Simonboy a 'big help' in Desmond Tan's role as drug offender in upcoming movie

No, your eyes aren't tricking you - local actor Desmond Tan did put on a few kilos, but it's all for a new role in his first movie in seven years.

The 39-year-old plays Malcolm, a middle-aged former drug addict who takes up long-distance running to turn his life around. The movie, titled Pace, also stars Zhu Houren and his second son Joel Choo, and will be directed by the veteran actor's first son Jonathan Choo.

Speaking to AsiaOne, Desmond remarked that this would be his first time depicting a drug addict as well as undergoing a drastic weight transformation for a role in his 17-year acting career.

Desmond shared his research process: "At the beginning, I only spoke with the executive producer, director and some former drug abusers in halfway houses, one of whom is a runner as well.

"Simonboy helped me a lot, sending me relevant videos and messages occasionally, especially when the content is similar to my character's situation. He also helped the other actors who play drug abusers, such as explaining to them their characters' conditions and what they would be thinking of, so I'm very thankful."

Having served time in prison before for drug offences, local content creator Simonboy was invited to play Malcolm's best friend Larry, who also suffers from addiction.

The 38-year-old relayed his own goal for the film: "I hope that all of us will not watch this film as if it's only a movie, but an actual real-life story of many people who share the same background as me.

"Furthermore, I really hope that Pace not only serves as a reminder but also encourages those who are still connected with their struggles today."

Simonboy, whose real name is Simon Khung, acknowledged that although his content is widely viewed as comedic, he loves creating "serious" storylines and skits that deliver meaningful messages like the film.

On Nov 6, he announced the launch of the Forever Megan Charity as a tribute to his late daughter who was four when she was killed by her mother and her then-boyfriend in 2020.

Malcolm 'cannot be a handsome man'

Pace's production schedule will take place in three separate blocks between November and March, where Desmond will go from "pudgy" to cutting weight at the end.

During his speech at a recent press conference for the movie, he admitted that he felt mild panic speaking to the media as he was self-conscious about his weight gain.

"When I attended Weibo Cultural Exchange Night over the weekend alongside other big stars, people noticed I got a bit chubbier and some texted to ask if anything happened. Some speculated that fatherhood was stressing me out," joked Desmond, who recently announced the birth of his second child in September.

Backing him up in his weight transformation are a dietitian and a trainer, the latter of whom will enter the project later on in production.

Gaining 10kg specially for this role, Desmond revealed that he had never hit this weight in his lifetime.

"He cannot be a handsome man," he quipped. "To make it realistic, Malcolm needs to be a 40-year-old, so I sat down in the Central Business District with a cup of coffee and people-watched.

"I noticed a lot of men over 40 have a paunch, so we made some adjustments to make Malcolm more realistic."

As someone with a healthy and active lifestyle, he still had his reservations no matter how ready he was to transform for the role. "When we prepared to enter the filming stage, we set some targets and I got worried. I really had to eat a lot - more than what I usually consume."

Desmond, who was filming Mediacorp's dystopian-crime drama The Leftovers up until early November, began prepping for Pace by gaining weight towards the tail end of the series.

[[nid:723189]]

All in all, preparing for the movie has given him much food for thought on the dilemma of drug addiction. He has only ever been on the side of the law playing a Central Narcotics Bureau officer in the Mediacorp drama The Takedown (2021), so the research process for Pace was a "rollercoaster".

"It was quite challenging and fulfilling for me, because I had to understand a whole different sector of society," he said

"These people are put at the very corner - a hidden side - and others don't really try to understand what they go through or the kind of struggle they face trying to get their normal lives back."

He added: "I watched a lot of interviews on YouTube and sometimes, I felt that they couldn't help themselves. Life is strange like that; no one would want to choose this path. I felt sorry for them and their lives because nobody would want to live their lives like this, where there's no turning back once you start. I can empathise from my character's point of view."

Pace is supported by the Singapore Film Commission and the Infocomm Media Development Authority, through the Media Talent Progression Programme Long Form Content Grant and Yellow Ribbon Project. It is expected to be released in the third quarter of 2026.

[[nid:726164]]

kristy.chua@asiaone.com

No part of this article can be reproduced without permission from AsiaOne.