Being a second-gen star already comes with a certain type of pressure, but imagine coming from a family where everyone is a celebrity.

That's just the life of local actor Calvert Tay, son of local celebrity couple Hong Huifang and Zheng Geping, as well as the younger brother of Mediacorp actress Tay Ying.

In a recent interview with Chinese media Zaobao.sg, the 25-year-old, who stars in new Mediacorp drama The Cellphone Swap, noted that he has indeed not participated in many productions as compared to his family.

Calvert joined showbiz in 2017 after clinching a role in Mediacorp series While We Are Young, and his only other drama was 2022's First Of April.

However, Calvert, who remains passionate about acting, does not feel disappointed. He doesn't care too much about awards or fame, and just wishes to give his best. 

The actor is even desensitised to the pressure from being part of a star-studded fam — even as the son of a Golden Horse Best Leading Actress nominee.

"My sister and I are actually used to it. Growing up, no matter what we did, people would naturally compare us to our family. I’m almost 'immune' to it now. I just laugh it off," said Calvert.

To him, what matters most is that he's taking what he wants to do seriously and "doing it well". 

Interestingly, Calvert has never had the chance to act with his family members even though they're all in showbiz. We mean, the local industry isn't even that big, right?

Among them, the person he wants to work with the most is his sister, because “it seems like it would be fun.”

What about working with Huifang-jie? Well, Calvert has his qualms because “her acting is on another level.”

He recalled once asking his mum to rehearse a scene with him before an audition.

“She had to cry in that scene, and to my surprise, she actually cried on the spot. The next second, she snapped back to her normal self while I got so nervous I couldn’t even say my lines," he recounted. 

In the past few years, Calvert also dabbled in music and production, adding that he's encountered many different things and learned a lot in the process.

Now, he is the founder and executive producer of production house First Mile Productions as well as a partner and head of productions of media company Ring Road Collective.

When asked if he’s currently more focused on acting or music, Calvert posited that he's not going to make a choice. 

The reason? He simply can't give up either. 

“Acting and music are two completely different things and experiences. Acting lets me temporarily ‘put aside’ Calvert Tay, while music allows me to express what’s in my heart through songs," he explained.

He also admitted that his acting is still a work in progress.

“Acting requires you to ‘clear out’ your inner self. It’s a bit difficult to enter the world of a character and it takes time. I also feel my acting isn’t quite there yet. I still have a lot of room for improvement."

As for music, sometimes he just doesn't have inspiration.

"I once went two months without being able to write anything. The more anxious I got, the harder it became. So I’d just go do something else for a while, and eventually the inspiration would return,"  he said.

Well, no harm being a jack of all trades?

The Cellphone Swap

Catch Calvert in The Cellphone Swap on mewatch or in the video below:

Photos: Calvert Tay/Instagram