After attending Jacky Cheung’s concert at the Singapore Indoor Stadium last November, Romeo Tan found a fan waiting for him next to his vehicle at the carpark.
As the 40-year-old local actor interacted with the young woman, who told him she was there for Blackpink’s concert held on the same evening, he wondered how she recognised him and his car in the crowd.
“She told me, ‘I remember your car plate number’,” Romeo recounted to AsiaOne in an interview recently while promoting his upcoming thriller drama Highway to Somewhere.
Despite being surprised by her response, he remained calm and professional and even took photos with her.
“As I drove away, I wondered if there was any sensor or tracking device in my car,” he added.
That wasn’t the first time Romeo encountered the young woman, whom he believed started following him since local drama Emerald Hill — The Little Nyonya Story aired last March, where he played antagonist Zhang Jinquan.
While Romeo appreciates his fans’ support, he confessed the woman’s “overfriendliness” started to make him feel very uncomfortable.
He shared: “I wonder how clearly I should draw the line and distance myself from her. Should I raise my voice slightly to be more serious and make it clear to her that it’s a bit too much?
“Usually, I am not that kind of person. I would usually thank my supporters and keep a friendly distance. But if this is affecting me, I don’t think I can stand it in the long run.”
He also told us the woman had been turning up at the events he attended, asking about his appearance time beforehand.
Although Romeo said he interacted with her politely and didn’t commit to a time, she allegedly became frustrated and told him later that he didn’t keep his “promise” to update her on what time he would show up.
He added: “I just hope they don’t take my friendliness for granted… I think that’s crossing the line too much, I am not obligated to tell you my whereabouts… I hope there is mutual respect.”
Reuniting with Jeanette Aw as on-screen lovers after 10 years
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Romeo’s new local drama Highway to Somewhere tells the story of the strained relationship between Nick Zhang (Romeo) and Jane Liu (Jeanette Aw) after 15 years of marriage, where they find themselves clashing frequently due to their demanding careers and rebellious daughter.
To save their crumbling marriage, they embark on a road trip in Malaysia upon the advice of their friend, marriage counsellor Apple (Sora Ma), but the trip soon takes a sinister turn when Jane’s acquaintance York (Nick Teo) stalks them. While Jane tries to keep York’s obsession with her a secret from Nick, the latter is hiding his own secrets from her as well.
The series marks Romeo and Jeanette’s reunion on screen after a decade, since the time they play lovers in the local drama The Dream Makers II in 2015.
On working with Jeanette this time round, Romeo said: “I was nervous at first because it has been a while since I last saw her and I know she is a perfectionist and a professional when it comes to work.
“I might have been all over the place when I first acted with her all those years ago. So, this time round, I think it is also a way for her to evaluate me on how much I have grown [as an actor].”
Despite his worries, Romeo shared that everything went smoothly. During the one-week icebreaking session the production team arranged for the actors before filming commenced, he found exchanging lines and spending time with Jeanette to be very “comfortable”, which helped in their onscreen chemistry.
Filming took place across seven locations in Malaysia for two months, which Romeo said was a good experience because he explored places he had never visited before, including Kukup and Port Dickson.
When he first arrived in Kukup, a fishing village in Johor, he admitted he “judged” the place because he was concerned about hygiene, especially since they had to live in a homestay with no hotel in the kampung.
“But after one night, I loved the place so much and even went jogging at night. There was so much warmth and hospitality in that small place,” Romeo said, adding that he admired the simple and down-to-earth lifestyle he observed from the villagers and remembered fondly the beautiful views and sunsets.
‘Surprised’ by Best Actor nomination
Romeo, who is nominated for Best Actor in the upcoming Star Awards 2026 for his performance in Emerald Hill — The Little Nyonya Story (2025), told us he was “surprised” because he thought Jinquan was a supporting role.
He explained humbly that while he hopes to receive the award, he also understands it’s a fierce competition this year.
“There is a lot of attention on this drama and indeed there was a lot of good feedback for my character, and I do hope that I can get something out of it… But after I saw Chen Hanwei’s performance, I think it’s a bit hard. Although the characters we played are very different, I think his acting is really impressive,” he said, adding he would let nature take it course.
Hanwei, 56, is nominated for his performance as end-of-life cancer patient Lam Shuimiao in The Gift of Time (2025).
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Romeo will also receive the All-Time Favourite Artiste award at the ceremony on April 19. He told us he is still preparing his acceptance speech and will be finalising it this month.
He is also taking care of his health to ensure he can appear in his best form on stage to receive his award.
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On what he is looking forward to after 15 years in showbiz, Romeo said: “I hope there are more acting opportunities for me. Be it a big or small role, I hope there are more overseas exchanges that I can participate in to help in my growth as an actor.
“I also wish to learn from other actors during these exchanges. I have been doing local productions for so many years and hope to be able to explore more about acting from an external perspective.”
Highway to Somewhere is now available on demand for free on Mewatch and premieres on Channel 8 on March 11 airing weekdays at 9pm. The drama also stars Herman Keh, Bonnie Loo, Jasmine Sim, Seow Sin Nee and Gladys Bay.
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