"8 Days Magazine 20/11/2006"
Yes, she's Zoe ready
Jeanette is the most hardworking young actress today, chalking up 13 dramas in 5 years (Fiona has nine in six, Joanne seven in four). And she's tried to stretch herself, playing a fiery laksa hawker in Spice Siblings, A hard-luck swimming instructor in the The Champion, a moody dancer in Rainbow Connection, and a tomboy in the upcoming drama, The Peak.
Sweet, pretty and friendly-looking, Jeanette's the girl every guy wants to marry, every girl wants to be, and every mother wants for a daughter-on-law. Every one from eight to 80 loves her because of her wholesome image.
Named most popular Newcomer in 2002 and voted one of the Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes for three years running, she's undeniably well-received in the heartlands. This has translated to lucrative endorsements for the likes of SK Jewellery, Starhub i-mode, Pokka and OTO.
No, she still needs work
Her image needs an overhaul. Three years after Holland Village, fans still call her 'Jingjing'. She's probably more than her two-dimensional screen persons - cheerful, smiling, hardworking - but audience still want her to be the village idiot. Hence, the cool reception to any role that isn't goody-two-shoes. Her most radical image change so far - taking on big, curly hair in Rainbow Connection and looking like Bozo - didn't go down well. She needs to break out of what looks increasingly like an acting rut - and soon.
Sweet, pretty and friendly-looking are all she appears to be. In every interview, we've tried to find a shred of personality in her but to little avail. Every one loves a sweetie pie, but when she grows out of that image, where does it leave her professionally? With auntie parts?
We need our Queen to be a flesh-and-blood woman, but Jeanette come across as a cold fish. Other than one lukewarm kiss she shared with Tay Pinghui in Spice Siblings, we haven't really seen her display any sort of hot-blooded interest in a man on TV. Where's the lurve Jeanette?
Career advice:
Discard your on-screen frigidity,open up more in interviews, and show us that you can be a romantic heroine - or even a first-class villian. You've banked enough goodwill in the last five years to not worry about suddenly becoming public enemy no.1. Otherwise you might hit 30 and suddenly find yourself relegated to older-sisters roles for young 'uns like Dawn Yeoh.