REAL people can be actors too. It's a mantra put to good use by the director Chiu Keng Guan who cast non-actors in Malaysia's top-grossing film The Journey, and now, veteran television actor Tay Ping Hui is doing the same with his directorial debut, Meeting The Giant, which will be out in June.

About a basketball team trying to make it big in Singapore, Tay cast several members of local basketball team Singapore Slingers in key roles instead of more experienced actors, for the sake of authenticity.

"Have you seen a movie where you know the actor doesn't really play basketball? It's so fake!" says Tay, a former competitive player himself. "For me, as an ex-player, authenticity is so important. I would rather have professional players who can't act over actors who can't play," he says.