Down-to-earth and decidedly independent, actress and singer Charlie Young refuses to be typecast either on or off the big screen In the early 1990s, Charlie Young Choi-nei became Hong Kong's newest 'it' girl. The 19-year-old, long-haired beauty became an overnight sensation after appearing in an MTV karaoke video with Aaron Kwok Fu-sing. Since then she has become an accomplished singer and actress. It is never easy breaking into the fickle, egocentric entertainment industry but, after a brief meeting with Young, it's easy to see why she survived the challenge. When we meet at Hei Hei Club she is pressed for time and tired after just finishing a long and frustrating photo shoot for a fashion magazine where the clothes didn't fit her petite frame. But she still appears relaxed and approachable. In her first five years in show business, Young starred in 15 movies, including Wong Kar-wai's Fallen Angels and Ashes of Time. She also worked with acclaimed directors Tsui Hark in The Butterfly Lovers and Jacob Cheung Chi-leung in Intimates. In 1997, just as her career was at its peak, she decided to take a break from the entertainment industry and all but disappeared for seven years. As a woman in her thirties, making a comeback into show business was never going to be easy, but Young's time off did not appear to hurt her acting career. Last year she accelerated back on to the big screen, starring alongside Jackie Chan in New Police Story. This year she played leading lady Wu Yuan Yin, one of the seven warriors chosen to protect a martial arts village from destruction, in Tsui Hark's new version of the medieval epic Seven Swords. A large-scale production such as Seven Swords brings with it a host of new challenges. Not only did Young have to spend months training on the mainland for her numerous martial arts sequences, but shooting the movie was a gruelling and exhausting exercise. 'The movie was set in summer and winter, so we faced temperatures ranging from 40 degrees Celsius to minus 40 degrees Celsius. Also, the timing of our shoots had to coincide with the weather. Hark did not want to risk a drastic weather changes between shots for the same scene. So at one point, we went without sleep for 36 hours straight, filming scenes throughout.' If that wasn't challenging enough, Young's character has to master the double-edged sword, one of the most difficult weapons to manoeuvre. 'Luckily, Leon [Lai] was very encouraging and shared the difficulties he experienced in the past and how he overcame them,' Young says. Although the pair starred in Fallen Angels, it wasn't until Seven Swords that they had actual on-screen time together. 'It was very rewarding to work closely with so many accomplished actors,' Young says. 'Whenever Donnie Yen [Ji-dan] was set to film a fight scene, we would all get excited and gather around to watch.' Young's career has gone from strength to strength. She has a proven track record as both a singer and an actress, and has worked with some of the most highly respected names in the industry. But fame does not appear to have got the better of her - she remains sincere, polite and modest. 'In my youth, my mother rarely complimented me,' Young says. 'I would always hear about her friends' daughters and how pretty or talented they were. My mother encouraged me but never stroked my ego.' While still a child, Young was approached on the street to appear in adverts and modelling shows but her parents decided she wasn't old enough. When she reached 16, they finally agreed to let her take a shot at show business. After working on a few commercials, she starred in numerous karaoke videos, including those by Aaron Kwok Fu-sing and Jacky Cheung Hok-yau. Soon afterwards, she faced a life-changing decision when she was offered a five-year contract with Aaron Kwok's management agency. 'As a teenager, I was unsure what my career aspirations were. But since the contract was only for five years, by the time it expired I'd be more aware of my goals and would still be young enough to pursue other options if I wanted to,' she says. Young released her debut album in her first year with Aaron Kwok, and promptly won Best New Artist awards from Hong Kong's Top 10 Music Awards, TVB and Commercial Radio. In the following four years, she released more than 10 albums in Hong Kong and Taiwan in both Cantonese and Mandarin. 'Music is an outlet for creative expression, which is what I love about being a singer,' Young says. 'But today in Hong Kong, music is very much a trend-driven industry, and if you happen to fall into the current trend, you'll be hot.' But releasing a new album now is not on Young's agenda. Her current focus is to develop her acting career and seek out new, exciting stories to complement her personal life. 'To me, being an actress is a constantly evolving process, paralleling the experiences one accumulates in real life. The more you feel in life, the more types of characters you can empathise with.' In her upcoming movie, she co-stars with Andy Lau Tak-wah in a romance called All About Love, directed by Daniel Yu Lik-wai. Young also aspires to work with many more directors, including Ann Hui On-wah, who is currently directing The Aunt's Postmodern Life with Chow Yun-fat. She is keen to try a role out of this world. 'I'd like to star in a science fiction movie, something along the lines of X-Men or The Fifth Element. These roles have a lot of room for creativity and improvisation.' Her enthusiasm to try new things adds versatility to her acting. And despite mixed reviews over her recent movies, she remains upbeat about her work. 'Not once have I ever regretted my acting choices,' she says. 'Gaining experience is an integral part of every project... I am always growing, learning and enriching my life.' This philosophy is applied not only to acting, but to her career in general, which is why, when her artist contract came to an end in 1997, she decided not to renew it. There was much speculation in the media as to what had prompted her sudden departure from the spotlight. Many said that she had chosen to prioritise her love life but, according to Young, she simply wanted to try something new. 'Being an artist was my first job ever. I was never exposed to what was outside the celebrity circle. I wanted to learn more about the world outside of the entertainment industry.' During this time off she set up an image consultancy business in Malaysia, called Starz Agency, with then boyfriend Khoo Shao Tze. Although the company went under last year, it is still a subject she takes seriously. 'It is a job that deals with people's emotions, insecurities and inner problems, so you can't take it lightly,' Young says. 'Being an image consultant is about so much more than just improving a person's physical appearance. It is about helping people solve underlying issues they have with themselves. It is about helping them gain confidence. The job was so meaningful because I got to really know all of my clients. Seeing their emotional development over time was the most beautiful part of my consultancy work.' If that is what being an image consultant is about, then she fits the profile perfectly. Her genuine concern for the well-being of others is reflected in her charitable actions. Besides being an animal rights advocate, Young has been Unicef's China ambassador for close to two years. She is deeply concerned about the lack of education among children on the mainland. 'I hope one day to build a school,' Young says. 'People in Hong Kong do not realise how lucky they are to have compulsory education. In China, so many children don't have the luxury of learning because they need to stay home and help the family earn money.' Although she is focusing on her film career, Young still dabbles in image consultancy. She is currently doing work for the clothing store Bossini. 'My first project was last year's spring/summer collection. I came up with a colour therapy concept to compliment Bossini's 'Colour Your World' slogan. Colours can help to heal some of our emotional problems.' Young uses similar principles when making her own fashion choices. Instead of being constricted by labels, her preferences are influenced by what makes her feel good. 'We all know our own bodies and emotions the best,' she says. Her secret to looking good is having clothes tailor-made, rather than settling for what's on the rack. 'This way, I can get exactly what I want.' Young's personal style is reflected in all aspects of her life. By constantly developing new skills and exploring her options, she has been able to evolve and adapt. While her singing career may be on hold, she is regaining momentum as an actress. PHOTOGRAPHER: Harry C ART DIRECTION: Jowie Chan MAKEUP: Andy Leung HAIR: Lianne Wai from Orient 4 WARDROBE: Harvey Nichols CO-ORDINATOR: Johnson Ho LOCATION: Hei Hei Club