Romeo Tan owns 5 power banks, says his co-stars 'know they can always borrow' from him

Different people collect different things, and for Romeo Tan, it seems to be all about power banks.

In the new Mediacorp medical drama Keep It Down, the 41-year-old plays an unkempt and rebellious psychotherapist who has a penchant for dating older women, and overcomes his “addiction” only after meeting a passionate and independent urologist, played by Paige Chua.

While Tan may not share his character's interests in real life, he does have an interesting obsession of his own.

“I really like buying power banks. Whenever I see new technology being released or a power bank with a larger capacity, I’ll go and buy it,” he said in an interview with zaobao.sg. “I think it’s an obsession.”

Romeo Tan also dislikes seeing his phone battery run low and wants to own the best and fastest-charging power banks available.

“As soon as my phone battery drops to 70 per cent, I start getting nervous and looking for a power source to charge it,” he admitted.

The actor also quipped that his co-stars enjoy having him around because “they know they can always borrow a power socket or a power bank” from him.

Tan currently owns five power banks, though he once had as many as eight.

Even that doesn't stop him from buying another one in an emergency. For instance, if he urgently needs to charge his phone but doesn't have a power bank on hand.

Whenever he travels overseas, Tan finds himself drawn to the electronics shops at the airport. If a brand he likes releases a new power bank, he admits he can hardly resist buying it.

The actor believes his power bank obsession may stem from a deep-seated need for security and reassurance.

“I don’t want sudden changes that make me feel too anxious or put me in unpredictable situations,” he explained. “I’m someone who needs a sense of security.”