Chen's first assignment for her management company is to learn to speak Cantonese fluently before starting to act and sing. So our discussion turns into an extra Cantonese lesson for Chen, although in the end she resorts to Putonghua to express her ideas clearly.

Why, as with so many top sports personalities before her, has she succumbed to the lure of show business? 'I have missed out on so many things by being a pool player for so many years. Acting allows me to meet different people and learn more about life. I want to know more than just playing pool.'

She has been approached to make movies in Taiwan but has always declined. It was not until Entertainment Impact made its offer earlier this year that she seriously considered it.

'It's much better to start my movie career in Hong Kong than in Taiwan,' Chen says. 'Hong Kong's film industry is more international than Taiwan's. Though my showbiz career is just beginning, I really want my movies to be seen all over Asia.'

Chen believes her sporting background makes her more suitable for action films to begin with, but is eager to take more demanding roles eventually. She admires Julia Roberts' versatility. 'She is my favourite,' says Chen. 'She is good no matter what roles she plays.'

She says she would love to be cast in feminine roles and is a bit worried about being typecast as a tough athletic actress. She has even been nicknamed in some entertainment magazines as the female version of Canto-pop star Nicholas Tse Ting-fung. 'I'm a bit worried that I will be stereotyped,' she says. 'I don't mind if people say that I look like Nicholas Tse, but he has become more of a rock star now and I'm heading the opposite way, being more feminine.'

Choekyi Au Kam-ping, manager of Entertainment Impact's talent department, is confident of Chen's audience-appeal. 'We think that Jennifer has charisma that others don't have,' she says. 'She was spotted by the group's head Wallace Cheung Kwok-chung last year when he saw her playing pool in Taiwan. He thinks that Jennifer has potential that should not be wasted.'

Then there's her earning potential. As a professional pool player last year she pocketed US$53,000 (HK$412,000) but showbiz could deliver much richer rewards. She insists that becoming an actress is what she wants to do, but hopes to make more money out of show business than pool. 'If I told you that money is not important you wouldn't believe it. You need money to survive,' Chen says. 'But I really want to buy my parents [who live in Taipei] a bigger house and I also want them to retire as early as possible.'

Chen's pool career started in her teens, after she was injured playing her first love, handball. 'I hurt my right hand during a training session and pulled out of the high school team,' she says. 'During that time I built up my interest in billiards, the only sport that requires little hand movement.'

After just a month of intense training, the then 17-year-old won a place in the national squad, was instructed by national coaches for a year and then played on her own.

She won her first international competition, the Japan Professional Open Championship, in 1993. Chen admits she came under fire from some male players in Taiwan, offended by a woman doing so well, but it had little effect on her. 'I don't really care about the criticism,' she says. 'I'm way better than them.'

Despite having the talent and winning the tournaments, Chen questioned whether she wanted to continue playing professionally. 'I wanted to learn English because nmn,what I learned at school was not enough, so I decided to go to Vancouver to study.' In 1995, having financed her schooling from her winnings, she waved goodbye to her parents and, she thought, to pool as well.

But the draw of the sport was too strong and before long she was back at the table in Canada, winning the Canadian women's title the following year. 'I was then determined to move to Los Angeles to start my professional career,' she says. She became a member of the Women's Professional Billiards Association in 1996.

Despite being ranked world No 1 by the World Pool-Billiard Association in 1998 and 2000, Chen says it's time to experience something new. 'My family supports my decision,' she says, adding that her businessman boyfriend backs her move as well. 'It's harmless to try. If it doesn't work out I can always do something else, but I'm not the sort to give up easily.'

Chen, who is now based in Taipei, is optimistic about the changes in her life. She believes her ability to assess conditions before making any moves, a discipline learned in sport, will help in her new career. 'The art of playing pool is about decision-making,' Chen says. 'It is different from other sports that you need to practise eight hours a day. Your mind is most important. You have to stay calm and be clear about what you are doing.'

Compared with other newcomers, she says she is not nervous about facing the cameras. She has appeared in two television commercials and two print advertisements since 1999. She has also written an autobiography published in 1998 and a pool-players' manual First Shot. Chen will compete in Japan and the US before preparing for the film at the end of this year. 'When I come back I will be taken to the film sets and taught about film-making,' she says.

So what happens if Chen becomes a big star? Will she give up playing pool? She is an icon for the sport in Taiwan and an idol to thousands of Taiwanese girls. 'If my movie career takes off I may consider giving up playing professionally,' she says. 'But I'm not going to stop representing Taiwan in international tournaments. I don't want to let my people down.'

Sporting stars

Alex Fong Lik-sun (Hong Kong)

Fong, 21, is a Hong Kong swimming record holder and a first-year student at the University of Hong Kong. His good looks and talent in the pool have attracted many fans to the South China Athletic Association, where he trains. His first step to screen stardom was in 1999, when he filmed Summer Before Y2K, a television drama produced by RTHK. He successfully established his Canto-pop image with the release of an eponymous debut album this year.

Vinnie Jones (Britain)

Jones (below) began his professional soccer career with Wimbledon in 1986 and later captained Wales. Jones also hosted television and radio talk shows, published a book and wrote a weekly column for the tabloid newspaper The Sun. His acting career began when writer/director Guy Ritchie cast him as paternal enforcer Big Chris in the flashy London gangster romp Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels (1999), a hit in England and an art-house success in the United States. He also starred opposite Nicolas Cage in Gone In 60 Seconds (2000), Brad Pitt in Snatch (2000) and John Travolta in Swordfish last year.

Fu Mingxia (China)

China's diving queen has appeared in several TV and print commercials for beauty products, soft drinks and property. Fu does not have any concrete plans to be a pop star yet, but she is reported to be good friends with Canto-pop icon and movie producer Andy Lau Tak-wah. Hailed as one of the greatest female athletes in the world, the 23-year-old was the first diver to win four Olympic gold medals. Fu is now a student of economics at Qing Hua University in Beijing.

Dennis Rodman (United States)

The 40-year-old former basketball star hasn't played in the NBA since the Dallas Mavericks released him after 13 games in the 1999-2000 season. Playing alongside Michael Jordan, he was a key member of the Chicago Bulls between 1996-1998. Rodman's flamboyant image caught Hollywood's eye and in 1997 he made his film debut, co-starring with Jean-Claude Van Damme in Double Team. He followed that with roles in Simon Sez in 1999 and last year's Cutaway. But the films failed to reach any critical or box-office heights.