Latest news with #RomeoTan
CNA
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CNA
Hong Kong icon Chow Yun Fat reveals his favourite Singapore hawker centres and Singlish catchphrases
Legendary Hong Kong actor Chow Yun Fat made an appearance at Mediacorp's Star Awards on Sunday (Jul 6) which left both fans and artistes starstruck. Returning three decades after his first appearance at the inaugural ceremony in 1994, the 70-year-old superstar presented the Top 10 Most Popular Male/Female Artiste trophies to Romeo Tan, Carrie Wong, Chantalle Ng, Guo Liang, Richie Koh, Zong Zijie, radio station Love 972 DJs Marcus Chin and Chen Biyu, as well as Tasha Low, Ya Hui, Hong Ling, Xu Bin, Desmond Tan, Jeremy Chan and more. View this post on Instagram A post shared by CNA (@channelnewsasia) Speaking to CNA Lifestyle, Chow shared his go-to activities and places to visit whenever he is in Singapore. At first, the God Of Gamblers actor quipped: 'Singapore – what places can I go to? I just sleep and go to the markets and eat.' He then listed a few hawker centres he frequents, including Old Airport Road Food Centre, Newton Food Centre, Maxwell Food Centre and Lau Pa Sat. 'I don't go to any of the shopping centres, I just go to the hawker centres,' he added. When asked what he typically orders from these food centres, he shared that he prefers eating chicken rice and his favourite is the one at Maxwell Food Centre. He also said he likes to eat Teochew kuehs from Cairnhill, which is a variety of savoury or sweet cakes and dumplings. 'Every hawker centre has their specialty,' he said. 'Sometimes I go to seven, eight hawker centres and eat a bit at every one.' Chow is married to Singaporean Jasmine Tan. So when asked what his favourite Singlish catchphrase is, he went with the classic 'walao eh', used to express shock. He also said he likes 'paiseh', used to express how one feels awkward or shy, as well as 'chin chai', which generally means 'whatever'. An award-winning veteran actor, Chow has headlined over 100 productions and helped define entire genres with global classics such as A Better Tomorrow (1986) and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). He also recently starred in titles such as Project Gutenberg (2018) and One More Chance (2023).
CNA
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CNA
More than 200 stars expected at this year's Star Awards
More than 200 stars from the Chinese entertainment industry will gather for the Star Awards on Jul 6. The mega event taking place at the Theatre at Mediacorp celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Angeline Poh, Chief Customer and Corporate Development Officer at Mediacorp, and Romeo Tan, one of the stars up for an award, talk about this year's edition of the Star Awards.
CNA
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CNA
Romeo Tan reacts to 15 years in showbiz: Going topless, Eight Dukes, Star Search and more
CNA Lifestyle took Singaporean actor Romeo Tan on a trip down memory to revisit some memorable moments in his career, from the many topless moments in the early years to the different drama roles he took on.
CNA
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CNA
Romeo Tan on turning 40, 15 years in showbiz, growing up and learning to love himself
It was exactly 15 years ago that a shirtless Romeo Tan shimmied across the Star Search stage, straight onto Singapore screens. Since then, viewers have watched him grow from a young, aspiring actor who was all wide eyes and chiselled abdominals, to a bona fide leading man, most recently making audiences love to hate him as a villainous schemer in Peranakan-themed period drama Emerald Hill. 2025 is a milestone year for Tan. Not only does he celebrate his 15th anniversary of being in showbiz – 20, if you count the years before Star Search when he played bit roles as a part-time actor – he also marks his 40th birthday. So, it's a significant year, if you enjoy the mathematical perfection of round numbers, as we do. That's not all – at the upcoming Star Awards on Jul 6, he's also a shoo-in to win his 10th Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes trophy, cementing his All-Time Favourite Artiste coronation next year (barring any major upsets, of course. Knock on wood). But, Tan looked mildly bewildered when we bandied these numbers about over iced Americanos in a cosy suite at The Standard, Singapore. Turns out, they don't really mean a whole lot to him. 'I'm not sure why, but I still feel I'm very young and I still feel I'm very new to this whole thing,' he said, self-deprecatingly. 'Every time I receive a new drama, a new role, it's like hitting the reset button. There are a lot of new things to learn, and I have a lot of flaws to overcome still. I feel that I can do better. I'm always on a journey of learning new things.' THE BIG 4-0 One of the new things he's learning is how to build terrariums and paludariums. What's a paludarium? It includes water features and live animals, he gushed. It's a hobby that his 20-year-old self, who favoured going to the KTV for karaoke with his friends, would probably have looked askance at, he laughed. New and arguably more 'uncle' pastimes aside, hitting his 40s didn't bring any sort of crisis, midlife or otherwise. He did not, in fact, buy a fancy sports car. 