1L milkshakes for breakfast? How Desmond Tan gained 15kg for his role in the movie Pace

He stars as a rehabilitated drug addict in the new movie. HIs recipe for rapid weight gain? Full cream milkshakes, and double portions of nasi lemak and char kway teow.

Desmond Tan's belly gets quite a few close-ups in the movie Pace. (Photo: Pace)

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More commonly associated with fashion spreads and topless shoots, actor Desmond Tan made his biggest physical transformation to date by piling on 15kg in just six weeks for Pace, premiering Oct 8.

In the Mandarin movie (rated NC16), he plays Malcolm, a rehabilitated drug addict who struggles to find his place at home and in society until he earns redemption through the discipline of running.

It is the first full-length feature film from director Jonathan Choo, who also scripted the movie. The 37-year-old is from a family of actors: His father, Zhu Hou Ren, and his younger brother, Joel, also have roles in Pace.

The idea for the film first came to him in the months before the pandemic “at a point in my life when I was running quite frequently,” Choo said. “I thought, ‘Running looks great on film’. And then, instantly, the idea of a prodigal son returning to a family just hit me.” Subsequently, his research into addiction led him to visits to halfway houses and conversations with former drug users.

At no point, though, is the film ever preachy or heavy-handed, choosing to steer clear of plot cliches and overwrought acting in favour of understated emotion, visual irony and genuinely funny moments. The result is a movie that’s refreshing, heartfelt and life-affirming.

Tan in the lead role was “able to understand completely” how “shrouded in shame” the character was, Choo shared. “It’s not an easy thing to bring out, especially in silent moments.”

And, the weight gain went beyond the issue of appearance. “When he gained that weight, and physically changed, it also helped him tap into the character emotionally,” Choo said.

Pace also stars Zhu Hou Ren and Taiwan-born actress Elaine Jin. (Photo: Pace)

Zhu praised Tan’s performance too, saying: “I have friends from halfway houses, many people whom I respect. Desmond was able to bring out a sense of hopelessness at different stages, with the heart changing along with the body,” he said. “I was pleasantly surprised that he was able to portray all of it so well, from inside out.”

To gain weight as quickly as possible, Tan divulged: “For breakfast, for the whole regime, I had a one-litre, full cream milkshake.” Then, on set, “two portions of whatever was served – char kway teow, fried noodles, nasi lemak.” At night, “I would end the day with supper at one of the fast food restaurants. I know exactly which meal has the highest calorie count.”

Fellow Pace actors Simon Khung aka Simonboy and Zaki Hussain witnessed Tan’s dedication. “During our shoots, he really had to eat two or three meals as one meal. It’s really not easy when you have to act, remember your lines and eat.” Still, Tan found the energy to help the crew move equipment when the camera wasn’t rolling, Khung shared.

Zaki quipped that he also witnessed Tan transform from being “handsome” into the character, who also has acne scars. “Every morning, he'll be the first to come on set, because he's the only one who needs prosthetic makeup,” he recounted. “All of us were relatable and normal-looking enough – we didn’t need makeup!”

Desmond Tan with Pace co-star Zaki Hussain. (Photo: Pace)

While Tan focused on his performance on set, at home, “my wife was quite concerned because of the amount of food that she saw me eat on a daily basis,” he recalled, although, “She did mention that I was more huggable during that period!”

It wasn’t a total loss: “I managed to eat a lot of things I never had the chance to eat because of my career – I’ve been watching my diet all this while,” he said.

After completing his scenes, he then went on to lose 18kg in six weeks through diet and exercise.

He’s now realised he’s less vain than he thought he was. “When I was in my teens, 20s and 30s, I think I focused too much on how I looked, and that mattered to me a lot, especially when people said, ‘Hey, you don't look as good as before’. It bothered me,” he confessed.

“But, during this whole transformation, I realised that I'm still me. It's just a different version of me, whether I'm fat, I'm skinny, or muscular. That makes me more confident. It gives me more control over how I allow people to see me. And, I think that's a very liberating growing process for me.”

Pace is in cinemas Oct 8.

