Does art imitate life? Actress Cecilia Cheung Pak-chi says she and her character in Chen Kaige's new martial arts epic, The Promise, faces similar predicaments. 'She's exactly the same as me,' says Cheung. 'She's beautiful, sexy and attractive; all the men want her. She's successful in everyone's eyes, but deep down she's very hurt and very sad.'
Cheung (right) plays a poor orphan, Qing Cheng, who abandons her chance of true love to become a princess and the object of men's desire. She soon finds herself the prize in a bloody battle between the Duke of the North, his nemesis General Guang Ming, and Kunlun, the slave for whom she longs.
The 26-year-old darling of Canto-pop and Asian cinema is candid about the heartache in her own life. 'I attract all kinds of men; they are around me all the time. They like my face, my body, my money, but I never feel love from them. They hurt me. They treat me like a doll.'
That's not the case with her new beau, a 34-year-old Dutch banker, who has given gossip columnists more grist for the mill. 'I really like gweilos,' she says. 'But it's not just that. We share similar interests. We both hate loud parties and have a passion for sports. And having dated all these superstars it's really nice to find someone who is down to earth.
'We almost broke up because of all the attention, he hates it. He was so mad, but I told him I can't change. I don't have much confidence this relationship is going to last.'
She complains of being constantly misrepresented by the local media. 'They never show the real Cecilia. It doesn't matter how I act or sing, they think the readers won't be interested. They're always trying to portray me as some monster or slut.'