‘Yes man’ with fans: All-Time Favourite Artiste recipient Romeo Tan up for a record five prizes

Desmond Tan has won nine Top 10 awards, while Xu Bin has clinched six.

Romeo Tan said: “It definitely feels good to be the first. But we are all at different stages of life, with our own achievements. It is very hard to compare.”

Yet, comparing was what he did in 2016, when he was the only one among six dukes nominated that year who did not make the cut.

He recalled: “At the time, I was definitely disappointed and very upset. I was still a little childish and immature. I questioned if I did not act well enough or was not good-looking enough.

“As artistes, one can get really sensitive. Out of 100 comments, maybe only five are bad, but we focus on those five. It can be an unhealthy mindset.

“Thankfully, I am someone who can move on quite easily. After three days, I picked myself up and focused on the work ahead.”

His persistence has brought him a long way.

Today, Tan’s Star Award trophies – including his Best Supporting Actor award for portraying businessman-turned-criminal Tim Goh in The Dream Job (2016) – take pride of place on a shelf in his parents’ home in the eastern part of Singapore.

The character’s fall from grace, he reflected, allowed him to showcase both virtuous and duplicitous qualities, as well as a clear character arc.

Playing villains in dramas such as Joys Of Life (2012) and The Journey: Our Homeland (2015) has been one way he has stretched his acting muscle.

He said: “I used to be more image-conscious and feared playing baddies would influence how audiences saw and reacted to me. But nowadays, I treat every role as a new challenge.”

Indeed, in Emerald Hill, Zhang Jinquan is a whole new level of evil, silencing anyone who stands in his way and going as far as kidnapping his niece.

“I have to make sure I do not play the character as an evil one. He is a layered personality and there must be some intention behind his actions. Zhang Jinquan’s motivations may be wrong, but he is just trying to gain more power for his family.”

Regarding what goes through his mind during intense scenes, Tan said: “As actors, we are full of imagination. Earlier in my career, I would try to conjure up the emotions by thinking of my personal experiences.

“But after living for four decades and acting for a while, I now have a wider emotional ‘database’ or ‘library’ I can use to create my characters.”

Does he finally stand a shot at Best Actor in 2026?

“Maybe,” he said. “(But) I think (fellow nominee) Chen Hanwei played a cancer patient so amazingly in The Gift Of Time.

“But who knows? It was not easy for me to get cast in a blockbuster (like Emerald Hill) in such a good role. Maybe the stars will align for me this year.”

Looking ahead, Tan – who plays one half of a couple whose marriage is on the brink of collapse in the Channel 8 drama Highway To Somewhere opposite Jeanette Aw, which is available on mewatch – hopes to expand his horizons beyond Singapore.

Meanwhile, he will be appearing in two upcoming home-grown shows. In Brighter Days, which premieres in August, he takes on dual roles in a story spanning three decades from 1996 to 2026. He will then portray a psychotherapist in medical drama Keep it Down, which premieres in November.

“Hopefully, I get to work on more international co-productions and collaborate with artistes overseas. There is so much to learn from one another.”

He would also welcome a change in medium, such as acting in a stage musical or movie.

“Every actor dreams of being seen on the big screen,” he said. “So if I am in a movie played in cinemas here, that would be awesome.”