Chen Liping broke 2 ribs filming upcoming dystopian drama, only found out 1 month later

In mid-2025, Chen Liping filmed a scene for upcoming local dystopian-crime drama The Leftovers, where she tries to break up a fight.

Shortly after, she felt what she thought was a muscle pull on the left side of her chest.

The 61-year-old Singaporean actress recounted to AsiaOne while promoting the series yesterday (Oct 29): "I have always loved doing sports and had filmed action scenes — even more intense ones — over the years...

"In the scene, I was involved in a physical altercation with some youths. At the time I thought it was just a muscle ache, just like after working out. I had felt a little unwell but didn't think it was anything serious."

Liping, who was filming in Johor Bahru at the time, continued to feel the tension over the next few weeks, to the extent that she had to press against her side to relieve the ache, but still thought it was just a muscle strain.

She shared: "I had to film important scenes at the time and couldn't just stop. Furthermore, we had all travelled to Malaysia especially to film and it also involved a lot of manpower, including artistes from Singapore and Malaysia...

"That's how it is for filming — we have to complete it, unless we are really unwell to the point that we have to lie down. But I could still move and the pain was bearable."

After she completed filming in Malaysia, the producers brought Liping to see a traditional Chinese medicine physician for acupuncture and tuina massages.

However, the pain persisted even one month after filming the scene, and she decided to visit a doctor and underwent a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan.

"I was found to have not just one, but two fractures on my second rib," she said.

Liping was advised to take a rest to heal and thankfully, she was already on a break in between filming.

She assured us she is okay now, adding: "Nobody wants this to happen, and I am still here."

In the dystopian-crime series, Liping plays Mei Sijuan, the orphanage head at RegenaCore MedTech founded by former surgeon and researcher Xiao Wenze (Li Nanxing).

The drama, which will be shown in three parts, spans between 2017 and 2043, where a volcanic eruption on Equaland results in severe environmental pollution and skyrocketing rates of organ failure among the citizens. Sijuan will appear in the third season.

The series also stars Zoe Tay, Jesseca Liu, James Seah, Jeremy Chan, Desmond Tan, Shane Pow and Zhang Zetong.

The first season of The Leftovers will be premiering on Mewatch Prime and Netflix on Nov 9, followed by on Mewatch and Channel 8 on Nov 16, airing weekdays at 9pm.

The second and third seasons will follow in 2027.

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