Singaporean actress Michelle Alicia Saram says she gained a fresh understanding of that arch-enemy of celebrity - the paparazzi - after shooting the Vincent Chui Wan-shun film Fear of Intimacy. The film centres on the life of award-winning photo-journalist Fai (Tony Leung Ka-fai) who, after joining the ranks of the paparazzi, finds himself, along with his assistant Michelle (Saram), being drawn into a murder investigation.
'The paparazzi work long hours in a job that's very stressful and tiring,' Saram said. 'They spend a lot of time waiting for their target to appear and when it does there's lots of rushing around.'
The film, which screened at the 28th Hong Kong International Film Festival, the 6th Taipei Film Festival and the 26th Moscow International Film Festival, is due for release on May 19.
Saram said she benefited a lot from working with Leung (left). 'When the camera was only on me, he would stand next to it and watch me,' she said. 'If I was supposed to be laughing or happy, he'd tell me a joke.
'He could have rested, but he was always there to see if I'd react correctly. Tony was in character the whole time. I just had to react to him.'
The model-turned-actress also heaped praise on Chui, who allowed her a lot of latitude in interpreting her role. 'He is the first director who allowed me to use my own methods,' she said. 'In a TV series, you're given specific directions, but with Chui it's more natural. The goal is to get the message across and retain the scene's integrity.'