Tyler Ten on building his career with patience and passion

The last of our four-part cover story series for Her World’s July issue, Emerald Hill’s rising stars find common ground in their personal ambitions – where self-belief, authenticity and due diligence are their secrets to success. Read more about Tasha Low, Zhang Ze Tong and the trio together.

As a child, Tyler Ten could not be further in demeanour from the quiet and well-mannered man that he comes across as today. He describes himself as a rebellious youth, growing up in neighbourhood schools and mixing with a lot of “delinquent kids”. But he is grateful for that time in his life and it is “very precious” to him, as it has shaped who he is as a person.

It was also in his growing up years that he picked up Muay Thai after being inspired by martial arts movie Ong-Bak, and to build confidence and protect himself. He was 12 years old at the time, and was immersed in an environment where weaker figures would get picked on. “I was tall and skinny – I was already 1.78m in Primary 6 – and I was bullied all the time. It affected my confidence,” the 1.9m actor recalls matter-of-factly. “I was growing too fast [according to the school medical check-ups], and so I needed to get checked. I had already started lifting weights at that point, in hopes of stunting my growth.

Things changed though, when he entered Singapore Polytechnic to study interior design. “I started to mix with different groups of friends who are more positive,” he says. “It was there that I focused more on my studies.” 

Sitting across from Tyler, buff and broody as he is, it is hard to imagine him as anything less than the strongest link. The 29-year-old is introverted in a group setting, often preferring to tap out on his phone, but finds his own unique spark once someone strikes him up in conversation. His humble sincerity is something that I pick up on throughout the course of our chat. Being in front of the camera or a crowd is the same, he shrugs. 

“I feel that I have this special power as a celebrity. I have no idea how it works, but I switch on the extroverted me when I need to.” But once he walks through the doors of his home, it’s full decompression time. “I love my bed and I love to watch shows,” he reveals.

Becoming an actor was never in Tyler’s grand plan, even though he enjoys watching television and singing (An Jing by Jay Chou is his go-to song at KTV). He didn’t think his personality suited the industry, and believes it all happened “by chance”. He was scouted on the streets for Star Search in 2019 while doing a part-time marketing course in university.

“I was still a kid and wanted to just go into it for fun,” he claims. One thing led to another, and he eventually made it into Star Search’s Top 12 finalists that year, which kick-started his career. He made his acting debut in All Around You, before landing key roles as an SCDF emergency medical technician Jayden Chee in In Safe Hands, and as army officer Chan Oon King in When Duty Calls 2.

What has kept Tyler going in this line of work is his family, whom he wants to give a “better life”. “I grew up in a simple and humble family. We didn’t have a lot, but we had everything we needed,” he says. “They are the main motivation why I work hard in this industry.”

Amassing almost 93,000 followers on Tiktok is no easy feat, but Tyler does not consider himself a Tiktok personality, explaining that he prefers to focus on live vlogs and the occasional trend-led video. “I learnt not to chase things so blatantly,” he ruminates. “I used to think if you do a lot of videos on Tiktok, you’ll go viral. But then I realised that things will come naturally to you if you have work that backs you.”

Tyler believes that has been the case for Emerald Hill, which he credits for propelling him to the next rung on the popularity ladder. Getting the role of Bai Ah Li was “very important” to him, and he recalls being “beyond excited” when he received the news, as a lot of effort had gone into auditioning for a character that is his polar opposite. 

He layers his own narrative on who he believes Bai Ah Li to be. “He’s cheeky and confident, and a very remarkable figure, because he loves and hates with such fearless intensity. You know, in life, we don’t get to do much of this. When we love or hate, we conceal it, but he is the opposite. He feels like he can do anything for Xinniang, and he is willing to give up everything, including giving up his life. It is very brave of him.”

Tyler adds with a disarming smile: “Bai Ah Li also taught me that love can be so simple. You don’t have to be with that person; you just hope she can be happy, whether with or without you.”

Fighting for the future

I spy a pair of light blue boxing gloves hanging off Tyler’s duffel bag, and he tells me that he has just come from a Muay Thai session at Pineapple MMA, where he trains daily for an hour. Before he became an actor, the health advocate used to be a Muay Thai personal trainer.

He enthuses about his fighting scenes in Emerald Hill, especially “those in the rain”, and excitedly shares with me that his pipe dream would be to become a fulltime Muay Thai fighter in Thailand. He explains that he never had the right environment to fight professionally or for money in Singapore, as most Muay Thai fighters here do it as a hobby.

“I can’t do that for now,” Tyler chuckles, pointing to his perfectly chiselled features. He adds in Mandarin: “Wo kao lian chi fan” – which translates to needing his looks to earn a living. 

Thankfully for us, remaining an actor is still very much on the cards. He lists actors Pierre Png and Desmond Tan as inspirations; the latter because he is a father and successful actor. 

“Hopefully in the future, I can aim for that,” he discloses, hinting at his desire for parenthood. “But for now, I hope to get more roles that challenge me. I have grown fond of acting over the years, and I would like to see how far I can go as an actor.”

PHOTOGRAPHY: REUBEN FOONG, ASSISTED BY: DANIEL WEST
CREATIVE DIRECTION & STYLING: LENA KAMARUDIN, ASSISTED BY: ANIS NABILAH AZLEE & MANDY TAN
ART DIRECTION: RAY TICSAY
HAIR: SYLIN/SHUNJI MATSUO
GROOMING: DOLLEI SEAH, USING DIOR BEAUTY
LOCATION: MADAME FAN AT NCO CLUB & SABAR MENANTI NASI PADANG