Kota Kinabalu: Singapore-based Malaysian actor Shaun Chen shared that his recent relocation from Singapore to Malaysia was largely influenced by family and lifestyle factors, it has been reported.
He said in an interview with Lianhe Zaobao this decision has reduced the family’s living costs by 30%.
“The main reason is due to aging. I am not getting any younger and I will retire in Malaysia eventually.
“So, while my daughters are still young, I decided to enrol them in an international school in Johor,” he said.
Chen said his daughters have been attending the international school for less than a month.
“The environment is great, the academic pressure is not too high and they have made friends from all over the world.
“The benefit of an international school is that it fosters independent thinking. These kids, at just six or seven years old, are already confident in expressing their opinions,” he said.
When asked if international school were expensive, Chen said there is not much difference.
“In Singapore, the school fees for permanent residents are not cheap either and you also need to pay for after-school care, which is quite similar to the international school fees here,” he said.
However, Chen said he regretted on his earlier decision to sell a house in Johor and they are looking for another house at the moment.
Despite the shift in his personal life, Chen said he will continue to balance his roles in Singaporean and Malaysian entertainment as he said there is no problem in transporting between the two.
“In fact, MediaCorp is currently cultivating new talents, so naturally, actors like us have fewer opportunities. We were once newcomers ourselves, and we understand and know this, so we still have to work harder for our own future.
“This period is a transitional period, I still look forward to more and better roles from MediaCorp,” he said.
Meanwhile, Chen expressed optimism about the future of his film own production company, Filmforce Studio, which has recently collaborated on projects with prominent figures in the Hong Kong and Malaysian film industries.
