LIFE has a funny way of side-tracking even the best laid plans. Ask Hiep Thi Le. The college student who shot to international prominence in Oliver Stone's Heaven And Earth always thought she had her life mapped out.
Although she won rave reviews for her portrayal of author Le Ly Hayslip in the autobiographical Vietnam war drama, Hiep was convinced that acting did not have a place in her future. The physiology student was going to be a doctor and that was that.
Yet, here she was, draped over the sofa at Yonfan Studios and talking about her new film project, producer Yonfan's transsexual extravaganza Bugis Street.
It's not that she had given up her dream of being a doctor, Hiep was quick to point out. This was just a diversion, she added. 'I had never looked to my life as being part of the movies. It was one of my hobbies but I had not thought of anything besides pursuing a medical career,' she said.
'But I didn't get accepted by med school. My grades were OK but I lost out on other points. I will apply again but I need to find a way to get more experience related to the medical or health profession before I do that. As far as I am concerned, everything I have now is not up to their standards.' And the medical world's loss - albeit temporary - has become the celluloid world's gain. So how did Hiep move from the lofty heights of a Hollywood production to the sleazy streets of Singapore's Bugis Street? 'When I was rejected by med school, I felt kind of bad so I decided to get away and think about my options,' she said.
Her passage to her future came in the form of a Peace Boat trip to Danang with a group of Japanese. 'Along the way, I had time to think of what I could do. I could go to grad school, get a bachelor's degree and re-apply for medicine. Or I could take a year off and do what I want to do, which is travel.