When Benjamin Tan was on the set of The Heartland Hero (邻里帮) one day, he overheard a passer-by exclaim to his friend: “He’s that gong kia (dumb kid in Hokkien) from the 7:30pm.”
The actor was amused by the remark. He’s also heartened that his portrayal of the dim-witted Jeremy in the long-running TV series has left a mark. Many aunties and primary school children who follow the drama have shared that they like his “cute” character.
At a recently-held mid-season virtual press conference, Benjamin Tan said he was excited when given a chance to act as Jeremy, a mentally-challenged and gullible man who’s raised by a single mother.
In preparation for his role, he watched many shows with similarly “dense” characters, although he said he tried not to copy other actors’ delivery directly.
“Reading through the script [and] understanding what the character went through in his life [also helped] a lot in my preparation,” Benjamin Tan said.
To him, the main challenge was finding the delicate balance between his and his producer’s interpretations of how Jeremy should be like.
“For example, I am not supposed to be too dim-witted for my role, [but] at the same time, not too bright when it comes to complicated situations or thought processes,” he said.
On the whole, Benjamin Tan feels that he’s done well in pulling off the emotional scenes in the drama.
“That felt like a personal breakthrough because I’ve always felt that I’m lacking in ways to deliver emotional scenes,” he said.
Benjamin Tan made his acting debut in 2018. He scored a nomination for the Best Newcomer Award at Star Awards 2021 for his portrayal of a polytechnic student in My Guardian Angels 单翼天使 (2020).
In July last year, his mother fell into a coma and has been on life support. When asked about his mother’s condition, he said she’s still “in the same state”, adding that he’s grateful for everyone’s concerns.
The Heartland Hero 邻里帮 is airing on Channel 8 at 7:30pm on weekdays. You can also watch it on demand on MeWatch.
Proofread by Ruth Loo Hui En