'It's like I have a Tamagotchi': Desmond Tan watches daughter through baby monitor at work

Back in March when Desmond Tan's daughter was due, he postponed his work for a month to spend time with his baby.

He initially anticipated "stretching [himself] a little thinner" when it came to returning to filming, he told AsiaOne back in April.

"Honestly, I don't really know what to expect because it's also my first time being a father," he added. "At the same time, being a perfectionist and someone who really wants to push hard for every single role, I see myself having less sleep maybe.

"But I've been training over the past month for that."

Desmond has since been filming the upcoming Mediacorp drama Devil Behind The Gate with actress Sheryl Ang.

And the 38-year-old does nothing by halves, because he's taking on double roles as twin brothers in the show, which comes with double the workload.

Thankfully he hasn't been getting less sleep, he told 8World in a recent interview: "My daughter goes to bed before 8pm and sleeps until 8am the next day. She doesn't wake us up in the middle of the night, this is something parents can only wish for.

"I hope she can always sleep well like an angel, so I won't look too tired!"

However, Desmond usually leaves for filming at 6.30am before his daughter wakes up, and often finishes around 7pm, which means she could be asleep by the time he gets back. During his work breaks, he checks on her through a baby monitor.

[[nid:698175]]

"I always joke with people on set that it's like I have a Tamagotchi! I can only see her on my phone," he said.

He added: "In these last two months, I watched her sleep more than seeing her awake. If I want to see her playing, I would have to look at my phone."

Though Desmond initially didn't want to return to work and leave his daughter at home, and was even a little unused to it during the first week, he said he had no way around it and still had to do his job.

Now he even restrains himself and doesn't check on the baby monitor too often.

He explained: "I'm afraid that I'll be affected and break out of character, so I only watch it when I am having my meals or after filming!"

Devil Behind The Gate will air on Channel 8 and Mewatch in May 2025.

[[nid:698146]]

drimac@asiaone.com