“Me? A star? Actor only, actor,” laughs Star Search 2019 finalist Tyler Ten during the imaging session of upcoming Mediacorp drama, All Around You when we mention to him that he's a star now.

According to the 1.9m-tall charmer, who along with the rest of his fellow Top 12 finalists were all offered Mediacorp contracts as well as roles in All Around You, being an actor is now one of his three “part-time jobs”, along with being a model and a marketing student at SIM.

“I felt very shiok and happy when I was offered the contract!” the 23-year-old tells 8days.sg. “I have a passion for acting and I thought I might as well take up this great opportunity and do it well. I'm still studying and modelling at the same time so I guess this contract will have to adjust to my schedule… I can’t really reveal anything else 'cos we’re still in the midst of discussion.

However, it looks like Tyler, who told us in an earlier interview that he hopes his first project would be an idol drama so he could leave a good first impression” will have his work cut out for him.

In All Around You, Tyler plays a husband who cheats on his wife (fellow Top 12 contestant Juin Teh) with Ye Jiayun's character. “ I’m very happy to be working with them again, since we acted together during the Star Search finals. We definitely have good chemistry! After all, I’ve already done the most extreme thing by kissing and touching them during the finals…” Tyler smiles cheekily.

In case you forgot, Tyler had to feel up Juin for their acting challenge during the Star Search finals. He also had a kissing scene with Jiayun in their WeMovie for the semis.

But is Tyler, who says that playing a playboy is “totally out of [his] comfort zone”, worried about being typecast as the bad guy?

“No matter what, I'll still go all out and try my best to be so bad to the core that people will actually like my character. If they hate me, it means my acting is good lah. (Laughs) Hopefully!” he says.

Tyler tells us he has had to make some adjustments to his personal life since embarking on his new career. For example, he says he has cut down on clubbing . And just how often did he use to club? But before he could answer, his manager chimes in saying that there’s “no need [to] go into details”. Oh well.

On a more wholesome note, he also tells us he's been spending less time with his family now. Before this, I used to have dinner at home every day,” he says. “Now I hang out with my friends and family less because I dedicate all my free time to filming the drama. Thankfully, they’ve all been supportive and understanding.”

Photos: Mark Lee/ 8days.sg and Mediacorp Photo Unit

All Around You is available on demand for free on Toggle from Feb 28, 2020 and premieres on Mar 2, 2020, 9pm on Ch 8.