S'pore actor Xu Bin doesn't have photos hung up at home, keeps a huge portrait hidden behind curtain

Interesting.

Lee Wei Lin | Hayley Foong | November 29, 2022, 09:21 PM

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Singapore-Thai co-production "The Antique Shop" is set to be released in Singapore on Dec. 1, 2022.

The horror flick stars NoonTalk actors Xu Bin and Damien Teo, Thai actor Phiravich Attachitsataporn, South Korean singer-actor Bae Jin Young and Indonesian actor Rio Dewanto.

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Five languages were spoken on set – Thai, Korean, Bahasa Indonesia, English and Chinese – but Teo was amazed at how they were able to "communicate and bond with each other through the script".

The movie features three short stories, strung together by Andy (played by Xu), a Singaporean businessman who is an avid collector of antiques.

The narrative begins with Andy visiting an antique shop in Thailand before heading to the airport, where he meets Teo, who plays the shop assistant.

No supernatural encounters while filming

Speaking to Mothership, Xu and Teo shared that it was their first time dipping their toes into the horror genre.

They filmed in a real antique shop in Bangkok, which they described as "huge and eerie”.

While the pair did not experience any paranormal activity on set, Xu would occasionally feel like the air turning cooler even though the air conditioning wasn't turned on.

"It could have been my mind playing tricks on me," he said with a chuckle.

No portraits allowed at home

Like his "The Antique Shop" character, Xu enjoys collecting – though on a smaller scale.

From a young age, he has been collecting items such as stamps and coins from countries across the world.

He's vehemently against the idea of displaying "anything that looks somewhat human" at home.

"Figurines, dolls and the like... I won't want to display it if it's shaped like a human or has a face," he explained. "I don't really dare to buy Bearbricks too."

He prefers to err on the side of caution as he believes that every item has its "fair share of history".

Watching the trailer of American horror flick "Annabelle" strengthened his belief.

This peculiar rule extends to portraits -- yes, even his wedding photo.

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A post shared by 徐彬 Xu Bin (@xubin_)

Instead, he prefers to adorn his walls with artwork -- without humans in them, of course -- and family photos are printed small enough to display on tables.

Funnily enough, he currently has a large portrait of himself -- that was taken for a charity auction -- at home.

Photo from STYLE by STYLE VIBES Café's Facebook

But if you do visit his place one day, you might have a hard time locating it as he doesn't have it on the wall.

Instead, it's hidden behind a curtain -- with his face facing inwards, of course.

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Top images from Hayley Foong and STYLE by STYLE VIBES Café's Facebook