'Because I spent all my money on my condominium,' he chuckled. For his big 4-0 celebration in April, 'I had a very good celebration with just close friends. That's all I need.' He had a 'childish' Tom And Jerry themed party with his friends from secondary school, a gathering with his celebrity colleagues, a meal with his family and a surprise party at a hotel thrown by his travel buddies. View this post on Instagram A post shared by R O M E O T A N (@romeotan) Other than that, being 40 feels much the same as being 39. 'I'm actually not a very outgoing person,' he confessed. 'I don't like to hang out with my friends too much, except for special occasions. I don't drink that much, except for social occasions. I'm very happy just staying at home with my dogs and my Netflix.' Terrariums, photography and his dog, 12-year-old Tigger, are what fulfil him outside of work. "I think having a dog changed my personality a lot. Sometimes, you feel very jaded by human nature. So, whenever I feel tired, I just switch to all the animals that fill my social media feed!' On the work front, though, he does have a new resolution. 'I told myself to take it slowly and not get paranoid over things,' he confided, sharing that he used to be quite the overthinker. 'I'd ask myself why I didn't get this, or why I wasn't doing that. In showbiz, you start to compare yourself to your peers. 'Now that I'm 40 years old, I think that I want to be more chill. That's the aim I've given myself.' He mused, 'It might take a few years for me to actually transition to being more of a relaxed person. I just want to take it slow and enjoy life. Of course, career is important, but I think what's more important is my life with my family and friends, and travel.' WHEREFORE ART THOU ROMEO Looking back at his journey in showbiz, it's actually been a parallel journey of learning to accept and love himself. As a child, he dreamt of becoming an actor when he grew up. But, 'I was fat back then, so I had very low self-esteem,' he said. It didn't help that his parents had named him Romeo – not, in fact, after the Shakespearean character, but after the car, which made no difference to the schoolmates who teased him. At one point, he even told his parents that he wanted to change his name. An aunt said that since his two brothers also had names the first syllable of which were 'Ro', she had a brilliant idea for his new name: 'Rocket'. 'When I heard that, I said, 'I think I'll stick to Romeo.' From where he is today, 'I would give myself a pat on the shoulder and say, 'Well done – from an ugly, fat pig, to who you are right now,' he said. In the past 10 years especially, 'I've gotten to know myself better and to be in a very comfortable state.' And, 'I think my biggest achievement so far is to give a lot of support and be a role model to many others,' he said, especially for supporters who struggle with their own weight or dream of achieving big things. 'Sometimes, I receive message on Instagram saying, 'I was fat back then, too, but I want to be like you. And, some part-time actors and extras say that as well, because we all want to fulfil this dream of being a good actor. 'Romeo was also a part-time extra back then, so if he can do it, why not?'' Because he was once in their shoes, 'I feel the pain on set whenever I see a part-time actor being scolded by a director for things they don't know. I've been there, done that. So, I go and have a small chat with them and say, 'Hey, don't worry. You're doing fine. Just focus a little bit more and ignore all the noise.'' Having worked his way up from extra to supporting and then to leading roles has made him 'more grounded' and 'sensitive to people around me', he opined. 'Zooming out, it's been a dream come true. Maybe people might compare me to other actors and say, 'You've not gotten a Best Actor award yet.' It's okay. In my own pace, within my limitations, I feel that I've achieved more than I could have. Because, if I wasn't in showbiz, I really don't know what work I would be doing or what kind of lifestyle I would be leading.' ZERO TO HERO AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN In secondary school, to earn extra pocket money, Tan took on his first job at McDonald's, clearing trays and cleaning toilets. His next job, before National Service, was fixing modems. He recalls casually admiring a chair in someone's home, only for the homeowner to say, ''Yeah, if you earn more money in the future, you can buy one'. That sentence, back then, made me feel so small,' he said. National Service resulted in his toned physique, and, after playing a bit part in the 2010 drama The Best Things In Life as Phyllis Quek's younger brother, veteran actor Chen Hanwei advised him to apply for the Star Search talent competition. 'When I filled in the application form, I told myself, 'If I can get into the top 40, I'll be very happy.' He eventually placed fourth. 