What actress Julie Tan wants to change most about her looks

What actress Julie Tan wants to change most about her looks

Local actress Julie Tan is already a head-turner.

Yet the MediaCorp starlet, who is 1.71m tall and weighs 50kg, does not mind going under the knife to make herself look better.

The 21-year-old told The New Paper in an interview for her new Channel U travel reality series, A Date With K-pop Stars, at Korea Plaza in Raffles Place on Wednesday: "It's no longer a social stigma to have plastic surgery.

"As an actress, I have crying scenes and I have to work long hours sometimes. These give me eyebags and fine lines around my eyes."

The first runner-up of The New Paper New Face 2009 added: "If I can do something about my face, it would be to get rid of my eyebags so that my eyes don't look tired and droopy."

In the show, which premieres on Feb 21 at 9pm, Tan visits South Korea to experience its culture.

She hangs out with K-pop groups such as Dal Shabet, Teen Top and A-Jax. She also introduces Korean fashion and beauty trends, as well as hotspots for celebrity sightings.

She even went on a coveted dinner date with 25-year-old Hwang Kwang Hee of boy band ZE:A.

However, the cautious Tan felt pressurised during the date as many fans were gawking at them from outside the restaurant.

"I know K-pop fans are very protective of their idols and I didn't want to get into any trouble for getting too close to Kwang Hee, so I restricted my actions and didn't... interact much with him," she said.

"But Kwang Hee was very nice and started the ball rolling by feeding me. The production team also told me to let loose and not worry. After that, the filming process went smoothly."

Even though Tan does not follow K-pop, she admires K-pop superstar G-Dragon for his musical talent and outstanding fashion choices.

She said: "G-Dragon has a very strong identity. I can listen to a song and tell straight away it's his song as it's easily distinguishable."

After hanging out with K-pop idols during the filming of the show, Tan ironically does not aspire to be a K-pop star.

She was once offered the chance to be part of Singaporean-Korean K-pop girl group Skarf, but turned down the opportunity as she felt she was better at acting than singing.

In 2010, local entertainment company Alpha Entertainment held the JYP & Alpha Asean Region Audition in Singapore, attracting more than 3,000 participants. Singaporeans Natasha Low and Ferlyn Wong ended up being chosen to be part of the five-member girl group, who debuted in 2012.

RESTRICTIVE

Tan - who is in a "happy" one-year relationship with 22-year-old local model Ng Yuze - felt that being in a K-pop group would have been too restrictive.

She said: "When I told the members of (girl group) Dal Shabet that I have a boyfriend, they were shocked that I would announce it publicly. They told me that they could not be so open about it, and it made me realise that what's normal for me isn't normal for them."

But the most unforgettable experience for Tan during the filming was visiting a traditional sauna in South Korea with members of K-pop girl group Jewelry.

She recalled: "It was very unique because it's something that we don't have in Singapore. We tied a towel around our heads and drank a rice beverage.

"It was very natural and healthy, and my skin felt good after that."


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