Singapore performers Yunis To and Lim Pin Juen are stepping outside their comfort zones in Mediacorp’s ambitious dystopian crime drama The Leftovers, taking on physically demanding fight sequences for the first time in their acting careers.
The two stars recently opened up about their challenging filming experiences in an interview with AsiaOne’s E-Junkies, revealing how stunt choreography, professional martial artists and extensive safety preparations helped them tackle the action-packed scenes.
The series, which is already streaming on Netflix and mewatch Prime, transports viewers to a fictional island devastated by a volcanic eruption. Environmental pollution causes widespread organ failure, creating a desperate demand for transplants and allowing criminal organisations to build a dangerous underground organ-trafficking network.
For Yunis and Pin Juen, however, the biggest challenge was not simply understanding their characters. It was learning how to perform convincing physical action while ensuring that every movement remained safe.
Their experiences offer a glimpse into the demanding production behind one of Mediacorp’s most ambitious television projects.
Yunis To Faces Her First Major Fight Scenes as Young Mother Ai Li
Yunis To, 32, plays Ai Li, a young mother involved in a complicated relationship with Zhang San, a triad-connected character portrayed by Jeremy Chan.
Her storyline places her in several dangerous situations, including scenes in which she is attacked and forced to defend herself.
One particularly intense sequence involves Ai Li and Zhang San attempting to escape with a baby while being pursued by Jia Busi, played by Zhu Zeliang. The chase takes a violent turn, with Busi eventually being beaten by members of the public.
Yunis admitted that she was both excited and nervous when she received the role.
She was particularly challenged by the opportunity to perform scenes involving fighting, intimacy and childbirth, all of which required her to explore unfamiliar aspects of acting.
The actress said she was honoured to be part of such a large production but understood that the role would push her beyond her previous experience.
Her action sequences required her to portray both vulnerability and determination, particularly as Ai Li attempts to protect herself and her child in a dangerous environment.
Lim Pin Juen Makes His Acting Debut as a Police Officer
For Yes 933 radio DJ Lim Pin Juen, the production presented another major first: performing action scenes as a rookie actor.
The 30-year-old plays Ah Wei, a police officer who eventually leaves the force after going astray.
Unlike Yunis, who has previous acting experience, Pin Juen was entering a production environment that required him to learn how to perform physical sequences in front of the cameras.
He admitted feeling nervous but said watching action movies and television dramas had given him some basic understanding of how fight scenes were performed.
He also credited the professional martial artists and technical crew for making the process easier.
Their guidance helped him understand the movements, timing and coordination required to make the scenes convincing without putting the performers at unnecessary risk.
His role adds another dimension to the drama’s exploration of law enforcement, corruption and the criminal networks operating within Equaland.
How the Actors Prepared for Dangerous Fight Sequences
Yunis revealed that preparation began before the cameras started rolling.
The production team sent demonstration videos showing the planned movements, allowing the performers to understand what would be required during filming.
The stunt choreography team then demonstrated the sequences, explaining how each movement should be performed.
On set, stunt instructors provided individual guidance and helped the actors practise the movements.
Yunis explained that the production took additional time to ensure safety measures were properly completed before filming began.
The process was especially important because fight scenes could involve several performers, carefully coordinated movements and repeated takes.
Rather than simply asking the actors to improvise, the production relied on professional stunt personnel to guide the action.
This preparation helped Yunis and Pin Juen approach their first major fight sequences with greater confidence.
It also demonstrated the amount of behind-the-scenes work involved in producing realistic action for television.
The Leftovers Is More Than a Conventional Singapore Crime Drama
Although the actors’ fight scenes have become an interesting behind-the-scenes talking point, the larger story of The Leftovers is considerably darker.
The series takes place on Equaland, a fictional island devastated by a volcanic eruption that causes severe environmental pollution.
The resulting health crisis leads to widespread organ failure, creating an urgent demand for transplantation.
As legitimate medical resources become increasingly scarce, criminal organisations exploit the situation through kidnappings and illegal organ trafficking.
One of the central criminal networks is Straits Hall, which profits from the growing demand for human organs.
