Desmond Tan tried copying Takuya Kimura in early days of career, but Chen Hanwei helped him be himself

Not everyone can be ’90s heartthrob Takuya Kimura, and that’s okay.

In a recent episode of Just Swipe Lah with host Jernelle Oh and fellow actors Aileen Tan and Zhang Zetong, Desmond Tan talked about how he tried to be like the Japanese icon at the start of his career.

“The me from back then was madly in love with Japanese culture. I loved Takuya Kimura so I copied his hairstyle. I kept saying I looked like him,” said the 38-year-old who was the runner-up in Star Search 2007.

Desmond shared that his mentor back then, veteran actor Chen Hanwei, helped him get comfortable with being in the industry and further understand himself.

“I remember there was a day when we were in a meeting room. He told me, ‘Desmond, focus on being yourself. Don’t say you look like others.'”

He added that he understood where Hanwei was coming from: “If you keep telling the media that you look like someone else, some fans might think that the two of you are completely different. Right from the start, they’ll dislike you… I felt that he was trying to help me with that in mind.”

Desmond also mentioned how Hanwei told him at the time that acting “can’t be taught”.

“Back then, what went through my head was, ‘I’m in a competition. Aren’t you here to help me? You’re here to coach me on acting. But now you’re telling me it can’t be taught?'” he recalled as the others laughed.

“But after entering the industry, I truly understood what he meant. Acting is really based on our own life experiences. You learn how to act as you grow.”

Zetong, 31, chimed in to share his experience with his mentor Christopher Lee.

“In class, he was extremely strict with us. When on shows or in front of the media, he would always look like he’s a fun and casual person… but he was different in class,” said the Star Search 2019 champion.

“Recently when I had a meal with him, he maintained the same attitude.”

However, 58-year-old Aileen, who came in second in the talent show in 1988, didn’t have a person to guide her: “My mentor is my experience.”

She recalled how she had to act like one on the set of the 2020 drama All Around You where she starred as Zhai Siming’s on-screen mother.

“I remember that there was one scene where he just could not cry. The director asked me to help him out,” explained Aileen.

“When it comes to emotions, it’s not something that you get right in one go. As he was a newcomer, he just couldn’t get it right.”

Aileen said she tried her best to help him during the emotional mother-and-son scene: “In order to help him cry, I kept slapping myself… The camera focus wasn’t even on me, it was on him. I kept slapping myself while praying hard that he could cry. Thankfully, he eventually teared up.”

She added that the 27-year-old Star Search 2019 finalist was touched, and Desmond joked: “Zhai Siming, please remember to greet her every Mother’s Day.”