MANILA, Philippines — Kimson Tan is among the Kapuso heartthrobs, who have flexed their acting muscles in various drama anthologies. His biggest assignment thus far is Mano Po Legacy: The Flower Sisters. This acting groove continues next year as he belongs to the ensemble cast of Voltes V: Legacy, the GMA live action adaptation of the Japanese animé TV series, and topbills King of Hawkers, the international film about food, culture and family.
Such latest development in his promising career makes him bound for Singapore next year to commence the shooting of the said movie.
“(It) was through my handler,” said Kimson on how he got wind of the project in a recent virtual group interview, “who was asking me if I can speak Mandarin or Fookien, that’s the requirement (for the character) of the film. I said I can do it.”
From there, he and his team sent a video, in which Kimson was speaking and introducing himself in the preferred language. What came after that were meetings with the Singapore-based production house AOR Global, director Kelvin Sng and Chef John See, the Crazy Rich Asians food stylist.
“To be honest, I feel a bit pressured and at the same time, (I’m) excited,” shared he, who has to give his best in the film for he’s not just representing himself, but he’s also representing GMA Network and the Philippines. “So, I really have to give my best. I’m excited because this is my dream to try and go international. It’s happening right now and it’s beginning to sink in little by little.”
For this acting project, Kimson said he is slowly learning how to cook at home and getting the feel of working in the kitchen.
“I’ve got my character sketch,” shared he, adding that he is in contact with the key production people “about what are the things I need to focus on and what are the things I need to improve on.” When he started to wrap his head around the character sketch, Kimson initially felt that the role was like written for him. “It’s close to me. The story has also something to do with his (character’s) grandfather and basically, I grew up with my grandparents, sobrang lapit ng role sa akin talaga,” said he.
Story conflict-wise, Kimson piqued everyone’s interest by saying it’s something viewers should look forward to. “Right now, that’s what I know, but yun pa lang yung nalalatag para sa akin. My character is basically an Asian, like typical na ako talaga,” said he.
Kimson comes from a Chinese-Filipino family. His elementary and high school education from a Chinese school allowed him to learn Mandarin and eventually made him fluent.
Before entering show business, Kimson played basketball from grade school until second-year college at the University of Sto. Tomas. It was his uncle who encouraged him to give a career in entertainment a try.
“It’s something that, you know, through the years minahal ko na rin po yung (acting) craft ko (I’ve learned to love),” said he, who did the YouTube BL series In Between in 2020 prior to being part of the Sparkle family. “Naniniwala po ako na (I believe) if there’s an opportunity for you to do (something), grab it, while na meron kahit alam mong walang kasiguraduhan (even if you’re not sure of what lies ahead). You might regret not taking the risk or that opportunity in the long run.”
As a Sparkle GMA Artist Center talent, Kimson is in a stage, where he wants to try everything, from acting in different genres to playing diverse roles. This will help him find his foothold and niche in the craft. He is banking on his work experience and workshops, with acting coach Ana Feleo, who has taught him the rudiments of acting and the importance of being a well-rounded actor.
“She said that whatever role GMA offers us, we have to give our best,” recalled he and shared some of his learnings gained from Ana that “Before you arrive on set, you really have to get ready for your emotional obligation, dapat alam mo kung saan ka papasok.” According to him, the actor should know the role and be in character. After each scene, the actor has the know-how to leave the emotion and the character and then come back and deliver what is expected from him for the next scene.
Kimson is bringing all those acting tips and pointers to commence his international debut acting project next year. Yes, he is ready to chase his dream in Singapore.