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News Article
Wong Number
Hollywood's calling. With her major role on movie Shanghai Knights and hopefully bigger things to come, Fann Wong is certainly one damsel who doesn't need rescuing
The Straits Times, 21 April 2002 By Suzanne Sng
Fann Wong is waiting.
Waiting for her turn on the film set of Shanghai Knights, the sequel to Shanghai Noon and her first foray into Hollywood. Waiting for Hollywood to sit up and notice her in her first English-speaking role. 'I do hope this is my big break,' says the 31-year-old MediaCorp actress, who plays Jackie Chan's sister, Chon Lin, in the action blockbuster now being shot in the city of Prague in the Czech Republic. 'Certainly, I hope this brings me more opportunity and exposure to the market,' she repeats with wide-eyed sincerity, even though it is the umpteenth time she is answering the same question.
If some big-time Hollywood agent wants to represent her, she says simply: 'Why not? Of course, I hope this will not be my only Hollywood movie. I hope to work with other directors, but it all depends on luck and timing,' she adds, as non-committal as always.
Back in town for a whirlwind round of promotions for Bella Skin Care as its first celebrity spokesmodel, she heads back to Prague today for another two months of high-kicks, English dialogue and more waiting. 'The action sequences and the English lines are both not as difficult as I thought,' she says.
'The most difficult part is the waiting.' Used to a much faster working pace - shooting up to one drama serial episode in a day - she now has to cool her heels, shooting one to four scenes daily in her past one week there. 'I wake up at six and the car comes to pick us up to go to the set. I do my hair and makeup, have breakfast, and wait,' she says in a sing-song voice. 'At 7.30 at night, I'm still waiting, still not my turn.'
But while this may be the most relaxed shoot in terms of schedule in her eight-year acting career, she laments that being on constant standby is mentally exhausting. 'Lucky I'm not a doctor or lawyer, so the lines are not so bad,' she says in a mixture of Mandarin, English and Singlish. 'I don't speak like an American, but I think I sound natural.'
Grinning conspiratorially, she reveals that the actor who plays her father has a Mandarin coach, and Chan, who is known to spout his own brand of English, has a private speech tutor beside him when he does his lines. 'They don't have an English coach for me, so that's good news, I think,' she says.
Then, squealing with embarrassment, she adds that Chan speaks to her in excellent Mandarin and has even asked her: 'How come your Mandarin is not so good?' Playing her Big Brother both on and off screen, he has won her whole-hearted admiration. 'My impression of Jackie Chan when I was young was that he's a gongfu hero. I realise now his longevity is not just due to his gongfu. He is full of energy and he treats everyone very well.'
Any special treatment from Big Brother, then? 'No, no, no,' she denies, giggling. Her reply is the same when asked if MediaCorp actor Christopher Lee - 'We're just friends' - has intentions of visiting her on the set, as her parents have done over Easter. Even if he does not get to see her for the next two months, she can still look forward to possible visits from her favourite hairstylist David Gan and actor friends Ix Shen and Xie Shaoguang.
She also reveals that the director, David Dobkin, has increased her scenes by 30 per cent, although she remains tight-lipped about how much she is pocketing from this her biggest role so far. In high spirits and keen to show off her new action figure, she prances and poses for the camera in a series of photo shoots. 'Today is jumping day,' she chirps, armed with her mega-watt smile despite only getting a couple of hours sleep due to jet lag. Treating the couch like a trampoline, she bounces up and down and even asks the photographer cheekily: 'Do you want me to pause in mid air?'
Throwing her arms about carelessly, the positively skeletal star is unafraid of flashing flabby underarms or fuzzy armpits. She does not have any spare fat on her, thanks to the daily training sessions with Chan's stunt instructors.
It does take a lot of work - and a couple of hair and make-up artists - to look as picture perfect as her. More hard work and more waiting is in store for her as major scenes and action sequences have still not been shot. Shanghai Knights will hit cinemas at the end of the year. 'I don't know how the movie will turn out, or what it will bring. It's too early to say,' she admits.
Let's just wait and see. |
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