This Toggle Talk interview with Romeo Tan almost did not happen due to the actor’s crazily-packed work schedule back in mid-March, when the interview was done. Rushing down to W Sentosa Cove Singapore, from the western side of Singapore where he did his morning shoot for The Journey: Our Homeland, Romeo, who was neck-deep in work, was due back at work in the evening after the interview. He barely had time to catch a breather, but the optimistic chap chirped: “It’s good to be busy,” as we settled down in one of W’s private suites for the interview.
It helps, too, that he is in a better state of mind than when he was doing Tumultuous Times as his turn as the cheerful Hong Kuan (in Our Homeland) is “not as intense as Zhang Yan”, which required him to memorise pages of dialogue (the longest he had was nine pages at a go) while speaking in a scholarly fashion that was befitting of Singapore in the '50s.
Calling Zhang Yan one of the most challenging characters he has ever played, Romeo said that role also marked one of his first setbacks in showbiz– when feedback from the public turned out even more scathing than he'd expected.
Speaking of “the journey”, the 29-year-old had a pretty cushy road to fame: it came for him very quickly, after his stint at Star Search 2010 and a supporting role in C.L.I.F. 2, and can only go up from here. In almost no time at all, we saw Romeo go from being practically nobody – when he was still a rookie – to leading man material.
While he has gained more jobs, roles and recognition, along with it came maturity, or should we say, the loss of innocence. No longer the bright-eyed and bushy tailed, naïve Romeo, the 29-year-old poured his heart out in this Toggle Talk interview and shared about his workplace relationships and struggles – from the comparisons with fellow duke Desmond Tan to the “troubling” rumours of his relationship with Elvin Ng, and lets in on the other lowest point in his life. Read on for more or watch the videos for a blow-by-blow account of his interview.