Are you thinking of slowing down a little to focus on your personal life, and maybe get married?
This has always been at the back of my mind. I really love kids and I was chatting with a soundman that I got to know on set. He told me that he was turning 40 this year, and that his older kid is three, while the younger one is three months old. I told him, ‘Bro, you started late man. You’re 40 and your kid is only three!’ He’s accepted the fact that he would have to work hard for a long time to raise his kids. Then, when I was driving home, I thought to myself that I would be in the same situation as him.
Yeah, you turn 40 in five years.
Exactly, and even if I have a kid when I’m 36, my kid would only be four when I'm 40. And I would be almost 60 when the kid enlists in army or enters university.
So you’ve been feeling the weight of time on your shoulders?
I never really thought about it in the past since I’m such a workaholic. I’m always working and on the go, so I have never seriously thought [about marriage] before. But I’ve been thinking more about it in recently and I really hope to have a kid when I’m not too old. I really hope that I can settle down. But looking at my schedule... If you can’t even have a proper holiday… (laughs)
Turning 35 definitely got me thinking. The whole cliché about age being just a number is one thing: I have friends who are 50 but behave like kids 'cos they’re young at heart, but we can’t deny our biological clocks. We need the energy and time to rest when taking care of kids.
That’s true.
I have friends who are my age who have kids that are in primary school or kindergarten. Kids are the biggest yardstick of time — watching them grow up, learn how to walk, go to school and ask you weird questions about life. I realised that I’ve been working very hard and this is something that I have to seriously consider.
How many kids do you see yourself having?
Ideally, three kids. I've always thought it's a good number. It's a big family but not too big.
Do you have a 'deadline' on when you'd want to settle down?
The main reason I don't give myself deadlines is to allow myself to flow through life with more liberty. I believe that instinctively we know exactly when to do the right thing at the right time. We just have to listen to the whispering of our heart for the answer. In my opinion, over-planning the roadmap of our life makes life less exciting and spontaneous.
Is your heart whispering to you to get married?
Well, my mum has been waiting for me to get married since 35 years ago… (chuckles)