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他在新电影中饰演一位戒毒成功的瘾君子。他快速增重的秘诀是什么？全脂奶昔，以及双份椰浆饭和炒粿条。

在电影《Pace》中，Desmond Tan的肚子有不少特写镜头。（图片来源：《Pace》）

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演员陈泓明（Desmond Tan）通常与时尚大片和裸露上身的拍摄联系在一起，为了出演10月8日上映的电影《Pace》，他在短短六周内增重了15公斤，完成了迄今为止最大的体型转变。

在这部国语电影（评级为 NC16）中，他饰演马尔科姆，一个戒毒成功的瘾君子，他努力在家庭和社会中找到自己的位置，直到通过跑步的自律获得救赎。

这是导演乔纳森·丘的首部剧情长片，他同时也是本片的编剧。这位37岁的导演出身演艺世家：他的父亲朱厚仁和弟弟乔尔·朱厚仁也在片中出演角色。

朱说，这部电影的构思最早是在疫情爆发前的几个月产生的，“当时我经常跑步”。“我想，‘跑步的画面在电影里看起来很棒’。然后，一个浪子回头的故事就立刻浮现在我的脑海里。” 随后，他对毒瘾的研究让他走访了戒毒中心，并与一些曾经的吸毒者进行了交流。

然而，这部电影丝毫没有说教或矫揉造作之感，它避开了俗套的情节和过度夸张的表演，转而采用含蓄的情感表达、视觉上的反讽以及真正令人捧腹的桥段。最终呈现出一部清新、真挚、充满生活气息的电影。

Choo表示，饰演主角的Tan“完全理解”了角色内心“深陷羞耻”的感受。“这并不容易展现出来，尤其是在沉默的时刻。”

而且，体重增加不仅仅关乎外表。“当他体重增加，体型发生变化时，这也有助于他在情感上更好地融入角色，”朱说道。

《Pace》由朱侯仁和台湾女演员金依莲主演。（图片：Pace）

朱先生也对谭先生的表演赞不绝口，他说：“我有很多来自中途之家的朋友，很多我尊敬的人。德斯蒙德能够将角色在不同阶段的绝望感演绎得淋漓尽致，他的内心随着身体的变化而变化。” 他说，“他能从内到外如此出色地诠释这一切，让我感到非常惊喜。”

为了尽快增重，谭透露：“整个增重期间，我早餐都喝一升全脂奶昔。”然后，在片场，“不管提供什么，我都吃两份——炒粿条、炒面、椰浆饭。”晚上，“我会去快餐店吃夜宵。我知道哪顿饭的热量最高。”

同剧演员西蒙·孔（Simon Khung，又名Simonboy）和扎基·侯赛因（Zaki Hussain）都亲眼见证了谭的敬业精神。“拍摄期间，他真的得把两三顿饭合为一顿吃。一边演戏，一边记住台词，还要吃饭，这真的不容易。”孔说道。即便如此，谭在拍摄间隙仍然精力充沛地帮助剧组搬运设备。

扎基打趣道，他也亲眼见证了谭从“帅气”变成剧中那个脸上带着痘疤的角色。“每天早上，他都是第一个到片场的，因为他是唯一一个需要假体化妆的人，”他回忆道。“我们所有人都很接地气，看起来也很正常——我们根本不需要化妆！”

Desmond Tan 与电影《Pace》的搭档 Zaki Hussain 合影。（图片：Pace）

当谭专注于片场表演时，他回忆说：“我妻子很担心，因为她看到我每天吃那么多东西。”不过，“她确实提到，那段时间我更让人想拥抱了！”

这并非全然是损失：“我得以吃到很多以前因为工作而没机会吃的东西——我一直都很注意饮食，”他说。

完成拍摄后，他通过节食和运动，在六周内减掉了 18 公斤。

他现在意识到自己并没有想象中那么爱慕虚荣。“我十几岁、二十几岁、三十几岁的时候，觉得自己太在意自己的外表了，这对我来说非常重要，尤其是当别人说‘嘿，你看起来不如以前好看了’的时候。这让我很在意，”他坦白道。

“但是，在整个转变过程中，我意识到我还是我。只不过是我不同的版本，无论我是胖、瘦还是肌肉发达。这让我更加自信。这让我更能掌控别人如何看待我。而且，我认为这对我来说是一个非常自由的成长过程。”

《速度》将于10月8日上映。

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