At 55, retired HK actress Cherie Chung is still stunning
Retired actress Cherie Chung is still a stunner at 55.
One of Hong Kong cinema’s screen goddesses of the 1980s alongside Lin Ching-Hsia, Maggie Cheung and Rosamund Kwan, the doe-eyed beauty is best known for her roles in classic films such as action comedy Banana Cop (1984), romantic drama An Autumn’s Tale (1987) and crime flick Once a Thief (1991).
Wearing a chic black jumpsuit, Chung oozed elegance and sophistication at the launch of luxury designer shoe brand Jimmy Choo’s new boutique at Paragon shopping mall on Wednesday (Nov 4) evening.
She proved to be a crowd-puller too - the store’s invited guests and some shoppers snapped away furiously with their cell phones.
A lot has changed since Chung’s last public appearance in Singapore in 2005 for French fashion label Agnes B.
Her advertising executive husband Michael Chu died of cancer at the age of 53 in 2007. The couple have no children.
While she has not appeared on the big screen for more than two decades — Chung left showbiz in 1991 — she recently made a name for herself behind the camera. She held her first photography exhibition, To Hong Kong With Love, last year in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
As Chung tells The New Paper at a doorstop interview, having lines and wrinkles should not take away one’s passion for life...
Lin Ching-Hsia made her showbiz comeback in August in Chinese reality TV show Up Idol. Will you be making a comeback soon too?
Aren’t I making a comeback now? (Smiles) Actually, I do appear at events like this (in Hong Kong) quite often, especially charity-related ones. It’s nice to chit-chat with the media once in a while, I really do enjoy myself.
You haven’t acted since 1991. What type of script will move you to do another movie? If Chow Yun-Fat, your co-star in An Autumn’s Tale, personally invites you to do a new film, will you accept it?
Honestly, I wouldn’t have waited so long to be moved by a script. But if he extends the invite, I will definitely seriously ponder over it. I have to give him face. (Laughs)
At 55, you still look amazing. How do you maintain your svelte figure? Any beauty tips to share?
I wake up early in the morning and make it a point to exercise every single day. Of course, I try to eat healthy too. On most days, I keep a vegetarian diet.
You are often labelled a “screen goddess” by the media and netizens. Is it pressurising having to live up to the “goddess” status?
I don’t feel pressured, but hopefully, people won’t call me that too often. I don’t think I’m a goddess at all!
In the early 1980s, you were known as a sex siren for your roles in Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (1983) and Hong Kong Hong Kong (1983). Did you embrace your sexuality?
In my opinion, the idea of sexiness is actually quite abstract. I didn’t mind being sexy, it was like portraying another side of myself on screen.
What is the one thing you must do before you leave your house?
Apply lipstick. (Laughs) I cannot go out of my house without lipstick.
Do you have any suitors now? Do you desire romance?
Sadly, I have no suitors. (Laughs) What to do? When it comes to romance, I can only leave it up to fate. In any case, although I have no romantic love, I have no lack of love in my life. I love animals, I love my family and friends.
Your good friend Rosamund Kwan told Hong Kong media earlier today that she had divorced her husband, billionaire art collector Pierre Chen. Did you know about her marriage problems?
I’m hearing it for the first time from all of you, I have to digest the news before I can comment. Also, it’s better not to comment about other people’s matters.
Do you hope to launch your own fashion label one day?
Not a fashion label, but if I can, I hope to start my own F&B business. I love cooking and it’ll be nice to start a business involving healthy cuisine. Cooking is where I explore my creativity.
You are known in the Hong Kong entertainment industry for championing environmental causes. Is that one of your strongest passions now?
Yes, I feel that protecting our environment is very important. Personally, it’s a must-do and at the top of my list. I am also extremely passionate about women’s rights.
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