By Alexandra A. Seno
HONG KONG
Charlene Choi Cheuk-yin remembers when she was "just a normal
teenager." She went to a typical Hong Kong high school and did a
little modeling on the side.
"One day, my manager asked me if I wanted to go into
entertainment. Just like that,'' she said in an interview. ''At
that time I just wanted to grab the chance."
Seven years later, as half of the pop duo Twins, Choi has sold
tens of millions of CDs and she has made over 30 movies. Earlier
this week, the 24-year-old promoted her latest film, "Simply
Actors," in a suburban Hong Kong mall. Her fans, mostly young
women, wielded placards and camera phones snapping her photo; when
she turned their way, they screamed her nickname: "Ah-sa! Ah-sa!"
She gave them a smile and the throng strained the metal barricades.
In "Simply Actors," an old-fashioned Hong Kong slapstick comedy,
Choi becomes Dani Dan, a soft-porn starlet who attends acting
school. When she shows up in class for the first time, she poses
at the door bathed in light. Her role is a thinly veiled reference
to Taiwan's Shu Qi, who transcended early soft-porn roles
to become a respected acting talent.
Choi is currently the biggest female Hong Kong pop idol of her
generation, a status she has earned through much hard work, and
for which she makes no excuses. "I just hurt my back while
promoting the movie dancing on a TV show," she said, when her
entourage finally sneaked her away to a nearby Thai restaurant.
Choi sat very straight, perfectly lip-glossed smile unwavering
throughout the interview. Her success clearly comes from the
iron-clad poise needed to survive Hong Kong's entertainment
industry, and the energy to promote films by doing things like
good-naturedly gyrating to a theme song in front of hundreds of
onlookers at shopping centers.
"Because the film is a comedy, I don't think people will really
think I am a porn star. They will laugh," she said with a girlish
giggle, neatly folding her silver-manicured hands. She wore a prosthetic in the film to
give her a 34D chest, which made for many jokes on the set and
back aches at night.
So carefully cultivated is her public persona, that the thought of
Choi as anything but wholesome makes Dani Dan her most daring
role so far. The real surprise, however, is that unlike her
previous predominantly ornamental film appearances, in this movie
she is given a chance to act. While for much of her on-screen time
she works the cuteness factor, in several scenes she breaks away
to become believable and watchable.
The film's producer, Winnie Tsang, managing director of Golden
Scene, said Choi was chosen because "it is long overdue that
Charlene should be able to express herself in a genuinely mature
role. Not only is she able to provide the glamour and vibrance
that is necessary for the role, she also brings a sensitivity that
is rare among Hong Kong actresses her age."
Speaking about her career in films, Choi said: "I never thought
that one day I could make more than 30 movies. I didn't really
like every single one of them, but it is experience. I never went
to acting school. I am learning though experience." Past films
include "My Wife is 18," "The Twins Effect, and "The Attractive One."
One of the perks of starring in "Simply Actors," she said, was the
chance to work with the veteran comedian and acting coach Jim Chim
Sui-man. He plays her classmate, a wannabe undercover cop.
"Before, I focused on my facial expression,'' she said. ''After
Jim gave me advice on how to use body language, my acting has been
different."
As a teenager, Choi didn't have a clear idea about what she wanted
to do with her life, she said. "If watched CSI, I wanted to become
a member of CSI. If watched a movie about airline pilots, I wanted
to become a pilot," she said. Then show business happened.
When Choi was 17, Emperor Entertainment Group paired her with
Gillian Chung Yun-tung, another anonymous but attractive Hong Kong
teenager. The duo became "Twins," a stylish, skillfully
manufactured and outrageously profitable musical act. In Hong
Kong, singers often make movies, so the duo did, first together,
then independently. Chung prefers doing action films, while Choi
specializes in romantic and comedy roles.
Her next big project, which will likely open in early 2008, is
"Slam Dunk," in which she plays the female lead opposite Jay Chou
Chieh-lun, Taiwan's biggest young star. One of Choi's publicists
said: "A cheerleader." The actress quickly cut in: "No. I am the
manager of the basketball team."
She might like to have more say in the roles she is offered, and
hopes that after she turns 30 people might take her seriously
enough to cast her as someone "evil." For now, she is preoccupied
with moving away from the schoolgirl stereotype that has made her
famous. "You know, I put on a uniform for six years. It is kind
of embarrassing,'' Choi said. ''I'm getting older and I still
have to wear a student uniform and sing the songs."
International Herald Tribune
