10 Facts About Desmond Tan, 1 of the 8 Dukes in MediaCorp

Last Updated on 2020-01-23 , 3:07 pm

If you follow the local entertainment scene, you might have heard of the Eight Dukes of Caldecott Hill back in 2014, where 8 promising young Mediacorp actors were identified at a Star Awards Show.

Amongst them is now 33-year-old Desmond Tan, a rising name in the industry.

Here are 10 facts you might want to know about this very actor who has been gaining popularity over the years!

Desmond Tan Doesn’t Just Act

Back during his schooldays, he was actually part of a band and in 2014, he released a song titled ‘Love Song To SG’ as a National Day Tribute. This certainly paints him as a man of multiple talents!

And he shows his singing talent when he released this MV of an iconic song we 90s kids love:

Yeah, 关怀新方式.

By the way, do we know we here at Goody Feed love this song so much that we’ve done a video about this song, too? Check it out here:

He’s a Total Sucker for Local Food

You might expect him to love indulging in expensive, luxurious meals, but he confessed that he is a big fan of local food. Some of his favourites include fried carrot cake from West Coast Market Square and claypot rice from New Lucky Claypot Rice.

He’s a Little Bit of a Clean Freak

He’s said that he is kind of obsessed with cleanliness, and he enjoys it. In particular, he loves washing dishes until they squeak. While it might be an odd thing to know, I’m sure a few of us actually share the same satisfaction.

He Doesn’t Wear Socks

Yup, another weird fact. He said that his feet don’t perspire for some odd reason and as such, he doesn’t really have the habit of wearing socks. No comments on hygiene here but hey, to each his own?

He’s a Pretty Popular Model

Maybe ‘model’ might not be the right word per se, but he has acted as the brand ambassador for many large international names such as Uniqlo and Mercedes Benz. This is definitely understandable, given his classic good looks and attractive personality!

He isn’t Really a Fighter

Despite his bad-boy looks, he has never been involved in a physical fist fight aka he has never been one to throw punches, but he recalled a story back in Primary 3 when he got slapped by another boy for no particular reason. I’m sure such experience will definitely stick with you for life?

He is Strongly Dedicated to his Acting

For a role of a mine worker in 2013, he decided to lose 12-15kg in a month in order to look more convincingly like his character. He even wanted to go further but was advised not to because of possible health complications. Kudos on this rare display of dedication!

He is Afraid of Needles

Admittedly, this is a rather common phobia, but perhaps less expected of such a hunky man like him. In JC, he almost went for a blood donation but backed out last minute, and in 2015 when he injured his back badly enough to warrant a trip to the A&E, he still refused an injection to help with the pain.

He Got His Break from Star Search

In 2007, he placed as a runner-up on the popular talent-search show Star Search, which was won by fellow MediaCorp actor Andie Chen. This was what kickstarted his acting career and look where he is today!

He Prioritized Studies Over Acting

The NUS Real Estate graduate could have chosen to pursue acting instead of studying but he’s glad that he chose the latter on the advice of fellow actors like Zheng Geping, who advised him to finish his studies first. He then credited this to his growth as a person and said that he did not regret pursuing studies ahead of acting!