'Tennis and golf are more lucrative': Former Malaysian state badminton player Shaun Chen hopes daughters won't go pro in the 'tough' sport

He may be a former state badminton player for Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia, but Shaun Chen does not expect his daughters to follow in his footsteps.

AsiaOne spoke to the Singapore-based actor recently at a press conference for the upcoming Mediacorp drama My One and Only, where he spoke at large about sports and family.

When asked if he hoped to see his daughters follow in his footsteps and become badminton professionals, the 44-year-old expressed: "I would say they are currently most interested in badminton, as they see me play and I have gifted both of them badminton rackets.

"But I wouldn't recommend they go pro in badminton, as it is tough as a career. Tennis and golf are more lucrative, so they can consider those," quipped the actor light-heartedly.

Shaun shared that he will be happy enough if his children pick up a sport seriously, not for the purpose of going pro but for the sake of character development.

He elaborated in earnest: "I feel that people with an athletic foundation are able to be more clear-minded when they do things. They have a stronger sense of passion and endurance.

[[nid:625098]]

"When they encounter problems, they can resolve them with more determination. They have a higher stress tolerance when encountering setbacks in life too, so life will be more manageable for them."

In fact, Shaun has so much faith in the value of sports that he gives it all the credit for enabling him to persevere in showbiz, and he believes it applies to other industries too.

Expressing a tinge of nostalgia as he summarised his relationship with the sport, he said: "Badminton is in my blood, I have been playing competitively since I was 13. I became an actor when I wasn't able to make it to the national team."

Even though he is no longer competing professionally, Shaun still plays badminton regularly with his friends and neighbours, many of whom he has known for 10 to 20 years.

[[nid:639812]]

At the same time, he frequently participates in doubles competitions in the neighbourhood, with a rule that the ages of each pair have to add up to at least 100 years old.

"It's easy for any two of us to make a team as there are many middle-aged and old men in my neighbourhood," he chuckled.

Shaun married fellow Malaysian Celine Chin in 2015 and they have two daughters, aged seven and five.

'They are not allowed to use iPad while eating'

Shaun had previously mentioned on The Zoe and Liang Show, hosted by Zoe Tay and Guo Liang, that he would not mind if his daughters wanted to become influencers, but held high expectations for their performance.

"If my kid wants to become an influencer, then she has to be the best," he'd shared in the talk show, though he believes that if they were to quit their studies to do so, they would "regret it eventually".

And while his children are exposed to social media at the moment, Shaun and his wife have restricted their usage and do not allow them to use electronic devices during meal times.

"We plan to not let them have their own smartphones till around the age of 11 or 12," he concluded during the press conference.

'I will hide it in my heart'

In the upcoming long-form drama which revolves around the real estate industry, Shaun plays Andy Chua, the professional rival of co-star Zoe's character, Ma Limin. Limin plays a real estate agent and owner of property agency, My One and Only. She aspires to become a developer but encounters marital issues with her husband, Hao Jian (Brandon Wong), who is less ambitious. The story follows the happenings of various characters related to Limin's firm and family, including her son Renpin, played by Shawn Thia.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Ya Hui 雅慧 (@yahuiyh)

As the drama series includes plot points of revenge, Shaun was asked about his views on taking revenge in real life.

[[nid:640273]]

He shared: "Even if I've been wronged by others, I won't engage in 'an eye for an eye'. I might want revenge, but I won't actually do it.

"I will just bury it in my heart and speak out if there is a chance."

Adding that he would avoid interactions with such people and "interact more with the good ones", he asserted: "I am okay with suffering, but I will never do harm to other people."

My One and Only is showing Mondays to Fridays, 7.30pm on Channel 8 from July 27, and will start streaming on meWATCH on July 24. It is still in production. The long-form series also stars Ya Hui, Elvin Ng, Tay Ying, Yao Wenlong and Fang Rong.

ALSO READ: 'I told my mum I was very uncomfortable': Ya Hui recalls private tutor touching her inappropriately when she was a teen

jolynn.chia@asiaone.com

No part of this story can be reproduced without permission from AsiaOne.