Some stars go through unbelievable transformations for their acting roles, making them recognisable at first glance. Recently, Hong Kong actor Joel Chan (陈山聪) was spotted filming in Kuala Lumpur, but netizens couldn’t recognise him in photos.
For those unaware, the actor is currently in Malaysia to film for the upcoming Chinese New Year movie, “Mama Not Again! (妈的又要嫁!)”. The movie also stars Hong Kong actress Christine Ng (伍咏薇), actor Oscar Leung (梁竞徽), comedian Bob Lam (林盛斌) and Malaysian actor Daniel Fong (冯玮佺). The main cast of the film previously filmed at the Berjaya Times Square Theme Park, sparking excitement for the upcoming project.
Recently, Joel was spotted filming another scene of the movie at an undisclosed location in KL. However, when a XiaoHongShu user shared photos of the actor taking a break on set, many netizens failed to recognise the star. As shown in the pictures, the actor has dyed hair, a scruffy face, and his body lightly covered with dirt. Many netizens said the actor looked like an average construction worker, which is likely the role he’s playing for the film.
Despite not being recognised by netizens, Joel is still getting a warm welcome from his local fans. On the same day of the filming, a group of his supporters surprised him with a cake and some drinks to celebrate his upcoming 49th birthday. While it’s still early, as his birthday falls on 2nd October 2025, Joel thanked his fans for coming out to surprise him. He also took time out of his schedule to pose for photos with those who came on set.
In addition to filming, some of the cast members have also been making other scheduled appearances while in KL. Over the weekend, Joel, Oscar and Bob were at Sunway Pyramid for the grand opening of the Fipper store. At the same time, Bob has also been updating his social media accounts with short vlogs taken while in Malaysia, including at local restaurants.
It appears the cast are enjoying their time while filming in KL. We can’t wait to see the final result of “Mama Not Again” once it’s out in cinemas next year. In the meantime, check out some videos of the cast:
Sources: China Press, Instagram, XiaoHongShu
