empty, business around the kopitiam slows down.

But Ah Liang’s attempt to build a successful hawker business quickly descends into chaos.

The story includes staffing drama, nosy neighbours, misunderstandings and a suspicious stall owner who believes Ah Liang may be having an affair with his own employee.

For Huang, the project marks his first major return to acting in years.

His last television drama was reported as The Golden Path, which aired in 2007, although he also appeared in his self-directed comedy film My Ghost Partner, released in 2012.

A real hawker plays a fictional hawker

The casting adds another interesting twist.

Huang is now a real-life hawker.

That means his character as a struggling crab bee hoon seller is not entirely unfamiliar territory.

The production team reportedly agreed to accommodate his business schedule by filming on Mondays, his rest day.

However, Huang admitted that returning to acting comes with new challenges.

At 65, he said he was more concerned about memorising lines than performing.

He told AsiaOne that while acting itself did not make him particularly nervous because of his years of experience, remembering dialogue could be more stressful now.

Veteran producer Michael Woo takes charge

The project is being directed by veteran producer Michael Woo, known for his work on Singapore sitcoms, including Don’t Worry, Be Happy.

The involvement of an experienced producer gives the social media project a more traditional television-style foundation despite its short-form format.

The series was announced at Singapore Expo on Aug. 21, with the first episode expected to premiere in mid-September 2026.

Episodes are set to be released through the Bing Bing Biang Biang Squad’s TikTok and Instagram platforms.

Cassandra See hopes Singaporeans will see themselves in the drama

For Cassandra See, the setting is one of the biggest reasons the project could connect with local audiences.

The coffee shop is a familiar part of everyday Singapore life.

People gather there to eat.

Neighbours talk.

Hawkers compete for customers.

Rumours spread.

Small arguments can quickly become everybody’s business.

Cassandra said the team hopes Singaporeans will be able to recognise themselves in the characters and situations, particularly the everyday customers and personalities commonly found in a kopitiam.

That local familiarity could become the series’ biggest advantage.

Instead of relying on expensive sets or elaborate locations, the story is built around a place many Singaporeans know well.

A neighbourhood coffee shop.

Why microdramas are attracting familiar faces

The project also reflects the growing importance of short-form video entertainment.

Rather than waiting for a television network to commission a full series, entertainers can now produce scripted content directly for audiences on TikTok, Instagram and other social media platforms.

The format allows veteran actors to reconnect with viewers while potentially attracting younger audiences who consume entertainment primarily through mobile devices.

For BingBingBiangBiang Kopidiam, the 100-episode format suggests the creators are aiming for a continuing story rather than a one-off social media experiment.

And with a cast filled with recognisable Singapore entertainment names, expectations are likely to be high.

Cherie’s comeback could become the biggest surprise

Huang Yiliang’s return has already attracted attention because of his recent public life as a hawker.

But Cherie Lim’s appearance may prove equally surprising.

She has largely stayed away from acting since the 1990s.

She also maintained a relatively private public profile after marrying Peter Lim and stepping away from the entertainment industry.

Now, after 32 years away from showbiz, she is returning not to play a celebrity or socialite.

Instead, she will be Bing Bing.

A nosy fried chicken seller in a chaotic Singapore kopitiam.

And that contrast may be exactly what makes the comeback interesting.

Cherie Lim spent decades away from the cameras.

Now she is returning to a fictional coffee shop where everybody is watching everybody else.

The question now is whether Singapore audiences are ready to welcome back one of the familiar faces they have not regularly seen on screen for more than three decades.

The answer may come when BingBingBiangBiang Kopidiam premieres in mid-September.

WWC ONE MEDIA J.M.D