Actor Romeo Tan on experiencing middle child syndrome while growing up

Actor Romeo Tan on experiencing middle child syndrome while growing up The Mediacorp actor recently shared how “middle child syndrome” shaped his bond with his brothers. Being the middle child isn’t always easy. Sometimes you’re just caught between an older sibling to “listen” to and a younger one to care for. Romeo Tan can surely relate. In the new Mediacorp multi-generational series Brighter Days, which spans more than three decades, the 41-year-old actor plays two roles: Li Zhongcheng, a 1996 HDB nanny, and his son Li Yiwei in 2026. In the show, Yiwei grapples with the painful aftermath of losing his younger brother (Jeffrey Xu) as a child, an incident that also caused his mother to suffer from depression. Years later, after his brother is found, Yiwei struggles to earn his forgiveness for the pain he caused. Speaking of brotherhood, that’s certainly something Romeo Tan can relate to in real life. The actor has an older brother who is six years older and a younger brother who is five years younger. When they were kids, Tan shared a bunk bed with his younger brother, which made them especially close. He also looked up to his older brother and saw him as a good role model. Tan, however, quipped in an interview with Chinese-language media vibes by 8world that his older and younger brothers are less close to each other, which is why he acts as the “middleman” between them. But being literally in the middle comes with its challenges too. Admitting that he experienced “middle child syndrome”, Romeo Tan said that he was more rebellious and would sometimes feel jealous of both his older and younger brothers. “When I was young, mum would always say: ‘Gor gor (older brother) is a good role model, you should learn from him,’ and ‘Your younger brother is the well-behaved one, you should learn from him too,’” he recalled. “I felt like I was always looking up to my older and younger brothers, but my mum never praised me.” Thankfully, that never affected their sibling bond. “Everyone knows their place. I won’t overstep my older brother, and my younger brother won’t overstep me. We also would never fight with our older brother,” he said. “We respect each other and get along well. Even if we have occasional arguments, once it’s over, it’s over.” The actor also admitted that he was a mischievous child who struggled academically and often gave his parents plenty of headaches. “But I’ve always continued improving myself. When I was serving National Service, I became an officer and made my parents proud. Now that I’m an actor, they also think this ‘ah boy’ has turned out pretty well.” This story was originally published in 8Days. For more 8Days stories, visit https://www.8days.sg/.