
MINUTES before the interview with Charmaine Sheh, her minder shared a welcoming detail: The star was in a cheery mood.
It was indeed good news. It would seem the sudden downpour on Sunday afternoon had not dampened her mood.
As one of Hong Kong TV's most prolific actresses, she is constantly dogged by the Hong Kong paparazzi. It's no wonder she is known to snap at reporters when she is unhappy.
She had arrived in Singapore barely three hours earlier for a three-day tour to promote the latest TVB dramas.
Still when Charmaine, 34, first waltzed into the lounge at Swissotel The Stamford, it appeared that the said bright disposition had slipped momentarily.
She later told The New Paper: 'The noise from the TV set that was switched on annoyed me... when we're supposed to be doing the interview... so I just turned it off. Period.'
She added: 'This is just me. I don't believe in hiding my feelings.'
And she didn't at a media conference a day later, when co-star Michael Tse teased the reporters: 'Ask her (Charmaine) about (love) gossips.'
Irritation flashed across her pretty face before she stared daggers at him.
Blunt, straight-talking, snappish - describe her attitude any way you like, but that's just her style of dealing with stardom, said Charmaine.
She said: 'I'm someone who won't keep my feelings to myself. I prefer to speak my mind, even if some people may think I'm too blunt.
'I'm very straightforward - you get me as I am.'
This is coming from a star whose love life is apparently well documented by the Hong Kong paparazzi.
So dare we venture to ask her about her rumoured beau, actor Kevin Cheng?
'Ask... go ahead,' she said, with a smile that reached her eyes, which are often described as icy. A sure sign it would be safe to ask then.
She replied: 'We are good friends, very good friends.'
And no, there's nothing more than that at the moment between them, she assured.
'He's a dependable man, a caring friend, so I can't really say if anything more will develop,' she said.
Chemistry The onscreen chemistry between the two was so sizzling when they were paired as lovers in Forensic Heroes II that Charmaine was later accused of breaking up Kevin's five-year relationship with actress Niki Chow.
'I can tell you for sure that's not true,' said Charmaine. 'Kevin and I have known each other for a long time, and it was not the first time we've worked together.'
Their first screen romance was in Point Of No Return. And they will reunite for Beyond The Realm Of Conscience, TVB's latest blockbuster that will air in Hong Kong next month.
Charmaine said: 'Seriously, I don't see why I should avoid contact with Kevin or any of the male co-stars that I've been linked to. I'd probably have no male colleagues to talk to.'
The Hong Kong media has labelled Kevin 'the 10th captive in the flirting queen's life'. Other male co-stars who have been 'captives' include Joe Ma, Raymond Lam, Ron Ng, Gallen Lo and Michael Miu.
She takes the gossip in her stride: 'Actually, I feel the rumours are normal and in some ways, a good thing.
'If the audience does not feel that we are somewhat romantically involved, or that there's no chemisty between me and my co-star, then I'd be a failure.
'But if they say, wah, they are so compatible, maybe they are really dating or could be developing their relationship, then it shows that we've succeeded.'
Charmaine used to date another actor, Benny Chan, but the couple broke up in 2006 after four years because she reportedly would not tolerate his philandering ways.
Her nearly 18 years in show business - she joined TVB after coming in third in the Miss Hong Kong pageant in 1997 - have taught her how to deal with negative reports.
She knows she cannot shake off the paparazzi, so she adopts a different attitude.
'The best way is to ignore them completely. To a certain extent, I must thank them for honing my level of patience,' Charmaine chuckled.
'Before I started out, my EQ was like maybe 1 (on a scale of 1 to 10). In many ways, they (the paparazzi) have helped me to raise my EQ that it's now a perfect 10. So, the experience is actually quite positive, huh?'
She added: 'You really can't think so much, read so much. I don't have that kind of time. Often, I'd learn about a piece of news only when another reporter asks or tells me about it.
'In the past, I'd try to clarify and I'd be like, why did you accuse me, no I didn't do this, or oh, but it's not really like this.'
But she has learnt that such efforts are usually futile.
'I realise it does not help at all. They (the paparazzi) are actually not interested in your clarification at all. They want only titillating responses, or hope that I would start bad-mouthing others,' said Charmaine.
'So, gradually I learn to ignore such news - unless the reports hurt my family members or innocent third parties. Otherwise, I'd just think of it as sheer entertainment gossip. I have no control over what others can or cannot write.'
She said: 'I can only control my own feelings. And when I don't read, I'm not bothered. I would feel then that the world is prettier, the people are better and I'm happier.'
Source: The New PaperCredits: sChiZoO14 @
AsianFanatics