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New Straits Times

#SHOWBIZ: Wanie Ooi thrives on challenges

THE first question singer-actress Wanie Ooi is often asked is, "how is your younger sister Trisha Ooi doing?" "Haha! I'm so used to that, but I often reply light-heartedly that I haven't seen her for quite sometime," said Wanie in a recent interview. "Truth is, we are friends, not sisters, but we do share the same surname and are of mixed parentage too." JITRA Wanie, 30, or Norwani Abdul Latif Ooi, has been in the entertainment industry since 2013. Like Trisha, Wanie is paternally Chinese and maternally Malay, but unlike Johor girl Trisha, she hails from Jitra in Kedah. "No, I'm never offended to be mistaken as Trisha's 'aceh' (elder sister in Chinese) or 'akak' (elder sister in Malay). "In fact, I am rather honoured by that common mistake because Trisha is one of my favourite actresses and I love that she depicts brave, strong and independent heroines such as in Pagari Bulan and Memoir Seorang Guru'," said Wanie. FIT Wanie is phyically fit and strong like Trisha, too, though she is not into self-defence. "I used to be very active in sports during my schooldays, especially athletics. "I studied in SM Mahawangsa and SM Paya Kemunting in Alor Star back then," said Wanie who went to SJKC Chung Hwa, Jitra, during her primary schooldays. MUSICAL Wanie is the youngest of seven siblings and both her parents are musically inclined. She is a fan of Celine Dion and Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza, and can sing Malay, English, Thai, Chinese and Japanese songs. "I learnt Thai from my father, who can speak the language fluently," said Wanie who was active in talentimes during her schooldays and participated in state-level singing contests. SINGLE Wanie, who has one single 'Bukti Cinta' from the drama series 'Tarik Aku Ke Syurga' (2022) dreamt of becoming a singer first and an actress second, but she ended up acting more than singing. "So far, I've acted in 10 dramas, and usually I play bad girls or 'penyondol' (boyfriend stealers)." Wanie is "extremely lucky" to have had Siti as the first major artiste whom she sang with. "I was pretty small back then, and I was invited up stage to sing with Tok Ti. "She has always been my No. 1 idol in music, and I was over the moon when she praised my singing," said Wanie. FAN Wanie is also a "super fan" of top actor Datuk Rosyam Nor and would love to act in dramas with Rosyam as well as her favourite actress, Nabila Huda Suhaimi. "Since my first big dream to sing with Siti was fulfilled earlier than I thought, my next mission is to come up with a full album, act with Rosyam and sing with Datuk Amy Search, Nabila's father who is my all time rock hero," said Wanie, who cites Jaclyn Victor, Marsha Londoh, Suki Low, Shila Amzah and Yuna as her other favourite singers. AHEAD As an actress, Wanie has learnt a lot from her close friends and contemporaries Reen Rahim, Riena Diana and Rita Nadira. "While we came up around the same time, honestly, they are way ahead of me, and I always wish them success. "Riena is my favourite actress, and as a friend, I am confident that Riena will go far in her career because she is a complete package of beauty, brains and talent." COMEDIES Wanie loves comedies, especially romantic comedies, as she grew up watching Hollywood and Hong Kong romantic comedies. "My dream role is to play a protagonist for a change. "A thinking beauty who does something good for society, such as a whistleblower who halts pollution in her home state," said Wanie, citing characters played by Lisa Surihani and Sara Ali as examples. BAND Wanie once joined a reality show called 'The Band' on Astro in 2014. She intially wanted to sing with a band, and eventually chose to be a solo artiste. "My first single was 'Bukti Cinta' created by Ikhwan Fatanna and Wan Saleh in 2022. "I then sang 'Cari-Cari Cinta' from 'Dara And The Gang'," she said. CCTV Wanie's dramas to date are 'Boleh Saya Bantu?', 'Boleh Saya Bantu? 2', 'Dhia Kasyrani', 'My Stolen First Kiss' and 'Nun Mati Bertemu Alif'. "I've also hosted 'Betul Ke Bohong?', 'CCTV', 'Opocot Melatah Mega', 'Berita Latah' and 'Makan Tepi Lori' which are entertainment variety shows." FORTUNATE Wanie plans to write and compose her own songs one day. "I am fortunate to be a child of mixed parentage because I can act as a bridge between Malaysian Malay and Malaysian Chinese entertainment fans." FUSION Wanie strongly believes in "fusion" entertainment, that Malaysians of different races should learn to sing each other's languages. "I admire Zubir Khan who can sing beautifully in Tamil, and Shila who can sing beautifully in Chinese. "One day I would love to sing Hindi or Tamil songs, but it will be a big challenge. "Nevertheless, I thrive on challenges," she said.