Singaporean film ‘King of Hawkers’ a ‘dream come true’ for Kimson Tan

Kimson Tan

After only two years in show biz, Kimson Tan has already managed to land an international project—“a dream come true” for the newbie actor.

This year, the former varsity basketball player is set to start working on the food- and family-themed Singaporean movie “King of Hawkers,” which will be produced by Academy of Rock (AOR) Global and directed by filmmaker Kelvin Sng. Some actors wait for years for this kind of opportunity, so to get it this early in his career is an unexpected blessing.

“I’m thankful to have this chance. My dreams are starting to come true. The road toward my goal is starting to open up,” he said in a virtual conference. “I’m thankful to the people who took a risk on me even if I’m still a newbie. This is an opportunity for me to prove my skills on the international stage.”

“I signed my contract (last December), but it hasn’t fully sunk in yet,” the GMA 7 actor added. “Doing an international project is a dream, and it’s finally happening.”

While he’s excited about this breakthrough, Kimson admitted that he does feel some pressure. “I will be the first actor from GMA to collaborate with AOR Global. I have to give my best in everything I do, because it feels like I will be representing not only myself, but also the network and our country,” he said.

“One of the requirements for the role is the ability to speak Mandarin and Hokkien.” “My handler asked if I could speak to them. And I said, I can do it. We sent a video of me speaking and introducing myself in Mandarin. I’m from a Chinoy family and I attended a Chinese school in elementary and high school,” he related.

“Because I live in the Philippines, I don’t get to speak the languages as much in conversational settings, so I’m also brushing up on that,” he added.

A few days after, Kimson met with AOR Global founder Priscila Teo, director Kelvin Sng and renowned chef and food consultant John See (who worked on the blockbuster film “Crazy Rich Asians”).

“I will be flying to Singapore to undergo training for the movie. It will revolve around the hawker center (open-air food complexes commonly found in Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia) culture, so I have to focus on the cooking skills,” Kimson said. “I know how to cook simple breakfast dishes, but not the complicated ones. Now I’m trying to get a better feel of the kitchen on my own.”

Tan (center) with Singaporean director Kelvin Sng (left) and Chef John See

Different work culture

The 23-year-old actor, who’s part of the ongoing primetime series “Mano Po Legacy: The Flower Sisters,” expects a different work culture in Singapore. But he’s confident that he will be able to adapt quickly. “The culture will be different—the production, the system, the pacing. I will have to adapt, but I’m looking forward to working with everyone.”

Kimson couldn’t go into detail about his character yet, but he feels that it was tailor-made for him. “It’s the first thing that came to mind. The story has something to do with the character’s grandfather. And I grew up with my grandparents, so I feel a connection already. The character’s personality is similar to mine. And I love that it’s about food and family,” he said.

It was Kimson’s uncle—his manager who used to play for the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers—who urged him to try acting. Not one to to pass up on new experiences, he gave show biz a try. His first project was the boys’ love series “In Between” two years ago.

“That opened doors for me. And through time, I have learned to love my craft. If there’s an opportunity, you grab it despite the uncertainties. I don’t want to have regrets later on in life … that I didn’t take risks or take advantage of opportunities,” said Kimson who’s also part of the upcoming live-action series “Voltes V: Legacy.”

Landing an international project doesn’t mean that he can finally take things easy. Acting, he pointed out, is a nonstop learning process. “Our workshops help us build our skills, so we can handle whatever type of role given to us … so we’re not stuck in just one kind of genre,” he said. “You can’t be complacent about your acting, because you’re only as good as your last project.”