Claudia Tan, a Sarawakian who began writing at the age of 16, attracted the attention of a Hollywood film agency with her novel “Perfect Addiction.”
Sarawakian novelist makes name in Hollywood
WHO would have thought that the passion for reading and writing would one day make Sarawakian Claudia Tan a writer on Wattpad, the most well-known online storytelling platform.
Claudia, who is from Kuching and began writing at the age of 16, will soon see her novel “Perfect Addiction” made into a Hollywood film.
It stars Ross Butler and is produced by Constantin Films, the team behind the global hit “RESIDENT EVIL” film franchise, in collaboration with Wattpad WEBTOON Studios.
Claudia, through her TikTok account, said that she was surprised and excited to have made a name for herself on the international stage.
Thrilled to see her novel published and on sale.
“Perfect Addiction” was read by more than 85.9 million people worldwide, with 2.99 million votes, 100 parts, and a reading time of 20 hours and 4 minutes.
“Wattpad contacted me for permission to publish the book, and there may be an offer to make the book into a movie.
“I didn’t hear anything from them for a bit, but I continued to write and make music.
“After a while, I was astounded to learn that my book would be adapted into a movie starring Ross Butler as the main character!
“I was deeply moved when I learned that Ross Butler is Asian and has family members in Malaysia,” she said on TikTok.
Recounting the journey of the filming, Claudia said she was given a copy of the script book to review as well as a tour of the filming locations in Europe.
She also said that she brought along Apollo pandan cake, an all-time favourite Malaysian snack, for Butler.
“He was grateful when I gave him the Apollo pandan cake because he hadn’t had this snack in a very long time.
“He is a very nice and friendly person,” said Claudia, while sharing a photo of herself with Butler.
The 23-year-old said she couldn’t believe it when she saw the names of the characters she created in her book “Perfect Addiction” on the chairs of a row of Hollywood’s great actors.
“I sat next to the director and watched some interesting scenes from the film; seeing an actor play my role felt like a dream,” she said.
Claudia shared some photos of the power couple from her book, saying that they are very cute and perfect together.
She was also thrilled to see her novel published and on sale.
“My lifelong dream came true when I saw my book in a bookstore!,” she said.
The trailer for the movie “Perfect Addiction” has already been released on CLAUDIA’s YouTube channel and will soon be available on Amazon Prime.
Claudia holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and History, and her hugely popular “Perfect Addiction” series is a two-time Watty Award winner with over 160 million reads on Wattpad.
Claudia holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and History.
