Through the Keyhole with Paul Foster
Posted Date: Sep 12, 2011
By: Lisa-Ann Lee
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Fresh from completing his first movie, the popular actor, host and model takes some time to show us around his new pad.
You might be inclined to think that Paul Foster lives the life of a swinging single in a swanky bachelor pad. The truth is that home for him is a cosy three-bedroom apartment that he shares with his mother, sister and niece in Bendemeer. Airy and brightly lit, it’s a warm, inviting space that instantly makes one feel at home. Family is obviously an important part of Foster’s life and his home is filled with photographs and mementos belonging to his parents, such as his mother’s antiques and his late father’s collection of mineral stones.
 
My Space: This is currently the family home. I live with my mom, my sister and her daughter. My mom just moved back [to Singapore] last year after eight years in Austria. I was previously staying at Leedon Heights and it went en-bloc. But they missed the chance to tear it down because the market turned, so we ended up renting it back from the people who bought it off us. I plan to get my own place in the next couple of years but I wanted to get this for the family first. I’m happy that everything’s been taken of so it means now I can travel and work overseas.
House hunting: It’s very hard to find a place in Singapore! We must have looked at five or six places before we saw this one. Our second house was in Woodbridge, the third was in Bukit Timah and then we moved to Leedon Heights, where we stayed for nine years. Along the way, our house has been getting smaller and smaller. It went from a terrace to a semi-detached to a bungalow to an apartment.
Outdoor patio: I wanted something outdoorsy so apart from building a roof for this space, I left the rest of it open. We’re on the top floor, the view is lovely and when you get the breeze, it’s really nice. The only thing missing is the barbecue.
Family ties: I’ve got five sisters, three older from my mom’s first marriage. Then there’s me and my younger sister from her second marriage. My father was the president of the Singapore Cricket Club, my mom’s on the committee, so I practically grew up in the club.
Private sanctuary: I love coming to my own room and just doing my own thing. I watch an insane amount of TV.
(Foster's sporting glories from his school days)
Making movies: I was in Jakarta filming Catatan Harian si Boy. It’s a modern remake of a 1987 Indonesian classic that was based on a popular radio play [about the scion of a fabulously wealthy Indonesian family.] It spawned five sequels. I play the antagonist – the douchebag white guy who comes in and causes all the trouble.
Lucky break: I just happened to be in Jakarta when they were casting for this movie because my sister wanted to say goodbye to our godmother before she left to get married in the States. She hooked me up with the director and told me, “He’s making a movie, you’re an actor. Just try.”
I fitted the role because they needed someone who wasn’t known to Indonesians, who was “bule” (foreigner in Bahasa Indonesia), could speak Bahasa but didn’t need to be fluent as my character was born in Indonesia but grew up in London.
That was my first douchebag role. My Red Thread and Polo Boys roles were all nice guys, goody two shoes roles, but this has been my douchebag year. I also play one on Suria’s Papa Rock.
Fab finds: My mom collects antiques. The oldest one in her collection is this brown urn from the 16th century.
 
These are from the Nanking cargo [that was salvaged from the 18th century wreck of the Dutch vessel Geldermalen in the South China Sea.] We don’t really know how much they’re worth today because they were bought such a long time ago.
Decisions, decisions: Singapore’s acting industry is very small. Indonesia is a blessing. They have 240 million people. If I have 1 percent of their market, that’s 50 percent of the market here. There’s no comparison to that.
I’ve been offered to go to Shanghai to model and learn Mandarin. I always meant to learn the language but never got around to doing it. Got a Russian girlfriend, learn Russian. Got a Brazilian girlfriend, learn Portuguese. Got an Indonesian gig, learn Bahasa Indonesia.
Future plans: If I don’t book anything for Singapore in November, I’m going to leave. I don’t want to but I have no choice. You only have a limited shelf life [in this line of work.] I might as well travel and work while I can, and experience whatever I can experience.
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Related Categories: Case Studies - Singapore, Interviews
Tags: Catatan Harian si Boy, Chinese antiques, iProperty.com Singapore, Leedon Heights, Nanking shipwreck cargo, Paul Foster, Polo Boys, Red Thread, Singapore Celebrities, Singapore Cricket Club, Singapore homes of famous people, through the keyhole
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