Actor Calvert Tay reveals which member of his famous family he would like to work with

Being a second-generation star already comes with a certain type of pressure, but imagine coming from a family where everyone is a celebrity. 

That's just the life of actor Calvert Tay, son of local celebrity couple Hong Huifang and Zheng Geping, as well as the younger brother of Mediacorp actress Tay Ying.

In a recent interview with Chinese media Zaobao.sg, the 25-year-old, who stars in the new Mediacorp Channel 8 drama The Cellphone Swap, revealed that he was aware he had not participated in many productions compared to his family.

Tay joined the local media industry in 2017 after clinching a role in Mediacorp series While We Are Young, and his only other drama was 2022's First Of April.

However, Tay, who remains passionate about acting, does not feel disappointed. He said that "doesn't care too much about awards or fame", and "just wishes to give his best".

The actor is even desensitised to the pressure from being part of a star-studded fam, even as the son of a nominee for a Golden Horse Award. (Mum was nominated for Best Leading Actress for her role in the 2022 film Ajoomma.) 

"My sister and I are actually used to it. Growing up, no matter what we did, people would naturally compare us to our family. I’m almost immuned to it now. I just laugh it off," said Tay.

To him, what matters most is that he's taking what he wants to do seriously and "doing it well".

To date, Tay has yet to act with his family members, even though they're all in the same industry. 

Out of all his family members, Tay said that the person he wants to work with the most is his sister, because “it seems like it would be fun”.

What about working with his mum? Tay has his qualms because he remarked that “her acting is on another level”.

He recalled once asking his mum to rehearse a scene with him before an audition.

“She had to cry in that scene, and to my surprise, she actually cried on the spot. The next second, she snapped back to her normal self while I got so nervous I couldn’t even say my lines," he said.

In the past few years, Tay also dabbled in music and production, adding that he has encountered many different things and learned a lot in the process.

Now, he is the founder and executive producer of Singapore-based creative studio First Mile Productions as well as a partner and head of productions of local media and marketing company Ring Road Collective.

When asked if he’s currently more focused on acting or music, Tay said that he's not going to choose as he could not give up either.

“Acting and music are two completely different things and experiences. Acting lets me temporarily put Calvert Tay aside, while music allows me to express what’s in my heart through songs," he said.

He also admitted that his acting is still a work in progress.

“Acting requires you to clear out your inner self. It’s a bit difficult to enter the world of a character, and it takes time. I also feel my acting isn’t quite there yet. I still have a lot of room for improvement."

As for music, sometimes he just doesn't have inspiration.

"I once went two months without being able to write anything. The more anxious I got, the harder it became. So I’d just go do something else for a while, and eventually the inspiration would return," he said.

This story was originally published in 8Days.

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