KUALA LUMPUR: Singapore-based actor Shaun Chen has moved his family across the Causeway.
AsiaOne reported yesterday that the 45-year-old Mediacorp star told newspaper Lianhe Zaobao that he and his wife and their two daughters moved to Eco Botanic township in Johor Baru on Aug 1.
Eco Botanic is a popular residential and commercial project about a 10-minute drive from Legoland Malaysia.
Chen, a Singapore permanent resident, married his Malaysian wife in 2015.
They have two daughters – Nellie, eight, and Neia, seven. Both girls, who are Malaysian and hold Singapore PR status, have been enrolled in an international school in Johor Baru.
Chen added that the fees for the international school work out to be about the same as school fees and after-school student-care fees for PRs in Singapore.
The actor said that he made the move as it is cheaper to live in Malaysia.
"I'm middle-aged now and I will eventually retire in Malaysia, so I want to enrol the kids in an international school here while they are still young.
"It is quite convenient for me to go to my home in Johor via Tuas Second Link. It takes only about 30 minutes. Moving there has also saved me about 30 per cent in living expenses," he said.
The actor said that he will shuttle between Singapore and Malaysia.
"This is a transitional period for me, but I still hope that there will be better and more roles in the future at Mediacorp," he said.
Chen is also establishing himself in the world of film.
He is the director of production house Filmforce Studio, which worked on the action thriller The Locksmith (2023) with Hong Kong movie star Louis Koo's company One Cool Film Production.
Filmforce Studio has also invested in an upcoming movie directed by Malaysian Matt Lai, titled Money Games.
It is slated for Chinese New Year 2025 and stars Hong Kong actors Eric Tsang and Bobby Au-Yeung.