'But, I was the first contestant to be given a role right after Star Search, so that's something memorable.' One career achievement he says he's proud of is having co-starred with 'all the 'Seven Princesses'' save for Fiona Xie, who bowed out of Mandarin dramas before he started out. Among the 'Eight Dukes', he believes he's the only one to have done so. Looking back at the time he was named one of the eight up-and-coming young actors to watch, 'It was really good exposure, but at the same time, there was a lot of comparison and competition,' he said. 'To constantly being compared – 'Who's doing well, who's doing better?' – was quite sick. But I feel that that period was when I forced myself to grow up and accept the reality that this is showbiz.' Negative feedback about his acting also affected him. 'I did quite badly in the period drama The Journey: Tumultuous Times,' he recalled. 'I had a crash course with a dialogue coach and I didn't have enough time to digest it, so when I delivered the lines, it seemed too forceful. That was my first time seeing so many negative comments. I took two or three months to get over it. And during those months, I even asked myself whether I should leave showbiz. Like, 'Maybe this is not meant for me'.' But, opportunities continued to come his way, and producers gave him their support and encouragement. The popularity awards came fast and furious, too. 'Yes, I think it's very hard to get so many awards in such a short span of time,' he acknowledged in agreement. Emerald Hill was a bit of a full-circle moment: Another period drama, but with vastly different results. 'I got a lot of good feedback. Recently, people have come up to me to say, 'Hey, I watched Emerald Hill and I really loved your character. And, on the plane, I've seen people watching Emerald Hill!' In his next project, he reunites with longtime screen partner Jeanette Aw for Highway To Somewhere, a drama about a couple who embark on a road trip to try to save their marriage. 'It's time for me to move on to do more mature roles,' he quipped. 'I've played a lot of boyfriends, wealthy young heirs, Mr Nice Guys.' So, it's on to the next challenge and full steam ahead, at least until his 50th birthday, lah.
CNA
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CNA
Actress Dawn Yeoh hopes Emerald Hill role will finally earn her a Star Awards trophy after 20-year career
By now, you should know that Dawn Yeoh's evil role as Kang Si Li in Emerald Hill is one of the most prominent characters from the Mediacorp blockbuster. But is the hype surrounding the 39-year-old actress' character enough for her to bag a trophy at the upcoming Star Awards on Jul 6? Yeoh sure hopes so. Despite being in the industry for two decades, Yeoh has not snagged a single award at the annual ceremony. This year, she's in the running for Top 10 Most Popular Female Artiste. "Actually I really yearn for it, but I dare not harbour too much hope because I'm afraid the disappointment will only be bigger," she told Yeoh, however, thinks it will be very heartwarming if she clinches her first Top 10 trophy while her Emerald Hill husband Romeo Tan wins his final one at the same time. If Tan wins his 10th Top 10 this year, he will move on to become an All-Time Favourite Artiste at the next Star Awards. According to Yeoh, playing Kang Si Li was a turning point in her career as it helped her gain attention from audiences outside of Singapore. "That day I was at a forum and went to the booth for Chinese media company Tencent. The staff all could recognise me and said: 'San Shao Nai Nai (third young mistress, Yeoh's other title in the show) is here'," she recalled excitedly. Yeoh was so overwhelmed by that incident that she was moved to tears. "To be finally seen after being in the industry for 20 years feels like a weight has been lifted off my chest," she said. She is now hoping to take on even more baddie roles in the future, especially after seeing the change in how the audience perceive such characters. "In the past the villains were all criticised and hated on, but nowadays people are able to appreciate the complexities and charm of the characters. I don't mind playing villain roles at all, as long as I can have a breakthrough and unleash my potential," said Yeoh. Besides acting, Yeoh is currently also a live streamer under director Jack Neo's Star Live Mall. She previously co-founded e-commerce platform Sibay Shiok with Terence Cao in 2021 before they both joined forces with Jack. When asked about balancing acting and being an entrepreneur, Yeoh then emphasised that she "doesn't want to let go of either" sides of her career. "If I have the ability and luck, I hope that I can go steady and far in both areas," she said, adding that more clients have taken interest in content involving her recently. At the same time, Yeoh, who has received invitations to star in other upcoming Mediacorp dramas, is sieving through scripts and looking to go for auditions in the near future. San Shao Nai Nai may not have had a good ending in Emerald Hill, but it seems like her real life is turning out great.
