WHEN Vanessa Ellen Chan Ah-lun's titillating new book of photographs hits the news stands tomorrow, the actress will officially join the ranks of Hong Kong starlets, from Olivia Cheng to Loletta Lee, who have bared all for posterity . . . and plenty of money.
With a career switch bearing an uncanny similarity to Veronica Yip's, Chan has relaunched a flagging career by first romping through some steamy love scenes in the Category III film Fatal Love and then posing for photographer Alain Ip on location in Barcelona.
She even hopes it may lead to a singing career.
Life has come full circle for the 26-year-old actress who was first discovered by Capital Artists in a song contest eight years ago. But since then she has turned her back on singing and moved back and forth between film and television.
But even something as simple as stripping off is proving harder for Chan than it might have been for others.
She has always had trouble with the highly-infl uential Hong Kong entertainment press, despite her naturally friendly nature.