Evelyn Tan Says Her Daughter, Kristen, 19, Wants To Be In Showbiz But Is “Not Driven By Fame & Glory”

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Last month, Evelyn Tan, 49, made her small-screen comeback in Moments, playing Paige Chua’s strong-minded, yet kind hearted aunt.

Evelyn’s last appearance in a Mediacorp drama was — believe it or not — 24 years ago, in Home Affairs. For the past two decades, she's been busy taking care of her family.

Evelyn and her husband, actor Darren Lim, 51, have four kids: Kristen, 19, Jairus, 17, Way, 15, and Elliot, 11.

Speaking to 8days.sg about her return to showbiz, Evelyn says with a chuckle: “It was a long time ago since I did a drama, so I thought [my acting] was going to be quite rusty. Thankfully, after I started acting, I realised it’s like swimming. It’s something you won’t lose if you’ve picked up the ropes along the way.”

She did experience some culture shock upon her return.

“Everyone seemed younger than me. Last time, I was the “xiao mei” in the production, and now they call me “Yu Yun-jie”. It was something I couldn’t get used to and I told them calling me “just Yu Yun will do”,” laughs Evelyn.

Evelyn was recommended for the role in Moments by her hubby Darren, who worked with the executive producer on a previous show.

“My name came up and he thought maybe I would be suitable for the role and since the audience hasn’t seen me for a while, it might be a good time and opportunity [for me]. Most importantly, it wasn’t going to be a big role, and that was what caught my attention: that it wasn’t going to take too much time away from my family,” explains Evelyn.

She continues: “In the past, when it came to acting, I always found it so difficult to cry on command. But I’m happy to say that even though I haven’t been honing my acting skills, I found that I was able to relate to the role I was in, maybe because of life experiences. And after becoming a mum, I’ve experienced a wider range of emotions. I let those emotions lead me, and [tears] came very naturally. Tears were flowing and people on set were telling me that they could really feel my emotions when I was in character.”

Despite being satisfied with her performance, Evelyn “can’t say for sure” if she's returning to acting for good. Instead, she describes it as more of a “privilege”.

“I dare not ask for such roles anymore because we all know that showbiz is all about fresh faces, and roles for older artistes may be more limited. There’s this sense of attainment, but so what? Am I going to get all the opportunities I was seeking for in the past? Maybe not,” she explains.

“I’m being very practical here and I don’t think there’s anything wrong admitting that. In this arena, the opportunities are there for young artistes. It was a privilege for me to take part in this production, but I’m also trying to manage my own expectations. If there are opportunities that come along, then that's good,” says Evelyn.

She also tells us that her family was very supportive, especially her daughter, Kristen, who is also looking to pursue a career in showbiz.

“My children were like “Really!”. I suppose they did not grow up watching me on TV ‘cos I was with them the whole time, so they were quite excited. It wasn’t just dad, now it’s mum as well,” she chuckles.

8DAYS.SG: Do your kids watch local dramas?

EVELYN TAN: Yes, every now and then. Especially those that daddy is in. I did tell them that my show was going to air and they were like “Okay, then we will watch it with you”. We will have a watch party (chuckles). 

Have your kids expressed interest in joining showbiz?

My eldest one for sure. The other three… the boys aren’t really interested. My daughter has always been very taken by the media and the magic of acting and all, so she has voiced out since young that this is where she wants to be.

Was she influenced by you and Darren?

I think maybe 50 per cent, and the other 50 per cent is just this interest being in her blood. Since young, she’s always been the one who would sing and dance. Since two or so, her expressions have always been quite dramatic, so we always call her drama queen, drama mama.

Is she working towards getting into showbiz now?

She is. She has taken on some roles behind the scenes as well. She has done her own short stories, documentary style. There was a period of time she was working with Dream Forest Productions, which has this channel called Singapore One. In the production, she was working as a city journalist who went to cover a story. She edited it, filmed it, conceptualised it, from start to end, and she was even the one hosting it.

Right now, she’s studying digital film and television at Temasek Polytechnic.  It's a more technical course and she hasn’t gotten the chance to learn more about the mass communication parts, so she might take up a separate course in a private institution.

Have you warned Kristen of the pressures that come with being in the industry?

(Laughs) Yah, definitely. We talked about this a lot. I have to take my hat off to her. She’s not driven by the 'lala-ness' of things, like the fame and the glory. She’s really interested in performance arts.

She tells me “Mum, don’t worry, I always have a back-up plan. I know what I’m strong in. I just want to give it a shot."

She has applied for a few schools in the United States. It’s not that she’s headed towards Hollywood, but that’s where a lot of filmmakers, actresses, if they make it big, they make it big. And she would look back on her life and say she has pursued those dreams of hers. So I leave it up to her. I think that’s what every parent wants to do, to [have their kids] pursue the dreams that keep them alive. It helps to know that the child is also sensible, to have taken our advice. They know this at the back of their minds and they’re actively looking for other things that can support them.

Sounds like Kristen has her priorities right. Are your boys equally sensible?

Some of them are more precocious than people their age, and there are those who are taking their time a bit more, but I think they will all turn out fine. What I’m thankful for is that they’re open to letting us speak to them.

At the end of the day I think it’s really true that we cannot dictate the decisions they make with their lives but at least they're not afraid to consult us in certain things. We’re there to offer support and a shoulder to cry on if things don’t work out.

We’ve recognised that some of our kids can be quite strong headed, and I think that rather than telling them that where they’re headed is a no-go, we would like them to pursue and go where their dreams call them to go and not hold them back. At the same time, we let them know we’re always here to help them along.

Photos: Mediacorp, mewatch, Evelyn Tan/ Instagram, Darren Lim/ Instagram

Catch Evelyn in Moments on mewatch, or watch episode one below.