Ah Boys actor Joshua Tan might not like the fame, but he sure enjoys the craft
Apparently, fame isn’t exactly everyone’s cup of tea.
Just ask Ah Boys to Men actor Joshua Tan, who says he flat-out “dislikes it”.
In a recent interview with Lianhe Zaobao to commemorate 10 years since Ah Boys to Men's release, Tan, 32,said: "Social media accounts, blue tick verification, follower counts, and so on, have become indicators of fame.
"While these have an impact on my work, I don't need fame in my life, I dislike it."
Joshua played recruit Ken Chow in the explosively popular Ah Boys to Men movie by Jack Neo – a character who loathes having to serve National Service, but comes to terms with it in the end, making friends along the way.
Tan spoke about the hardships he experienced as a rookie actor.
"(Jack Neo) demonstrated things on the set and I had to learn and act immediately. At the time, I wasn't able to absorb what he was teaching.
"I caught nothing and my acting skills were poor. My Chinese wasn't very strong either – when I was told to go left I would go right, and I would go backwards when told to move forward.
"I felt a lot of pressure filming with senior artistes such as Jack, Irene Ang and Richard Low."
Now, with 10 years experience under his belt, Tan feels more confident and a lot less nervous as an actor.
His physical fitness has also improved. While he could already do 50 push-ups under a minute a decade ago, he can do "much more" now, thanks to the increased importance he placed on fitness after filming Ah Boys to Men.
Tan wrote in an Instagram post on Nov 8: "Ten years ago, on this exact day, our lives changed forever. None of us had a clue what was ahead… I didn't even tell my friends about this Jack Neo film I was in because I had no idea how it would turn out.
"Life has changed crazily for all of us since then, some of us are dads and some of us are still kids but we all still love it (secretly) when you call us ‘the boys’.
"I'm beyond grateful to be doing what I love for the past 10 years and hope to keep on acting for as long as I can."
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now