The story combines dystopian science fiction, organised crime, medical ethics and family drama, creating a world in which survival can come at an extraordinary human cost.
Mediacorp has described the production as its first dystopian crime thriller and one of its most ambitious uses of virtual production technology.
The series is structured as a three-season project, with eight episodes planned for each season.
A Star-Studded Cast Brings the Dystopian World to Life
Yunis To and Lim Pin Juen are part of a large ensemble featuring some of Singapore’s established television performers.
The cast includes:
- Li Nanxing as disgraced doctor and researcher Xiao Wenze.
- Jesseca Liu as Lin Aiqin, a mother struggling with a serious illness.
- Zhang Zetong as Lin Zhekang, an underground boxer desperate to save his mother.
- Cheryl Chou as Ren Xin, a doctor caught in the organ-trafficking crisis.
- Jeremy Chan as Zhang San, a driver connected to the criminal syndicate.
- James Seah as Gao Shang, a police officer committed to finding missing victims.
- Desmond Tan as Guo Longjing, a former police officer who becomes involved in the criminal underworld.
- Zhu Zeliang as Jia Busi, a pharmaceutical-company employee connected to lab-grown humans.
Zoe Tay, Chen Liping, Bryan Wong and other familiar performers also appear in the production.
The different storylines eventually connect through the island’s worsening crisis, giving the drama a broader narrative than a traditional police investigation.
The combination of established stars and newer performers also gives the production an opportunity to introduce Singapore talent to audiences beyond the local television market.
Mediacorp Built an Entire Underground City for the Drama
One of the most impressive aspects of The Leftovers is its elaborate production design.
Filming took place in Singapore and Malaysia, including Iskandar Studios in Johor Bahru, where the production team created an extensive underground settlement.
The fictional environment features rundown shophouses, market stalls, a playground, a noodle shop and other everyday locations.
Artificial smoke, ash-covered streets and carefully designed buildings help create the impression of a community struggling to survive after an environmental catastrophe.
Jeremy Chan, James Seah and Zhu Zeliang previously described the set as remarkably realistic during an earlier AsiaOne visit.
The attention to detail helped the performers immerse themselves in the fictional environment, making it easier to understand how their characters would behave in such an unusual world.
The production also uses virtual production technology to create its dystopian setting, reflecting Mediacorp’s growing investment in more ambitious visual storytelling.
Netflix Brings The Leftovers to Audiences Across Southeast Asia
The drama represents an important milestone for Mediacorp’s regional ambitions.
On March 30, 2026, the broadcaster announced its largest pre-sale deal to date with Netflix, covering three premium local drama productions.
The titles include The Leftovers, Chilli Crab Flower Club and Durrani – Perjuangan Lion Mum.
The agreement covers several Southeast Asian markets, including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Timor-Leste.
The first season of The Leftovers premiered on Netflix and mewatch Prime on November 9, 2026.
Its local free-to-air premiere on Mediacorp Channel 8 and availability on mewatch are scheduled to begin on November 16, with weekday broadcasts at 9pm.
The second and third seasons are expected to arrive in 2027.
The Netflix agreement gives the Singapore production an opportunity to reach a much wider audience and places it alongside international crime and science-fiction series competing for regional viewers.
Can Yunis and Lim Pin Juen Win Over Audiences With Their New Action Roles?
For Yunis and Pin Juen, The Leftovers represents an opportunity to demonstrate abilities that audiences may not have previously associated with them.
Yunis must balance the emotional demands of playing a young mother with physically challenging scenes involving attacks and escapes.
Pin Juen, meanwhile, is taking on a new acting challenge while bringing his radio background into a demanding television production.
Their experiences also highlight the preparation required to make action sequences believable without compromising performers’ safety.
With the first season already available on Netflix and mewatch Prime, audiences can now see how their performances fit into the wider story of Equaland.
The drama’s combination of a large ensemble cast, elaborate production design, dystopian storytelling and action sequences makes it a significant new chapter for Mediacorp.
And with two more seasons expected in 2027, Yunis and Pin Juen’s first fight scenes may only be the beginning of an even bigger journey for their characters.
