THE brickbats are flying in thick and fast.

But MediaCorp actress Dawn Yeoh is unfazed.

The overwhelming complaint from television viewers is that she is 'too cutesy', going by postings on Internet forums.

This came about after her latest Channel 8 dramedy, the 20-episode Crime Busters X2, currently showing on weekdays prime time since last month.

Dawn plays rookie cop Xia YiJing, opposite Tay Ping Hui.

The 22-year-old former New Face 2003 finalist, however, says acting cute is part of her character : 'I see the show as a dramedy and my character is the most comical character in the show.

'She does funny things like digging her nose or crossing her legs in a manly way.'

Still, she admits that she might have overemphasised on the cutesy and comical part.

She says she has been called cutesy all along, but that has not stopped her from getting other roles.

In her next drama, which begins filming soon, she plays a hip-hop dancer, 'your typical bad girl'.

She said: 'She goes for branded goods, she mixes around with bad company. She gets into fights, and she drinks.'

That was nothing like being in a bikini for the recent drama Beach.Ball.Babes.

Dawn was 'nearly in tears' when she was told she has to wear a bikini.

'I've never worn a bikini, not even when I go to the beach with my friends. I don't think I have a (good) figure.'

Bikini, picking her nose or fighting, she said she takes it all in her stride.

'I always judge myself 50-50 for every project. I believe (I can always deliver) a better performance.'

Despite doing different roles, she can't understand why viewers continue to say she is 'too cutesy', with emphasis on the word 'too'.

'Why don't they call me cutesy?' she asks.

To prove her point, she points out her black-and-white Puma bag: 'See, not so pink!'

She said: 'Pink is my favourite colour but I still like other colours like yellow or black. I do collect a number of things that are pink, and Hello Kitties as well, but not to the extent that everything is pink.'

She added: 'I can be cutesy, or I can be punk-rock. But I don't go to the extreme ends of either. I'm just someone who loves trying out things, and there's no fixed image of myself.'

She first came into the limelight at the The New Paper New Face contest.

The next year, she won the Teens Model Search 2004. After that, she was discovered by her Japanese manager, Mr Toba Takashi, who is based here. He helped her set up her website which eventually caught the eye of a MediaCorp producer.

She joined MediaCorp in 2006. She was also a semi-finalist of Channel U's The Next Best Thing.

Her next task is to finish her album.

'I can't seem to separate filming dramas from recording. If I could, I wish I could film in the day and record at night, but schedules are too tight.'

She is excited about the project because she is contributing some of the lyrics in the 'J-pop inspired' album, which will feature a mix of ballads and pop songs. She admits she doesn't have a voice that's as good as Stefanie Sun's, but she is banking on packaging and her image.

'My album will be more on the fun side.'

First shoot was for New Face

For this interview and shoot, it was down memory lane for Dawn. She did her first photo shoot at the Singapore Press Holdings studios for The New Paper New Face 2003.

She recalled: 'I'd just giggle a bit at times, and then I wouldn't say anything else.'

Now, she appears much more relaxed, confident, bubbly and talkative. Another first during her New Face experience was wearing high heels.

'It was my first time wearing five inch high heels. No one could stand straight or even walk in them - let alone catwalk. We'd all get blisters.'

She tries to keep in touch with her fellow 2003 finalists, but admits they are extremely busy and don't meet up as often as before.

She recently set up her own Facebook account, but has not yet managed to reconnect with all of them. She meets some of them at events.

Memories of the New Face contest are still fresh in her mind.

She said: 'After all, the competition is where it all started. It was a process where you learnt a lot and made you stronger. I sometimes do wish I could go back to the first few stages to (relive the experience).'

Dawn will be at the Takashimaya Square tomorrow, rooting for this year's finalists.

Her advice to them: 'If you really want to be a model, or get into this industry, just keep going. You never know where your next stop's going to be.'

This article was first published in The New Paper on Oct 9, 2008.