Actress Aileen Tan reveals she joined Star Search 1988 after being told ‘they only focused on looks that year’

With Star Search 2024 well underway now, who can better relate to the Top 20 contestants than former Star Search alums Aileen Tan, 58, Desmond Tan, 38, and Zhang Zetong, 31. 
The trio appeared in the latest episode of #JustSwipeLah, where they spoke to host Jernelle Oh about their time on the talent search. 
Aileen placed second in the inaugural Star Search in 1988. Desmond was a finalist in Star Search 2007, while Zetong was crowned champ in Star Search 2019. Jernelle too, was a finalist in Zetong’s season. 
The Star Search alums first shared their reasons for participating in the talent search.
Watching an old clip of herself in Star Search 1988, Aileen laughed and said: “I’m old already.”
She continued: “It wasn’t that I wanted to join, but the person who nominated me saw me working out in a gym. She [was a script supervisor], and she approached me and asked if I wanted to enter. My Mandarin back then was horrible, so I asked “Are you sure you want me to join?”. She told me they only focused on looks that year,” laughed Aileen. 
Aileen also added that there was a “S$25 registration fee” for the competition. 
“Just like that, I somehow managed to muddle along [in showbusiness] for more than 30 years,” she continued. 
Desmond, on the other hand, auditioned for Star Search at 21 after completing his National Service. He had a six-month break before starting university, and thought he would give it a shot since he had “nothing to lose”. 
Zetong had a full-time job as a customer relationship manager at marketplace platform Carousell, but was convinced by his mum to sign up for the competition. She’s a big fan of television shows, and so he agreed to join “to humour her”. 
Desmond and Zetong then spoke about their showbiz mentors, whom they met during their Star Search journeys. Desmond was coached by Chen Hanwei, while Zetong’s coach was Christopher Lee. 
Jernelle’s mentor was also Hanwei and she revealed that he continues to check in on her every now and then. She would update him on her ongoing projects, seek advice, and even send him her well wishes every Father’s Day. 
Aileen did not enjoy the luxury of having a mentor guide her during the competition. 
Aileen said: “My mentor is my experience. I remember the [2019 Star Search finalists] starred in a show called All Around You. Zhai Siming played my son in it. I remember there was a scene in which he just couldn’t get his tears to flow. The director asked me to help him out, and I remember him wearing headphones to [listen to music and] get emotional for the scene.
“When it comes down to emotions, it’s not something that you get right in one go. As a newcomer, he just couldn’t get it right. I tried my best to help him. I kept slapping myself in order to help him cry. The camera wasn’t even on me, it was on him. I continuously slapped myself while praying he could cry, and thankfully, he eventually teared up.”
After hearing what Aileen did, Desmond chirped: “So Zhai Siming, every Mother’s Day, please remember to send her a message.”
Now, who wouldn’t want Aileen as a mentor?
This story was originally published in 8Days. 
For more 8Days stories, visit https://www.8days.sg/